Ezekiel 31
English Standard Version
Pharaoh to Be Slain
31 (A)In the eleventh year, in the third month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me: 2 (B)“Son of man, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to (C)his multitude:
(D)“Whom are you like in your greatness?
3 Behold, (E)Assyria was a (F)cedar in (G)Lebanon,
with beautiful branches and (H)forest shade,
(I)and of towering height,
its top among the clouds.[a]
4 The waters nourished it;
the deep made it grow tall,
making (J)its rivers flow
around the place of its planting,
sending forth its streams
to all the trees of the field.
5 So (K)it towered high
above all the trees of the field;
its boughs grew large
and its branches long
from (L)abundant water in its shoots.
6 (M)All the birds of the heavens
made their nests in its boughs;
under its branches all the beasts of the field
gave birth to their young,
and under its shadow
lived all great nations.
7 It was (N)beautiful in its greatness,
in the length of its branches;
(O)for its roots went down
to abundant waters.
8 (P)The cedars (Q)in the garden of God could not rival it,
nor the fir trees equal its boughs;
neither were the plane trees
like its branches;
no tree (R)in the garden of God
was its equal in beauty.
9 I made it beautiful
in the mass of its branches,
and all the trees of (S)Eden envied it,
that were in the garden of God.
10 “Therefore thus says the Lord God: Because (T)it[b] towered high and set its top among the clouds,[c] and (U)its heart was proud of its height, 11 I will give it into the hand of a mighty one of the nations. He shall surely deal with it as its wickedness deserves. I have cast it out. 12 (V)Foreigners, (W)the most ruthless of nations, have cut it down and left it. (X)On the mountains and in all the valleys its branches have fallen, and its boughs have been broken in all (Y)the ravines of the land, and (Z)all the peoples of the earth have gone away from its shadow and left it. 13 (AA)On its fallen trunk dwell all the birds of the heavens, and on its branches are all the beasts of the field. 14 (AB)All this is in order that no trees by the waters may grow to towering height or set their tops among the clouds,[d] and that no trees that drink water may reach up to them in height. For they are all given over to death, (AC)to the world (AD)below, among the children of man,[e] with those who go down to the pit.
15 “Thus says the Lord God: On the day (AE)the cedar[f] went down to Sheol I caused mourning; I closed the deep over it, and restrained its rivers, and many waters were stopped. I clothed Lebanon in gloom for it, and all the trees of the field fainted because of it. 16 (AF)I made the nations quake at the sound of its fall, (AG)when I cast it down to Sheol with those who go down to the pit. (AH)And all the trees of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, all that drink water, (AI)were comforted in the world below. 17 They also went down to Sheol with it, (AJ)to those who are slain by the sword; yes, (AK)those who were its arm, (AL)who lived under its shadow among the nations.
18 (AM)“Whom are you thus like in glory and in greatness (AN)among the trees of Eden? (AO)You shall be brought down with (AP)the trees of Eden to the world below. (AQ)You shall lie among the uncircumcised, (AR)with those who are slain by the sword.
(AS)“This is Pharaoh and all his multitude, declares the Lord God.”
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 31:3 Or its top went through the thick boughs
- Ezekiel 31:10 Syriac, Vulgate; Hebrew you
- Ezekiel 31:10 Or its top through the thick boughs
- Ezekiel 31:14 Or their tops through the thick boughs
- Ezekiel 31:14 Or of Adam
- Ezekiel 31:15 Hebrew it
Ezekiel 31
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Downfall of Egypt and Assyria
31 In the eleventh year,(A) in the third month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his hordes:
Who are you like in your greatness?
3 Think of Assyria, a cedar in Lebanon,(B)
with beautiful branches and shady foliage
and of lofty height.
Its top was among the clouds.[a]
4 The waters caused it to grow;
the underground springs made it tall,
directing their rivers all around
the place where the tree was planted
and sending their channels
to all the trees of the field.
5 Therefore the cedar became greater in height
than all the trees of the field.(C)
Its branches multiplied,
and its boughs grew long
as it spread them out
because of the plentiful water.(D)
6 All the birds of the sky
nested in its branches,(E)
and all the animals of the field
gave birth beneath its boughs;
all the great nations lived in its shade.
7 It was beautiful in its greatness,
in the length of its limbs,
for its roots extended to abundant water.
8 The cedars in God’s garden could not rival it;(F)
the pine trees couldn’t compare with its branches,
nor could the plane trees match its boughs.
No tree in the garden of God
could compare with it in beauty.
9 I made it beautiful with its many limbs,
and all the trees of Eden,
which were in God’s garden, envied it.
10 “Therefore this is what the Lord God says: Since it[b] became great in height and set its top among the clouds,[c] and it[d] grew proud(G) on account of its height, 11 I determined to hand it over to a ruler of nations;(H) he would surely deal with it. I banished it because of its wickedness. 12 Foreigners, ruthless men from the nations,(I) cut it down and left it lying. Its limbs fell on the mountains and in every valley; its boughs lay broken in all the earth’s ravines. All the peoples of the earth left its shade and abandoned it. 13 All the birds of the sky nested on its fallen trunk, and all the animals of the field were among its boughs. 14 This happened so that no trees planted beside water would become great in height and set their tops among the clouds,[e] and so that no other well-watered trees would reach them in height. For they have all been consigned to death, to the underworld, among the people who descend to the Pit.(J)
15 “This is what the Lord God says: I caused grieving on the day the cedar went down to Sheol.(K) I closed off the underground deep because of it:[f] I held back the rivers of the deep, and its abundant waters were restrained. I made Lebanon mourn on account of it, and all the trees of the field fainted because of it. 16 I made the nations quake at the sound of its downfall, when I threw it down to Sheol to be with those who descend to the Pit. Then all the trees of Eden,(L) all the well-watered trees, the choice and best of Lebanon, were comforted(M) in the underworld. 17 They too descended with it to Sheol, to those slain by the sword. As its allies[g][h] they had lived in its shade among the nations.
18 “Who then are you like in glory and greatness among Eden’s trees? You also will be brought down to the underworld to be with the trees of Eden. You will lie among the uncircumcised with those slain by the sword.(N) This is Pharaoh and all his hordes”—the declaration of the Lord God.
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 31:3 Or thick foliage
- Ezekiel 31:10 Syr, Vg; MT, LXX read you
- Ezekiel 31:10 Or thick foliage
- Ezekiel 31:10 Lit its heart
- Ezekiel 31:14 Or thick foliage
- Ezekiel 31:15 Or I covered it with the underground deep
- Ezekiel 31:17 LXX, Syr read offspring
- Ezekiel 31:17 Lit arm
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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