Ἰεζεκιήλ 31
1 καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν τῷ ἑνδεκάτῳ ἔτει ἐν τῷ τρίτῳ μηνὶ μιᾷ τοῦ μηνὸς ἐγένετο λόγος κυρίου πρός με λέγων
Almost eleven years [after we had been taken to Babylonia], on the first day of the third month [of that year], Yahweh gave me another message. He said,
2 υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου εἰπὸν πρὸς Φαραω βασιλέα Αἰγύπτου καὶ τῷ πλήθει αὐτοῦ τίνι ὡμοίωσας σεαυτὸν ἐν τῷ ὕψει σου
“You human, say to the King of Egypt and all of his people, ‘[You think that] there is [RHQ, IRO] no country whose power is as great as the power of your country.
3 ἰδοὺ Ασσουρ κυπάρισσος ἐν τῷ Λιβάνῳ καὶ καλὸς ταῖς παραφυάσιν καὶ ὑψηλὸς τῷ μεγέθει εἰς μέσον νεφελῶν ἐγένετο ἡ ἀρχὴ αὐτοῦ
You think that your country is as great as Assyria was: Assyria was previously like [MET] a tall cedar tree in Lebanon; [it was as though] it had big beautiful branches that provided shade for [other trees in] the forest. It was very tall; its top was above the leaves of the other trees.
4 ὕδωρ ἐξέθρεψεν αὐτόν ἡ ἄβυσσος ὕψωσεν αὐτόν τοὺς ποταμοὺς αὐτῆς ἤγαγεν κύκλῳ τῶν φυτῶν αὐτοῦ καὶ τὰ συστέματα αὐτῆς ἐξαπέστειλεν εἰς πάντα τὰ ξύλα τοῦ πεδίου
Water came from deep springs, and as a result that cedar tree grew tall and very green. Then water flowed around the base of the tree into channels that took water to other nearby trees.
5 ἕνεκεν τούτου ὑψώθη τὸ μέγεθος αὐτοῦ παρὰ πάντα τὰ ξύλα τοῦ πεδίου καὶ ἐπλατύνθησαν οἱ κλάδοι αὐτοῦ ἀφ’ ὕδατος πολλοῦ
That huge tree grew very tall, higher than all the other trees around it. Its branches grew very thick and long [DOU] because of the abundant water [at the base of the tree].
6 ἐν ταῖς παραφυάσιν αὐτοῦ ἐνόσσευσαν πάντα τὰ πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ ὑποκάτω τῶν κλάδων αὐτοῦ ἐγεννῶσαν πάντα τὰ θηρία τοῦ πεδίου ἐν τῇ σκιᾷ αὐτοῦ κατῴκησεν πᾶν πλῆθος ἐθνῶν
Birds built their nests in the branches, and wild animals gave birth to their babies under those branches. [And it was as though people of] all the great nations lived in the shade of that tree.
7 καὶ ἐγένετο καλὸς ἐν τῷ ὕψει αὐτοῦ διὰ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν κλάδων αὐτοῦ ὅτι ἐγενήθησαν αἱ ῥίζαι αὐτοῦ εἰς ὕδωρ πολύ
It was majestic and beautiful; its branches spread out widely because the roots of the tree grew down into the ground where there was a plentiful supply of water.
8 κυπάρισσοι τοιαῦται οὐκ ἐγενήθησαν ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ πίτυες οὐχ ὅμοιαι ταῖς παραφυάσιν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐλάται οὐκ ἐγένοντο ὅμοιαι τοῖς κλάδοις αὐτοῦ πᾶν ξύλον ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ τοῦ θεοῦ οὐχ ὡμοιώθη αὐτῷ ἐν τῷ κάλλει αὐτοῦ
The cedar trees in my garden [in Eden] were not as great as that tree, and the branches of the pine/cypress trees were not as long and thick as the branches of that cedar tree. And the branches of the plane trees were not as long and thick, either. No tree in my garden was as beautiful as that cedar tree.
9 διὰ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν κλάδων αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐζήλωσεν αὐτὸν τὰ ξύλα τοῦ παραδείσου τῆς τρυφῆς τοῦ θεοῦ
Because I caused that tree to become very beautiful with its magnificent green branches, [all the leaders of other countries represented by] [MET] those other trees in Eden envied [the country represented by] that tree.’
10 διὰ τοῦτο τάδε λέγει κύριος ἀνθ’ ὧν ἐγένου μέγας τῷ μεγέθει καὶ ἔδωκας τὴν ἀρχήν σου εἰς μέσον νεφελῶν καὶ εἶδον ἐν τῷ ὑψωθῆναι αὐτόν
Therefore, this is what I, Yahweh the Lord, say: ‘That tree, which [represents Assyria], grew very tall, and its top was higher than the other trees, and it became very proud because of being very tall.
11 καὶ παρέδωκα αὐτὸν εἰς χεῖρας ἄρχοντος ἐθνῶν καὶ ἐποίησεν τὴν ἀπώλειαν αὐτοῦ
Therefore, I enabled another mighty nation to conquer it and to destroy it as it deserved to be destroyed. I have already discarded it.
12 καὶ ἐξωλέθρευσαν αὐτὸν ἀλλότριοι λοιμοὶ ἀπὸ ἐθνῶν καὶ κατέβαλον αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τῶν ὀρέων ἐν πάσαις ταῖς φάραγξιν ἔπεσαν οἱ κλάδοι αὐτοῦ καὶ συνετρίβη τὰ στελέχη αὐτοῦ ἐν παντὶ πεδίῳ τῆς γῆς καὶ κατέβησαν ἀπὸ τῆς σκέπης αὐτῶν πάντες οἱ λαοὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν καὶ ἠδάφισαν αὐτόν
A foreign army, one that has caused people of other nations to be terrified, cut it down and left it. Its branches fell on the mountains and in the valleys. Some of its branches lay broken in all the ravines in the land. All the people of other nations came out from being under its shade and left it.
13 ἐπὶ τὴν πτῶσιν αὐτοῦ ἀνεπαύσαντο πάντα τὰ πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ στελέχη αὐτοῦ ἐγένοντο πάντα τὰ θηρία τοῦ ἀγροῦ
Birds (settled/went to live) on the fallen tree, and wild animals lived among its branches.
14 ὅπως μὴ ὑψωθῶσιν ἐν τῷ μεγέθει αὐτῶν πάντα τὰ ξύλα τὰ ἐν τῷ ὕδατι καὶ οὐκ ἔδωκαν τὴν ἀρχὴν αὐτῶν εἰς μέσον νεφελῶν καὶ οὐκ ἔστησαν ἐν τῷ ὕψει αὐτῶν πρὸς αὐτὰ πάντες οἱ πίνοντες ὕδωρ πάντες ἐδόθησαν εἰς θάνατον εἰς γῆς βάθος ἐν μέσῳ υἱῶν ἀνθρώπων πρὸς καταβαίνοντας εἰς βόθρον
The result of what I have done is that no other trees, even if they have plenty of water, will ever grow very high and become proud, and lift their tops above the branches of other trees. I do not want any other tree to grow high like that cedar tree did; trees will all certainly die and decay in the ground, like people die and go down to their graves.’
15 τάδε λέγει κύριος κύριος ἐν ᾗ ἡμέρᾳ κατέβη εἰς ᾅδου ἐπένθησεν αὐτὸν ἡ ἄβυσσος καὶ ἐπέστησα τοὺς ποταμοὺς αὐτῆς καὶ ἐκώλυσα πλῆθος ὕδατος καὶ ἐσκότασεν ἐπ’ αὐτὸν ὁ Λίβανος πάντα τὰ ξύλα τοῦ πεδίου ἐπ’ αὐτῷ ἐξελύθησαν (Sheol h7585)
This is what I, Yahweh the Lord, say: ‘When that great tree was cut down, [it was as though] the springs that watered it mourned for it, because I caused the plentiful water [from the springs] to dry up. I caused [the mountains in] Lebanon to become black, and all the trees there to wither. (Sheol h7585)
16 ἀπὸ τῆς φωνῆς τῆς πτώσεως αὐτοῦ ἐσείσθησαν τὰ ἔθνη ὅτε κατεβίβαζον αὐτὸν εἰς ᾅδου μετὰ τῶν καταβαινόντων εἰς λάκκον καὶ παρεκάλουν αὐτὸν ἐν γῇ πάντα τὰ ξύλα τῆς τρυφῆς καὶ τὰ ἐκλεκτὰ τοῦ Λιβάνου πάντα τὰ πίνοντα ὕδωρ (Sheol h7585)
I caused the people of other nations to tremble when they heard that tree fall to the ground. [They realized] that it would decay, like all people who die and are buried decay. And all the [leaders of other countries represented by] other beautiful trees in my garden in Eden and in Lebanon, were like beautiful trees [that were very proud]. They were ones which had roots that grew down deep into the [ground where there was plenty of] water. They were comforted when [the king represented by] [MET] that cedar tree was there with them in the place where the dead people are. (Sheol h7585)
17 καὶ γὰρ αὐτοὶ κατέβησαν μετ’ αὐτοῦ εἰς ᾅδου ἐν τοῖς τραυματίαις ἀπὸ μαχαίρας καὶ τὸ σπέρμα αὐτοῦ οἱ κατοικοῦντες ὑπὸ τὴν σκέπην αὐτοῦ ἐν μέσῳ τῆς ζωῆς αὐτῶν ἀπώλοντο (Sheol h7585)
The [leaders of other countries represented by] [MET] trees that grew in the shade of the huge tree, [the allies of] the great nation [that the cedar tree represents], had also joined those who had been killed by the sword and gone down to where the dead people are. (Sheol h7585)
18 τίνι ὡμοιώθης κατάβηθι καὶ καταβιβάσθητι μετὰ τῶν ξύλων τῆς τρυφῆς εἰς γῆς βάθος ἐν μέσῳ ἀπεριτμήτων κοιμηθήσῃ μετὰ τραυματιῶν μαχαίρας οὕτως Φαραω καὶ τὸ πλῆθος τῆς ἰσχύος αὐτοῦ λέγει κύριος κύριος
[This parable is about you] people of Egypt. [You think that] [RHQ, IRO] there is no other nation that is as great and glorious as yours is. But your nation will also be destroyed, [as Assyria was], along with those other nations. Your people will be there among the other people who are not fit to worship me, people who have been killed by their enemies’ swords. That is what will happen to the king of Egypt and all his people. [That will surely happen because] I, Yahweh, [have predicted it].’”
