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10 “Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because Egypt[a] became proud and arrogant, and because it set itself so high above the others, with its top reaching to the clouds, 11 I will hand it over to a mighty nation that will destroy it as its wickedness deserves. I have already discarded it. 12 A foreign army—the terror of the nations—has cut it down and left it fallen on the ground. Its branches are scattered across the mountains and valleys and ravines of the land. All those who lived in its shadow have gone away and left it lying there.

13 “The birds roost on its fallen trunk,
    and the wild animals lie among its branches.
14 Let the tree of no other nation
    proudly exult in its own prosperity,
though it be higher than the clouds
    and it be watered from the depths.
For all are doomed to die,
    to go down to the depths of the earth.
They will land in the pit
    along with everyone else on earth.

15 “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: When Assyria went down to the grave,[b] I made the deep springs mourn. I stopped its rivers and dried up its abundant water. I clothed Lebanon in black and caused the trees of the field to wilt. 16 I made the nations shake with fear at the sound of its fall, for I sent it down to the grave with all the others who descend to the pit. And all the other proud trees of Eden, the most beautiful and the best of Lebanon, the ones whose roots went deep into the water, took comfort to find it there with them in the depths of the earth. 17 Its allies, too, were all destroyed and had passed away. They had gone down to the grave—all those nations that had lived in its shade.

18 “O Egypt, to which of the trees of Eden will you compare your strength and glory? You, too, will be brought down to the depths with all these other nations. You will lie there among the outcasts[c] who have died by the sword. This will be the fate of Pharaoh and all his hordes. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!”

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Footnotes

  1. 31:10 Hebrew you.
  2. 31:15 Hebrew to Sheol; also in 31:16, 17.
  3. 31:18 Hebrew among the uncircumcised.

Assyria’s Fall Due to Arrogance

10 “Therefore this is what the Lord God says: ‘Because of its towering height, with its summit reaching into the clouds, and because it was haughty in its position,[a] 11 I turned it over to the leader of those[b] nations, who dealt with it thoroughly. I have driven it away because of its wickedness. 12 Foreign dictators have trimmed it down to size and abandoned it. Its branches have fallen off on mountains and in all the valleys. Its boughs have broken off in all the ravines of the land. All the nations of the earth have moved out of its shade and abandoned it. 13 All the birds in the sky will live among its ruins, and the wild animals[c] will forage among its branches. 14 As a result, none of its watered trees will grow tall, their tops will never reach to the clouds, and they’ll never grow so high again, because all of them have been appointed[d] to death in the world beneath where human beings go, that is, down to the Pit.’”[e]

Fear at Assyria’s Fall

15 “This is what the Lord God says: ‘On the day that it descended into Sheol,[f] I shut down its water supplies, covered over its deep water, and shut down its rivers. As a result its abundant water sources dried up, and I caused Lebanon to mourn for it. All the trees of the field wilted because of it. 16 I made the nations tremble when they heard that Assyria[g] was falling, descending into Sheol[h] to join those who go down into the Pit.[i] Then all of the trees of Eden in the world below were comforted, including the choicest and best of Lebanon, all of whom were well-watered. 17 They also went down with it into Sheol,[j] to those who had been killed violently[k] and to those who had trusted in its strength by living in its shadow among the nations. 18 So tell me now, which of the trees of Eden compares to you in glory or greatness? Nevertheless, you’ll be brought down, along with those trees of Eden, to the earth below. You’ll lie in the middle of the uncircumcised, with those who have been killed in war.[l] Pharaoh and all his gang will be just like this!’ declares the Lord God.”

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Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 31:10 Lit. heart
  2. Ezekiel 31:11 Lit. to the hand of the leader of the
  3. Ezekiel 31:13 Lit. the animals of the field
  4. Ezekiel 31:14 Lit. given
  5. Ezekiel 31:14 I.e. the realm of eternal punishment in the afterlife
  6. Ezekiel 31:15 I.e. the realm of the afterlife
  7. Ezekiel 31:16 Lit. he
  8. Ezekiel 31:16 I.e. the realm of the afterlife
  9. Ezekiel 31:16 I.e. the realm of punishment in the afterlife
  10. Ezekiel 31:17 I.e. the realm of the afterlife
  11. Ezekiel 31:17 Lit. killed by the sword
  12. Ezekiel 31:18 Lit. killed by the sword

10 “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because the great cedar towered over the thick foliage, and because it was proud(A) 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,(B) 12 and the most ruthless of foreign nations(C) cut it down and left it. Its boughs fell on the mountains and in all the valleys;(D) 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.(E) 13 All the birds settled on the fallen tree, and all the wild animals lived among its branches.(F) 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(G) for death,(H) for the earth below, among mortals who go down to the realm of the dead.(I)

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.(J) 16 I made the nations tremble(K) 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(L) of Eden,(M) the choicest and best of Lebanon, the well-watered trees, were consoled(N) in the earth below.(O) 17 They too, like the great cedar, had gone down to the realm of the dead, to those killed by the sword,(P) 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,(Q) with those killed by the sword.

“‘This is Pharaoh and all his hordes, declares the Sovereign Lord.’”

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