Add parallel Print Page Options

31 In the eleventh year, in the third month, in the first day of the month, Yahweh’s word came to me, saying, “Son of man, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt, and his multitude:

‘Whom are you like in your greatness?
Behold, the Assyrian was a cedar in Lebanon
    with beautiful branches,
and with a forest-like shade,
    of high stature;
    and its top was among the thick boughs.
The waters nourished it.
    The deep made it to grow.
Its rivers ran all around its plantation;
    and it sent out its channels to all the trees of the field.
Therefore its stature was exalted above all the trees of the field;
    and its boughs were multiplied.
Its branches became long by reason of many waters,
    when it spread them out.
All the birds of the sky made their nests in its boughs.
    Under its branches, all the animals of the field gave birth to their young.
    All great nations lived under its shadow.
Thus it was beautiful in its greatness,
    in the length of its branches;
    for its root was by many waters.
The cedars in the garden of God could not hide it.
    The cypress trees were not like its boughs.
The pine trees were not as its branches;
    nor was any tree in the garden of God like it in its beauty.
I made it beautiful by the multitude of its branches,
    so that all the trees of Eden,
    that were in the garden of God, envied it.’

10 “Therefore thus said the Lord Yahweh: ‘Because you are exalted in stature, and he has set his top among the thick boughs, and his heart is lifted up in his height; 11 I will even deliver him into the hand of the mighty one of the nations. He will surely deal with him. I have driven him out for his wickedness. 12 Strangers, the tyrants of the nations, have cut him off, and have left him. His branches have fallen on the mountains and in all the valleys and his boughs are broken by all the watercourses of the land. All the peoples of the earth have gone down from his shadow, and have left him. 13 All the birds of the sky will dwell on his ruin, and all the animals of the field will be on his branches; 14 to the end that none of all the trees by the waters exalt themselves in their stature, and don’t set their top among the thick boughs. Their mighty ones don’t stand up on their height, even all who drink water; for they are all delivered to death, to the lower parts of the earth, among the children of men, with those who go down to the pit.’

15 “The Lord Yahweh says: ‘In the day when he went down to Sheol[a] I caused a mourning. I covered the deep for him, and I restrained its rivers. The great waters were stopped. I caused Lebanon to mourn for him, and all the trees of the field fainted for him. 16 I made the nations to shake at the sound of his fall, when I cast him down to Sheol[b] with those who descend into the pit. All the trees of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, all that drink water, were comforted in the lower parts of the earth. 17 They also went down into Sheol with him to those who are slain by the sword; yes, those who were his arm, who lived under his shadow in the middle of the nations.

18 “‘To whom are you thus like in glory and in greatness among the trees of Eden? Yet you will be brought down with the trees of Eden to the lower parts of the earth. You will lie in the middle of the uncircumcised, with those who are slain by the sword.

“‘This is Pharaoh and all his multitude,’ says the Lord Yahweh.”

Footnotes

  1. 31:15 Sheol is the place of the dead.
  2. 31:16 Sheol is the place of the dead.

Pharaoh to Be Slain

31 In the eleventh year, in the third month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man, speak to Pharaoh king of Egypt, and to his multitude:

Whom are you like in your greatness?
Assyria was a cedar in Lebanon,
    with fair branches and shade for a forest,
    and high stature;
and its top was among the clouds.
The waters made it great;
    the deep set it up on high.
With its rivers it continually ran
    all around its plants,
and sent out its little rivers
    to all the trees of the field.
Therefore its height was exalted
    above all the trees of the field,
and its boughs were multiplied,
    and its branches became long
    because of the abundance of water, as it spread them out.
All the fowl of heaven
    made their nests in its boughs;
and under its branches
    all the beasts of the field gave birth;
and under its shadow
    all great nations lived.
Thus it was fair in its greatness,
    in the length of its branches,
for its roots were
    by many waters.
The cedars in the garden of God
    could not match it;
the fir trees
    were not like its boughs,
and the chestnut trees
    were not like its branches;
nor was any tree in the garden of God
    like it in its beauty.
I made it beautiful with an abundance of branches,
    so that all the trees of Eden envied it,
    that were in the garden of God.

10 Therefore, thus says the Lord God: Because it is lifted up in height and has shot up its top among the clouds, and its heart is arrogant in its height, 11 I therefore will deliver it into the hand of the mighty one of the nations. He shall surely deal with it. I have driven it out for its wickedness. 12 Aliens, the tyrants of the nations have cut it off and left it. Upon the mountains and in all the valleys its branches have fallen, and its boughs have been broken by all the rivers of the land. And all the peoples of the earth have gone down from its shadow and have left it. 13 Upon its ruin all the fowl of the heavens shall remain, and all the beasts of the field shall be upon its fallen branches 14 to the end that none of all the trees by the waters exalt themselves for their height, or shoot up their tops among the clouds, or their well-watered trees stand up in their height. For they all have been delivered to death, to the nether parts of the earth in the midst of the sons of men, with those who go down to the pit.

15 Thus says the Lord God: On the day when it went down to Sheol I caused mourning. I covered the deep over it and restrained its rivers, and its many waters were stayed. And I caused Lebanon to mourn for it, and all the trees of the field fainted for it. 16 I made the nations to shake at the sound of its fall when I cast him down to Sheol with those who descend into the pit. And all the well-watered trees of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, were comforted in the nether parts of the earth. 17 They also went down into Sheol with it to those who were slain with the sword. And those who were its power lived under its shadow in the midst of the nations.

18 To whom are you thus like in glory and in greatness among the trees of Eden? Yet you shall be brought down with the trees of Eden to the nether parts of the earth. You shall lie in the midst of the uncircumcised with those who were slain by the sword.

This is Pharaoh and all his multitude, says the Lord God.