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: (B)“Son of man, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to (C)his multitude:

(D)“Whom are you like in your greatness?
    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]
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.
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.
(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.
It was (N)beautiful in its greatness,
    in the length of its branches;
(O)for its roots went down
    to abundant waters.
(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.
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

  1. Ezekiel 31:3 Or its top went through the thick boughs
  2. Ezekiel 31:10 Syriac, Vulgate; Hebrew you
  3. Ezekiel 31:10 Or its top through the thick boughs
  4. Ezekiel 31:14 Or their tops through the thick boughs
  5. Ezekiel 31:14 Or of Adam
  6. Ezekiel 31:15 Hebrew it

31 And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the third month, in the first day of the month, that the Devar Hashem came unto me, saying,

Ben adam, speak unto Pharaoh Melech Mitzrayim, and to his multitude: Whom art thou like in thy greatness?

Hinei, Ashur (the Assyrian) was a cedar in Levanon with yafeh branches, and with a forest shade, and of a high stature; and his top was above the thick boughs.

The mayim made it grow, the tehom (underground water) set him up in height by her streams flowing all around its planting, and sent her rivulets unto all the trees of the sadeh.

Therefore his height was exalted above kol atzei hasadeh (all the trees of the field), and his boughs were multiplied, and his branches became long because of the mayim rabbim, as it sent them out.

All the oph HaShomayim made their nests in his boughs, and under his branches did all the beasts of the sadeh give birth to their young, and under his tzel (shadow) dwelt kol Goyim rabbim.

Thus was he beautiful in his gadol (greatness), in the length of his branches; for his shoresh (root) reached to mayim rabbim.

The cedars in the Gan Elohim could not compare with him; the pine trees were not like his boughs, and the plane trees were not like his branches; nor any etz (tree) in the Gan Elohim was like unto him in his beauty.

I have made him beautiful by the multitude of his branches: so that all the trees of Eden, that were in the Gan Elohim, envied him.

10 Therefore thus saith Adonoi Hashem: Because thou hast increased thyself in height, and he hath shot up his top above the thick boughs, and his lev is proudly lifted up in his height,

11 I have therefore delivered him into the yad of the mighty one of the Goyim; he shall surely deal with him; I have driven him out according to his wickedness.

12 And zarim, the most terrible of the Goyim, have cut him down, and have left him; upon the harim and in all the ge’ayot (valleys) his branches are fallen, and his boughs are broken by all the ravines of the earth; and kol Amei HaAretz (all the nations of the earth) departed from his tzel (shade), and forsook him.

13 Upon his ruin shall all the oph Shomayim remain, and all the beasts of the sadeh shall come to his branches;

14 To the end that none of all the trees by the mayim exalt themselves for their height, neither shoot up their top above the thick boughs, and that no trees that drink mayim may reach up to them in height; for they are all delivered unto mavet, to the depths of ha’aretz, in the midst of the bnei adam, with them that go down to the bor (pit).

15 Thus saith Adonoi Hashem: In the day when he went down to Sheol I caused a mourning; I covered the tehom (deep) for him, and I restrained the rivers thereof, and the mayim rabbim were held back; and I caused Levanon to mourn for him, and all the trees of the sadeh wilted and fainted for him.

16 I made the Goyim to shake at the sound of his fall, when I cast him down to Sheol with them that descend into the bor (pit); and all the trees of Eden, the choice and best of Levanon, all that drink mayim, shall be consoled in the depths of ha’aretz.

17 They also went down into Sheol with him unto them that be slain with the cherev; and they that were his zero’a, that dwelt under his tzel (shade) in the midst of the Goyim.

18 To whom art thou thus like in kavod and in greatness among the trees of Eden? Yet shalt thou be brought down with the trees of Eden unto the depths of ha’aretz; thou shalt lie in the midst of the arelim (uncircumcised) with them that be slain by the cherev. This is Pharaoh and all his multitude, saith Adonoi Hashem.