Ezekiel 31

1 And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the third month, on the first day of the month, that the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

Then it came about in the eleventh year, in the third month, on the first day of the month, that the word of Yahweh came to me, saying,

2 Son of man, say unto Pharaoh the king of Egypt, and to his multitude, Unto whom art thou like in thy arrogance?

“Son of man, say to Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and to his multitudes around him, 'In your greatness, who are you like?

3 Behold, Asshur was a cedar in Lebanon beautiful in its boughs, and a shadowing thicket, and high in stature; and among the thick-boughed trees was its highest branch.

Behold! Assyria was a cedar in Lebanon with beautiful branches, giving shade to the forest, and the tallest in height, and the branches formed its treetop.

4 The waters made it great, the deep made it high, with its rivers it was flowing round the place where it was planted, and its ditches it sent forth unto all the trees of the field.

Many waters made it tall; the deep waters made it huge. Rivers flowed all around its area, for their channels stretched out to all the trees in the field.

5 Therefore became its stature higher than all the trees of the field, and its boughs were multiplied, and its branches became long because of the multitude of waters, when it stretched itself forth.

Its great height was more than any of the other trees in the field, and its branches became very many; its branches grew long because of many waters as they grew.

6 In its boughs made all the fowls of heaven their nest, and under its branches did all the beasts of the field bring forth their young, and under its shade dwelt all great nations.

Every bird of the heavens nested in its branches, while every living thing of the field gave birth to its young under its foliage. All of the many nations lived under its shade.

7 And it was beautiful in its greatness, in the length of its light branches; for its root was by many waters.

For it was beautiful in its greatness and the length of its branches, for its roots were in many waters.

8 The cedars could not obscure it in the garden of God; the firs were not like its boughs, and the chestnut-trees were not like its branches: not any tree in the garden of God was like unto it in its beauty.

Cedars in the garden of God could not equal it. None among the cypress trees matched its branches, and the plane tree could not equal its boughs. There was no other tree in the garden of God that was like it in its beauty.

9 Beautiful had I made it by the multitude of its light branches: so that all the trees of 'Eden that were in the garden of God, envied it.

I made it beautiful with its many branches and all the trees of Eden that were in the garden of God envied it.

10 Therefore thus hath said the Lord Eternal, Because thou wast so high in stature, and it had placed its highest branch between the thick-boughed trees, and its heart was lifted up through its height:

Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this: Because it was tall in height, and it set its treetop between its branches, it lifted up its heart because of its height.

11 Therefore do I give it up into the hand of the mighty one of the nations; he shall surely deal with it at his pleasure; for its wickedness do I drive it out.

I have given it into the hand of a mighty one of the nations, to deal with it according to what its wickedness deserves. I have thrown it out.

12 And strangers, the fiercest of nations, cut it down, and cast it to the ground: on the mountains and in all the valleys fall its light branches, and its boughs are [lying] broken in all the ravines of the land; and all the people of the earth are gone away from its shade, and have cast it to the ground.

Foreigners who were the terror of all the nations cut it off and left it to die. Its branches fell on the mountains and all the valleys, and its boughs lay broken in all the ravines of the land. Then all the nations on earth came out from under its shade and they went away from it.

13 Upon its fallen fragments dwell all the fowls of the heaven, and on its branches are all the beasts of the field:

All the birds of the sky rested on the trunk of the fallen tree, and every animal of the field came to its branches.

14 In order that none of all the trees by the waters shall exalt themselves for their height, nor place their highest branch among the thick-boughed trees, and that all those that are nourished by water shall not place themselves erect, because of their height; for they are all given up unto death, to the land of the nether world, in the midst of the children of men, with those that go down to the pit.

This happened so that no other trees that grow by the waters will lift up their foliage to the height of the tallest trees, and that no other trees that grow beside the waters will reach up to that height. All of them have been assigned to death, to the earth below, among the children of humanity, with those that go down to the pit.

15 Thus hath said the Lord Eternal, On the day when it went down to the grave I caused a mourning; I covered the deep for its sake, and I restrained its rivers, and the great waters were withheld; and I caused Lebanon to be clothed in black attire for its sake, and all the trees of the field were famished because of it. (Sheol h7585)

The Lord Yahweh says this: On the day when the cedar went down to Sheol I brought mourning to the earth. I covered the deep waters over it, and I held back the ocean waters. I kept back the great waters, and I brought mourning to Lebanon for him. So all the trees of the field mourned because of it. (Sheol h7585)

16 Through the noise of its downfall I caused nations to quake, when I cast it down into the tomb with the [others] that descend into the pit: and in the land of the nether world comforted themselves all the trees of 'Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, all that were nourished by water. (Sheol h7585)

I brought shuddering to the nations at the sound of its downfall, when I threw it down to Sheol with those who went down into the pit. So I comforted all the trees of Eden in the lowest parts of the earth. These had been the choicest and best trees of Lebanon; the trees that drank the waters. (Sheol h7585)

17 They also went down with it into the tomb unto those that were slain with the sword, and its helpers that had dwelt under its shade in the midst of the nations. (Sheol h7585)

For they also went down with it to Sheol, to the ones who had been killed by the sword. These were its strong arm, those nations who had lived in its shade. (Sheol h7585)

18 To whom art thou then like in glory and in greatness among the trees of 'Eden? And thou too shalt be brought down with the trees of 'Eden unto the land of the nether world: in the midst of the uncircumcised shalt thou lie with those slain by the sword; yes, he, Pharaoh, and all his multitude, saith the Lord Eternal.

Which of the trees in Eden was your equal in glory and greatness? For you will be brought down with the trees of Eden to the lowest parts of the earth among the uncircumcised; you will live with those who were killed by the sword.' This is Pharaoh and all of his multitudes—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.”