< Jezekiel 31 >

1 And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the third month, on the first [day] of the month, the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
It happened in the eleventh year, in the third month, in the first day of the month, that the word of YHWH came to me, saying,
2 Son of man, say to Pharao king of Egypt, and to his multitude; To whom have you compared yourself in your haughtiness?
"Son of man, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt, and to his multitude: 'Whom are you like in your greatness?
3 Behold, the Assyrian was a cypress in Libanus, and was fair in shoots, and high in stature: his top reached to the midst of the clouds.
Look, the Assyrian was a cedar in Lebanon with beautiful branches, and with a forest-like shade, and of high stature; and its top was among the thick boughs.
4 The water nourished him, the depth made him grow tall; she led her rivers round about his plants, and she sent forth her streams to all the trees of the field.
The waters nourished it, the deep made it to grow: its rivers ran all around its plantation; and it sent out its channels to all the trees of the field.
5 Therefore was his stature exalted above all the trees of the field, and his branches spread far by the help of much water.
Therefore its stature was exalted above all the trees of the field; and its boughs were multiplied, and its branches became long by reason of many waters, when it shot them forth.
6 All the birds of the sky made their nests in his boughs, and under his branches all the wild beasts of the field bred; the whole multitude of nations lived under his shadow.
All the birds of the sky made their nests in its boughs; and under its branches all the animals of the field brought forth their young; and all great nations lived under its shadow.
7 And he was fair in his height by reason of the multitude of his branches: for his roots were amidst much water.
Thus was it beautiful in its greatness, in the length of its branches; for its root was by many waters.
8 And such cypresses [as this] were in the paradise of God; and there were no pines like his shoots, and there were no firs like his branches: no tree in the paradise of God was like him in his beauty,
The cedars in the garden of God could not hide it; the fir trees were not like its boughs, and the plane trees were not as its branches; nor was any tree in the garden of God like it in its beauty.
9 because of the multitude of his branches: and the trees of God's paradise of delight envied him.
I made it beautiful by the multitude of its branches, so that all the trees of Eden, that were in the garden of God, envied it.'
10 Therefore thus says the Lord; Because you are grown great, and have set your top in the midst of the clouds, and I saw when he was exalted;
"Therefore thus said YHWH: 'Because you are exalted in stature, and he has set his top among the thick boughs, and his heart is lifted up in his height;
11 therefore I delivered him into the hands of the prince of the nations, and he wrought his destruction.
I will even deliver him into the hand of the mighty one of the nations; he shall surely deal with him; I have driven him out for his wickedness.
12 And ravaging strangers from the nations have destroyed him, and have cast him down upon the mountains: his branches fell in all the valleys, and his boughs were broken in every field of the land; and all the people of the nations are gone down from their shelter, and have laid him low.
Strangers, the terrible of the nations, have cut him off, and have left him: on the mountains and in all the valleys his branches are fallen, and his boughs are broken by all the watercourses of the land; and all the peoples of the earth are gone down from his shadow, and have left him.
13 All the birds of the sky have settled on his fallen trunk, and all the wild beasts of the field came upon his boughs:
On his ruin all the birds of the sky shall dwell, and all the animals of the field shall be on his branches;
14 in order that none of the trees by the water should exalt themselves by reason of their size: whereas they set their top in the midst of the clouds, yet they continued not in their high state in their place, all that drank water, all were consigned to death, to the depth of the earth, in the midst of the children of men, with them that go down to the pit.
to the end that none of all the trees by the waters exalt themselves in their stature, neither set their top among the thick boughs, nor that their mighty ones stand up on their height, even all who drink water: for they are all delivered to death, to the lower parts of the earth, among human beings who go down to the pit.'
15 Thus says the Lord God; In the day wherein he went down to Hades, the deep mourned for him: and I stayed her floods, and restrained her abundance of water: and Libanus saddened for him, all the trees of the field fainted for him. (Sheol h7585)
"Thus says YHWH: 'In the day when he went down to Sheol I caused a mourning: I covered the deep for him, and I restrained its rivers; and the great waters were stayed; and I caused Lebanon to mourn for him, and all the trees of the field fainted for him. (Sheol h7585)
16 At the sound of his fall the nations quaked, when I brought him down to Hades with them that go down to the pit: and all the trees of Delight comforted him in the heart, and the choice of [plants] of Libanus, all that drink water. (Sheol h7585)
I made the nations to shake at the sound of his fall, when I cast him down to Sheol with those who descend into the pit; and all the trees of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, all that drink water, were comforted in the lower parts of the earth. (Sheol h7585)
17 For they went down to hell with him among the slain with the sword; and his seed, [even] they that lived under his shadow, perished in the midst of their life. (Sheol h7585)
They also went down into Sheol with him to those who are slain by the sword; yes, those who were his arm, that lived under his shadow in the midst of the nations. (Sheol h7585)
18 To whom are you compared? descend, and be you debased with the trees of paradise to the depth of the earth: you shall lie in the midst of the uncircumcised with them that are slain by the sword. Thus shall Pharao be, and the multitude of his host, says the Lord God.
To whom are you thus like in glory and in greatness among the trees of Eden? Yet you will be brought down with the trees of Eden to the lower parts of the earth: you shall lie in the midst of the uncircumcised, with those who are slain by the sword. This is Pharaoh and all his multitude,' says YHWH."

< Jezekiel 31 >