Ezekiel 31

1 In the eleventh year, in the third month, in the first day of the month, the LORD’s word came to me, saying,

In the eleventh year, on the first day of the third month, the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

2 “Son of man, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt and his multitude: ‘Whom are you like in your greatness?

“Son of man, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his multitude: ‘Who can be compared to your greatness?

3 Behold, the Assyrian was a cedar in Lebanon with beautiful branches, and with a forest-like shade, of high stature; and its top was amongst the thick boughs.

Look at Assyria, a cedar in Lebanon, with beautiful branches that shaded the forest. It towered on high; its top was among the clouds.

4 The waters nourished it. The deep made it to grow. Its rivers ran all around its plantation. It sent out its channels to all the trees of the field.

The waters made it grow; the deep springs made it tall, directing their streams all around its base and sending their channels to all the trees of the field.

5 Therefore its stature was exalted above all the trees of the field; and its boughs were multiplied. Its branches became long by reason of many waters, when it spread them out.

Therefore it towered higher than all the trees of the field. Its branches multiplied, and its boughs grew long as it spread them out because of the abundant waters.

6 All the birds of the sky made their nests in its boughs. Under its branches, all the animals of the field gave birth to their young. All great nations lived under its shadow.

All the birds of the air nested in its branches, and all the beasts of the field gave birth beneath its boughs; all the great nations lived in its shade.

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

It was beautiful in its greatness, in the length of its limbs, for its roots extended to abundant waters.

8 The cedars in the garden of God could not hide it. The cypress trees were not like its branches. The pine trees were not like its branches; nor was any tree in the garden of God like it in its beauty.

The cedars in the garden of God could not rival it; the cypresses could not compare with its branches, nor the plane trees match its boughs. No tree in the garden of God could compare with its beauty.

9 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.’

I made it beautiful with its many branches, the envy of all the trees of Eden, which were in the garden of God.’

10 “Therefore thus said the Lord GOD: ‘Because he is exalted in stature, and he has set his top amongst the thick branches, and his heart is lifted up in his height,

Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Since it became great in height and set its top among the clouds, and it grew proud on account of its height,

11 I will deliver him into the hand of the mighty one of the nations. He will surely deal with him. I have driven him out for his wickedness.

I delivered it into the hand of the ruler of the nations, for him to deal with it according to its wickedness. I have banished it.

12 Foreigners, the tyrants of the nations, have cut him off and have left him. His branches have fallen on the mountains and in all the valleys, and his boughs are broken by all the watercourses of the land. All the peoples of the earth have gone down from his shadow and have left him.

Foreigners, the most ruthless of the nations, cut it down and left it. Its branches have fallen on the mountains and in every valley; its boughs lay broken in all the earth’s ravines. And all the peoples of the earth left its shade and abandoned it.

13 All the birds of the sky will dwell on his ruin, and all the animals of the field will be on his branches,

All the birds of the air nested on its fallen trunk, and all the beasts of the field lived among its boughs.

14 to the end that none of all the trees by the waters exalt themselves in their stature, and don’t set their top amongst the thick boughs. Their mighty ones don’t stand up on their height, even all who drink water; for they are all delivered to death, to the lower parts of the earth, amongst the children of men, with those who go down to the pit.’

This happened so that no other trees by the waters would become great in height and set their tops among the clouds, and no other well-watered trees would reach them in height. For they have all been consigned to death, to the depths of the earth, among the mortals who descend to the Pit.’

15 “The Lord GOD says: ‘In the day when he went down to Sheol, I caused a mourning. I covered the deep for him, and I restrained its rivers. The great waters were stopped. I caused Lebanon to mourn for him, and all the trees of the field fainted for him. (Sheol h7585)

This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘On the day it was brought down to Sheol, I caused mourning. I covered the deep because of it; I held back its rivers; its abundant waters were restrained. I made Lebanon mourn for it, and all the trees of the field fainted because of it. (Sheol h7585)

16 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. 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)

I made the nations quake at the sound of its downfall, when I cast it down to Sheol with those who descend to the Pit. Then all the trees of Eden, the choicest and best of Lebanon, all the well-watered trees, were consoled in the earth below. (Sheol h7585)

17 They also went down into Sheol with him to those who are slain by the sword; yes, those who were his arm, who lived under his shadow in the middle of the nations. (Sheol h7585)

They too descended with it to Sheol, to those slain by the sword. As its allies they had lived in its shade among the nations. (Sheol h7585)

18 “‘To whom are you thus like in glory and in greatness amongst the trees of Eden? Yet you will be brought down with the trees of Eden to the lower parts of the earth. You will lie in the middle of the uncircumcised, with those who are slain by the sword. “‘This is Pharaoh and all his multitude,’ says the Lord GOD.”

Who then is like you in glory and greatness among the trees of Eden? You also will be brought down to the depths of the earth to be with the trees of Eden. You will lie among the uncircumcised, with those slain by the sword. This is Pharaoh and all his multitude, declares the Lord GOD.’”