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Ezekiel 31
New American Standard Bible
Ezekiel 31
New American Standard Bible
Pharaoh Warned of Assyria’s Fate
31 In the (A)eleventh year, in the third month, on the first of the month, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his (B)hordes,
‘Whom are you like in your greatness?
3 Behold, Assyria was a (C)cedar in Lebanon
With beautiful branches and forest shade,
And [a](D)very high,
And its top was among the [b]clouds.
4 The (E)waters made it grow, the [c]deep made it high.
With its rivers it continually [d]extended all around its planting place,
And sent out its channels to all the trees of the field.
5 Therefore (F)its height was loftier than all the trees of the field
And its boughs became many and its branches long
Because of (G)many waters [e]as it spread them out.
6 All the (H)birds of the sky nested in its twigs,
And under its branches all the animals of the field gave birth,
And all great nations lived under its shade.
7 So it was beautiful in its greatness, in the length of its branches;
For its [f]roots extended to many waters.
8 The (I)cedars in (J)God’s garden [g]could not match it;
The junipers [h]could not compare with its branches,
And the plane trees [i]could not match its branches.
No tree in (K)God’s garden [j]could compare with it in its beauty.
9 I made it beautiful with the multitude of its branches,
And all the trees of (L)Eden, which were in the (M)garden of God, were jealous of it.
10 ‘Therefore this is what the Lord [k]God says: “Because [l]it is tall in stature and has put its top among the [m]clouds, and its (N)heart is haughty in its loftiness, 11 I will hand it over to a [n](O)ruler of the nations; he will thoroughly deal with it. In accordance with its wickedness I have (P)driven it out. 12 (Q)Foreign (R)tyrants of the nations have cut it down and left it; on the (S)mountains and in all the valleys its branches have fallen, and its branches have been broken in all the ravines of the land. And all the peoples of the earth have (T)gone down from its shade and left it. 13 All the (U)birds of the sky will nest on its fallen trunk, and all the animals of the field will [o]rest on its fallen branches, 14 so that all the trees by the waters will not be exalted in their stature, nor put their tops among the [p]clouds, nor will any of their [q]well-watered mighty ones stand straight in their height. For they have all been turned over to death, to the (V)earth beneath, among [r]mankind, [s]with those who go down to the pit.”
15 ‘This is what the Lord God says: “On the day when it went down to Sheol I (W)caused mourning; I closed the [t]deep over it and held back its rivers. And its many waters were stopped up, and I made Lebanon mourn for it, and all the trees of the field wilted away on account of it. 16 I made the nations (X)quake from the sound of its fall when I made it (Y)go down to Sheol with those who go down to the pit; and all the [u]well-watered trees of Eden, the choicest and best of (Z)Lebanon, were (AA)comforted in the earth beneath. 17 They also (AB)went down with it to Sheol to those who were (AC)slain by the sword; and those who were its [v]strength lived (AD)in its shade among the nations.
18 “To which among the trees of Eden are you so alike in glory and greatness? Yet you will be brought down with the trees of Eden to the earth beneath; you will lie in the midst of the (AE)uncircumcised with those who were killed by the sword. (AF)This is Pharaoh and all his hordes!”’ declares the Lord God.”
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 31:3 Lit high of stature
- Ezekiel 31:3 As in LXX; MT thick boughs
- Ezekiel 31:4 I.e., subterranean waters
- Ezekiel 31:4 Lit was going
- Ezekiel 31:5 Lit in its sending forth
- Ezekiel 31:7 Lit root was
- Ezekiel 31:8 Lit did
- Ezekiel 31:8 Lit did
- Ezekiel 31:8 Lit were not like
- Ezekiel 31:8 Lit did
- Ezekiel 31:10 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord, and so throughout the ch
- Ezekiel 31:10 As in Syriac; MT you are
- Ezekiel 31:10 As in LXX; MT thick branches
- Ezekiel 31:11 Or mighty one
- Ezekiel 31:13 Lit be on
- Ezekiel 31:14 As in LXX; MT thick branches
- Ezekiel 31:14 Lit drinkers of water
- Ezekiel 31:14 Lit sons of mankind
- Ezekiel 31:14 Lit to
- Ezekiel 31:15 I.e., subterranean waters
- Ezekiel 31:16 Lit drinkers of water
- Ezekiel 31:17 Lit arm
Ezekiel 31
New International Version
Ezekiel 31
New International Version
Pharaoh as a Felled Cedar of Lebanon
31 In the eleventh year,(A) in the third month on the first day, the word of the Lord came to me:(B) 2 “Son of man, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his hordes:
“‘Who can be compared with you in majesty?
3 Consider Assyria,(C) once a cedar in Lebanon,(D)
with beautiful branches overshadowing the forest;
it towered on high,
its top above the thick foliage.(E)
4 The waters(F) nourished it,
deep springs made it grow tall;
their streams flowed
all around its base
and sent their channels
to all the trees of the field.(G)
5 So it towered higher(H)
than all the trees of the field;
its boughs increased
and its branches grew long,
spreading because of abundant waters.(I)
6 All the birds of the sky
nested in its boughs,
all the animals of the wild
gave birth(J) under its branches;
all the great nations
lived in its shade.(K)
7 It was majestic in beauty,
with its spreading boughs,
for its roots went down
to abundant waters.(L)
8 The cedars(M) in the garden of God
could not rival it,
nor could the junipers
equal its boughs,
nor could the plane trees(N)
compare with its branches—
no tree in the garden of God
could match its beauty.(O)
9 I made it beautiful
with abundant branches,
the envy of all the trees of Eden(P)
in the garden of God.(Q)
10 “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because the great cedar towered over the thick foliage, and because it was proud(R) of its height, 11 I gave it into the hands of the ruler of the nations, for him to deal with according to its wickedness. I cast it aside,(S) 12 and the most ruthless of foreign nations(T) cut it down and left it. Its boughs fell on the mountains and in all the valleys;(U) its branches lay broken in all the ravines of the land. All the nations of the earth came out from under its shade and left it.(V) 13 All the birds settled on the fallen tree, and all the wild animals lived among its branches.(W) 14 Therefore no other trees by the waters are ever to tower proudly on high, lifting their tops above the thick foliage. No other trees so well-watered are ever to reach such a height; they are all destined(X) for death,(Y) for the earth below, among mortals who go down to the realm of the dead.(Z)
15 “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: On the day it was brought down to the realm of the dead I covered the deep springs with mourning for it; I held back its streams, and its abundant waters were restrained. Because of it I clothed Lebanon with gloom, and all the trees of the field withered away.(AA) 16 I made the nations tremble(AB) at the sound of its fall when I brought it down to the realm of the dead to be with those who go down to the pit. Then all the trees(AC) of Eden,(AD) the choicest and best of Lebanon, the well-watered trees, were consoled(AE) in the earth below.(AF) 17 They too, like the great cedar, had gone down to the realm of the dead, to those killed by the sword,(AG) along with the armed men who lived in its shade among the nations.
18 “‘Which of the trees of Eden can be compared with you in splendor and majesty? Yet you, too, will be brought down with the trees of Eden to the earth below; you will lie among the uncircumcised,(AH) with those killed by the sword.
“‘This is Pharaoh and all his hordes, declares the Sovereign Lord.’”
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