Ezekiel 31:10-18

Expanded Bible

¹⁰ “‘So this is what the Lord God says: The tree grew tall. Its top reached the clouds, and it became proud of its height. ¹¹ So I handed it ·over to [^Linto the hand of] a mighty ruler of the nations for him to ·punish [deal with] it. Because it was ·evil [wicked], I ·got rid of it [threw it out; cast it aside]. ¹² The ·cruelest [most ruthless] foreign nation cut it down and left it. The tree’s branches fell on the mountains and in all the valleys, and its ·broken limbs [boughs] were in all the ravines of the land. All the nations of the earth left the shade of that tree. ¹³ The birds of the ·sky [heavens] live on the fallen tree. The wild animals live among the tree’s fallen branches. ¹⁴ So the trees that grow by the water will not ·be proud to be [or grow so] tall; they will not put their tops among the clouds. None of the trees that are watered well will grow that tall, because they all are ·meant [appointed; consigned] to die and go ·under the ground [or to the underworld; to the depths of the earth]. They will be with ·people who have died [mortals; ^Lsons of men] and ·have gone down [those who descend] to the ·place of the dead [^Lpit].

¹⁵ “‘This is what the Lord God says: On the day ·when the tree [^Lit; ^CAssyria] went down to ·the place of the dead [^LSheol], I ·made the deep springs cry loudly [or caused mourning]. I ·covered them [or closed the deep over it] and held back their rivers, and the great waters ·stopped flowing [were restrained]. I dressed Lebanon ·in black [or with gloom; ^Cin mourning for the great tree], and all the trees in the countryside ·were sad about it [wilted; fainted]. ¹⁶ I made the nations ·shake with fear [tremble; quake] at the sound of the tree falling when I brought it down to ·the place of the dead [Sheol]. It went to join those who ·have gone down [descend] to the ·grave [pit; ^Cthe trees represent other great nations that have fallen]. Then all the trees of Eden and the best and ·most beautiful [choicest] trees of Lebanon, all the well-watered trees, were comforted in the ·place of the dead below the earth [underworld; world below]. ¹⁷ These trees had also gone down with the great tree to ·the place of the dead [^LSheol]. They joined those who were killed ·in war [^Lby the sword] and those among the nations who had lived under the great tree’s shade.

¹⁸ “‘·So no tree [^LWhich of the trees…?] in Eden is equal to you [^CEgypt], in ·greatness [glory; splendor] and ·honor [greatness; majesty], but you will go down to join the trees of Eden in the ·place below the earth [underworld]. You will lie among ·unclean people [^Lthe uncircumcised], with those who were killed ·in war [^Lby the sword].

“‘This is about Pharaoh and all his ·people [hordes; armies], says the Lord God.’”