< Ezekiel 31 >
1 And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the third month, on the first of the month, that the word of Yahweh came unto me, saying:
2 Son of man Say unto Pharaoh king of Egypt and unto his multitude, — Whom art thou like in thy greatness?
3 Lo! Assyria, was a cedar in Lebanon, Beautiful in bough and Dense in foliage and Lofty in stature, — and Among the clouds, came to be his top:
4 The waters made him great, the roaring deep, made him high—with its currents going round about the place where it was planted, Its channels also, it sent forth unto all the trees of the field.
5 For this cause higher, was his stature than any of the trees of the field, -And multiplied were his boughs And lengthened were his branches, By reason of the mighty waters when he shot forth shoots.
6 Among his branches, all the birds of the heavens, made their nests, And under his boughs, all the wild beasts of the field, brought forth, — And, in his shade, dwelt all the mighty nations.
7 Thus became he beautiful in his greatness, In the length of his waving branches, Because his root had gone towards mighty waters.
8 Cedars hid him not. in the garden of God, Fir-trees were not like unto his boughs, Nor plane-trees, like his branches, —no, tree in the garden of God, was like unto him in his beauty.
9 Beautiful, I made him in the abundance of his waving branches, - Therefore was he envied by all the trees of Eden, which were in the garden of God.
10 Therefore Thus, saith My Lord Yahweh, Because thou hast become lofty in stature, And he hath stretched his top among the clouds, And his heart is exalted in his loftiness.
11 Let me then deliver him into the hand of the chief of the nations, He shall effectually deal with him! According to his lawlessness, have I driven him out:
12 Therefore have foreigners the terrible of the nations cut him down. And abandoned him, — Upon the mountains and in all valleys, have fallen his waving branches And broken have been his boughs in all the river-beds of the land, And all the peoples of the earth have come down out of his shade. And abandoned him:
13 Upon his trunk, shall settle down all the birds of the heavens, - And among his boughs, are to be found all the wild beasts of the field: —
14 To the end that none of the trees of the waters— May exalt themselves in their stature or stretch their top among the clouds, Nor their mighty ones take their stand in their height- any that drink of the waters, — Because they all, are delivered to death Unto the earth below. In the midst of the sons of Adam. Amongst them who descend into the pit.
15 Thus, saith My Lord Yahweh, In the day when he descended into hades, I caused a mourning. I covered over him the roaring deep, And restrained the currents thereof And stayed were the mighty waters, So caused I gloom over him unto Lebanon, And all the trees of the field for him were covered with a shroud. (Sheol )
16 At the sound of his fall, I made nations tremble, When I caused him to descend into hades, with them who descend into the pit, — Then were grieved in the earth below-All the trees of Eden, The choicest and best of Lebanon All who had drunk the waters. (Sheol )
17 Even they, with him descended into hades. Among them who were thrust through with the sword, - Even his seed who dwelt in his shade in the midst of the nations. (Sheol )
18 Unto whom couldst thou be likened thus, in glory and in greatness, among the trees of Eden? Yet shalt thou be caused to descend with the trees of Eden into the earth below In the midst of the uncircumcised, shalt thou lie down With them who were thrust through by the sword, the same, is Pharaoh and all his multitude, Declareth My Lord Yahweh.
