Add parallel Print Page Options

31 And it was done in the eleventh year, in the third month, in the first day of the month (on the first day of the month), the word of the Lord was made to me, and he said,

Thou, son of man, say to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and to his people, To whom art thou made like in thy greatness?

Lo! Assur as a cedar in Lebanon, fair in branches, and full of boughs, and high by highness; and his height was raised [up] among thick boughs. (Lo! Assyria was like a cedar in Lebanon, that was beautiful in branches, and full of boughs, and high by highness; and its height was raised up among the thick boughs.)

Waters nourished him, the depth of waters enhanced him; his floods floated out in the compass of his roots, and he sent out his strands to all the trees of the country. (Waters nourished it, the waters from the depths raised it up, or made it grow; its rivers flowed out all around its roots, and it sent out its streams to all the trees in the country.)

Therefore his highness was enhanced over all [the] trees of the country, and his trees were multiplied, and his branches were raised [up], for many waters. And when he had stretched forth his shadow, (And so its highness was lifted up over all the trees of the country, and its boughs were multiplied, and its branches were raised up, because of the abundant waters. And when it had stretched forth its shadow,)

all the volatiles of the air made nests in his branches; and all the beasts of forests engendered under his boughs, and the company of full many folks dwelled under the shadowing place of him. (all the birds of the air made nests in its branches; and all the beasts of the forests begat under its boughs, and a great many nations lived under its shadow.)

And he was full fair in his greatness, and in alarging of his trees; for the root of him was beside many waters. (And it was very beautiful in its greatness, and in the enlarging of its branches; for its roots were beside many waters.)

Cedars in the paradise of God were not higher than he; fir trees attained not evenly to the highness of him, and plane trees were not even with the boughs of him. Each tree of (the) paradise of God was not made like him in his fairness. (The cedars in the Garden of God were not higher than it was; the fir trees attained not equal to its highness, and the plane trees were not equal in height with its branches. Every tree of the Garden of God was not made like it, or was not equal to it, in its beauty.)

For I made him fair, and with many and thick boughs; and all the trees of lust, that were in the paradise of God, had envy to him. (For I made it beautiful, and with many thick branches; and all the trees of Eden, that were in the Garden of God, envied it.)

10 Therefore the Lord God saith these things, For that that he was raised in highness, and he gave his highness green and thick, and his heart was raised [up] in his highness; (And so the Lord God saith these things, Because it was raised up into highness, and it made its highness green and thick, its heart was also raised up in its highness;)

11 now I have given him into the hands of the strongest man of heathen men. And he doing shall do to that Assur; after the unfaithfulness of him I casted him out. (so now I have given it into the hands of the strongest man of the heathen. And he doing shall do to that Assyria; yea, because of its unfaithfulness, I have cast it out.)

12 And aliens, and the most cruel men of nations, shall cut him down, and shall cast him forth on hills. And his branches shall fall down in all the great valleys, and his trees shall be broken in all rocks of stone of (the) earth. And all the peoples of earth shall go away from his shadowing place, and shall forsake him. (And foreigners, and the most cruel men of the nations, have cut it down, and have thrown it forth upon the hills. And its branches have fallen down in all the great valleys, and its boughs were broken by all the hard rocks of the earth. And all the peoples of the earth went away from under its shadow, and deserted it.)

13 All the volatiles of the air dwelled in the falling of him, and all beasts of the country were in the branches of him. (All the birds of the air lived on that fallen tree, and all the beasts of the field walked all over its branches.)

14 Wherefore all the trees of waters shall not be raised [up] in their highness, neither shall set their highness among places full of wood(s), and full of boughs, and all trees that be moisted of waters shall not stand in the highness of those. For all they be given into death, to the farthest land in the midst of the sons of men, to them that go down into the pit. (And so all the trees by the waters shall not be raised up in their highness, nor shall set their highness in places full of woods, and full of branches, and all the trees that be watered by these waters shall not stand in their highness. For they all be given over unto death, yea, to the farthest, or to the last, land in the midst of those, who go down into the pit.)

15 The Lord God saith these things, In the day when he went down to hells, I brought in mourning; I covered him with depth of waters, and I forbade his floods, and I refrained many waters. The Lebanon was sorry on him, and all the trees of the field were shaken of the sound of his falling. (The Lord God saith these things, On the day when it went down to Sheol, I brought in mourning; I covered it with the depths of waters, and I forbade its rivers, and I restrained the great waters. Lebanon sorrowed for it, and all the trees of the field were shaken by the sound of its falling.)

16 I moved together heathen men, when I led him down to hell, with them that went down into the pit. And all trees of liking, noble trees, and full clear in the Lebanon, all that were moisted with waters, were comforted in the lowest land. (I altogether shook the heathen, when I led it down to Sheol, with them who went down into the pit. And all the trees of Eden, noble trees, and the most beautiful in Lebanon, all that were watered with water, were comforted in the lowest land.)

17 For why also they shall go down with him to hell, to [the] slain men with sword; and the arm of each man, shall sit under the shadowing place of him, in the midst of nations. (For they shall also go down with it to Sheol, to those killed with the sword; and each person shall sit under its shadow, in the midst of the peoples.)

18 To whom art thou likened, thou noble and high among the trees of liking? Lo! thou art led down with the trees of liking to the farthest land. In the midst of uncircumcised men thou shalt sleep, with them that be slain by sword. That is Pharaoh, and all the multitude of him, saith the Lord God. (To whom art thou likened, O noble and high among the trees of Eden? Lo! thou art led down with the trees of Eden to the farthest, or to the last, land. Thou shalt sleep in the midst of the uncircumcised, with those who were killed by the sword. This is Pharaoh, and all his multitude, saith the Lord God.)

Egypt Will Be Brought Down to Sheol

31 Now it happened in the (A)eleventh year, in the third month, on the first of the month, that the word of Yahweh came to me saying, “Son of man, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his (B)multitude,

‘To whom do you liken yourself in your greatness?
Behold, Assyria was a (C)cedar in Lebanon
With beautiful branches and forest shade
And (D)lofty in height,
And its top was among the [a]clouds.
The (E)waters made it grow; the [b]deep made it high.
With its rivers it was going all around its planting place
And sent out its conduits to all the trees of the field.
Therefore (F)its height was loftier than all the trees of the field,
And its boughs became many and its branches long
Because of (G)many waters [c]as it spread them out.
All the (H)birds of the sky nested in its boughs,
And under its branches all the beasts of the field gave birth,
And all great nations lived under its shade.
So it was beautiful in its greatness, in the length of its foliage;
For its [d]roots extended to many waters.
The (I)cedars in (J)God’s garden [e]could not match it;
The [f]cypresses [g]could not liken themselves with its boughs,
And the plane trees were not like its branches.
No tree in (K)God’s garden [h]could liken itself with it in its beauty.
I made it beautiful with the multitude of its foliage,
And all the trees of (L)Eden, which were in the (M)garden of God, were jealous of it.

10 ‘Therefore thus says Lord Yahweh, “Because [i]it is lofty in height and has put its top among the [j]clouds, and its (N)heart is high up in its loftiness, 11 therefore I will give it into the hand of a [k](O)dominant one of the nations; he will thoroughly deal with it. According to its wickedness I have (P)driven it away. 12 (Q)Strangers—(R)ruthless ones of the nations have cut it down and abandoned it; on the (S)mountains and in all the valleys its foliage have fallen, and its boughs have been broken in all the ravines of the land. And all the peoples of the earth have (T)gone down from its shade and abandoned it. 13 On its downfall all the (U)birds of the sky will dwell, and all the beasts of the field will be on its fallen branches 14 so that all the trees by the waters may not be lofty in their height, nor put their top among the [l]clouds, nor their dominant ones—all the [m]well-watered ones—stand in their loftiness. For they have all been given over to death, to the (V)earth beneath, among the sons of men, with those who go down to the pit.”

15 ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “On the day when it went down to Sheol I (W)caused mourning; I covered it with the [n]deep over it and held back its rivers. And its many waters were stopped up, and I made Lebanon [o]mourn for it, and all the trees of the field wilted away on account of it. 16 I made the nations (X)quake at the sound of its downfall when I made it (Y)go down to Sheol with those who go down to the pit; and all the trees of Eden, the choicest and best of (Z)Lebanon, all the [p]well-watered ones, were (AA)comforted in the earth beneath. 17 They also (AB)went down with it to Sheol to those who were (AC)slain by the sword; and those who were its [q]strength lived (AD)under its shade among the nations.

18 “To which among the trees of Eden do you thus liken yourself in glory and greatness? Yet you will be brought down with the trees of Eden to the earth beneath; you will lie in the midst of the (AE)uncircumcised, with those who were slain by the sword. (AF)So is Pharaoh and all his multitude!”’ declares Lord Yahweh.”

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 31:3 As in Gr; M.T. thick boughs
  2. Ezekiel 31:4 Subterranean waters
  3. Ezekiel 31:5 Lit in its sending forth
  4. Ezekiel 31:7 Lit root was
  5. Ezekiel 31:8 Lit did
  6. Ezekiel 31:8 Or Phoenician junipers
  7. Ezekiel 31:8 Lit did
  8. Ezekiel 31:8 Lit did
  9. Ezekiel 31:10 Lit you are
  10. Ezekiel 31:10 Or thick boughs
  11. Ezekiel 31:11 Lit ram
  12. Ezekiel 31:14 Or thick boughs
  13. Ezekiel 31:14 Lit drinkers of water
  14. Ezekiel 31:15 Subterranean waters
  15. Ezekiel 31:15 Lit be darkened
  16. Ezekiel 31:16 Lit drinkers of water
  17. Ezekiel 31:17 Lit arm

31 The Lord gave this message to me on the first day of the 3rd month, in the 11th year: ‘Son of man, say this to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and all his people:

“You think that you are as powerful as any other country!
Think about how powerful Assyria was.
At one time, it was as strong as a great cedar tree in Lebanon.
It had beautiful branches that gave shade in the forest.
It was very tall. Its top reached up to the clouds.
Springs of water from under the ground helped it to grow very tall.
Rivers passed around the place where the tree was.
Streams from there gave water to all the trees in the forest.
So this cedar tree grew taller than all the other trees.
Its branches became large and very long.
It grew very well because it had plenty of water.
All kinds of birds built their nests among its leaves.
Under its branches, the wild animals gave birth.
All the great nations lived in its shade.
It was great and beautiful, with long branches.
Its roots went down deep into the ground
and they drank plenty of water.
The cedar trees in God's garden were not as beautiful.
The branches of the pine trees were not as strong.
No other tree in God's garden was nearly as great or as beautiful.
I made that tree beautiful, with all its strong branches.
All the trees in Eden, God's garden, were jealous of that tree.

10 So this is what the Almighty Lord says:

That great tree, Assyria, was very tall. Its top reached up to the clouds. It was very proud because it was so great. 11 Because of that, I put it under the power of the ruler of the nations. He has punished it as it deserved for its sins. In that way, I have removed it. 12 Foreigners from cruel nations have cut it down. They have left it on the ground. Its broken branches lie on the mountains and in the valleys. The people of other nations no longer live in its shade. They have gone away. 13 Now the birds go and sit on the bits of the tree that remain. The wild animals walk over its branches. 14 Because of that, no tree will ever grow as tall again. Even if it receives plenty of water, no tree will grow so tall that its top reaches up to the clouds. All trees will die and fall to the ground. Like people, they must die and go into their graves, under the ground.

15 This is what the Almighty Lord says: This tree has died and it has gone down into its grave. When that happened, I caused people to be very sad. I caused the springs of water to stop. There were no longer streams with plenty of water. I caused the mountains of Lebanon to become dark. All the trees in the forest became dry. 16 The other nations shook when they heard that great tree fall. I had caused it to go down into its grave, deep under the ground, as all people must die. The other strong trees saw what had happened to the great cedar tree. They were the trees of Eden and the best trees of Lebanon that had received plenty of water. They were pleased to see that the great cedar tree had fallen down. 17 The trees that had lived in the great tree's shade also fell and went into their graves. Those are the nations that had helped the great tree to fight its battles. They went to join other soldiers who had died in war.

18 Yes, Egypt is very strong, like the great trees of Eden. You are as great and powerful as any nation. But you will fall to the ground and go into your grave. It happened to Assyria and the other nations, and it will happen to you. You will lie under the ground among people who do not belong to me and who have died in war.

This is a picture of what will happen to Pharaoh and all his people. That is what the Almighty Lord says.” ’[a]

Footnotes

  1. 31:18 Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, is very proud that his country is so powerful. God tells him that he should remember what happened to Assyria. Assyria was a very strong nation, like a great cedar tree. But even a powerful nation like Assyria lost its power one day. So Pharaoh should realize that his power will not continue for ever.

Pharaoh as a Felled Cedar of Lebanon

31 In the eleventh year,(A) in the third month on the first day, the word of the Lord came to me:(B) “Son of man, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his hordes:

“‘Who can be compared with you in majesty?
Consider Assyria,(C) once a cedar in Lebanon,(D)
    with beautiful branches overshadowing the forest;
it towered on high,
    its top above the thick foliage.(E)
The waters(F) nourished it,
    deep springs made it grow tall;
their streams flowed
    all around its base
and sent their channels
    to all the trees of the field.(G)
So it towered higher(H)
    than all the trees of the field;
its boughs increased
    and its branches grew long,
    spreading because of abundant waters.(I)
All the birds of the sky
    nested in its boughs,
all the animals of the wild
    gave birth(J) under its branches;
all the great nations
    lived in its shade.(K)
It was majestic in beauty,
    with its spreading boughs,
for its roots went down
    to abundant waters.(L)
The cedars(M) in the garden of God
    could not rival it,
nor could the junipers
    equal its boughs,
nor could the plane trees(N)
    compare with its branches—
no tree in the garden of God
    could match its beauty.(O)
I made it beautiful
    with abundant branches,
the envy of all the trees of Eden(P)
    in the garden of God.(Q)

10 “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because the great cedar towered over the thick foliage, and because it was proud(R) 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,(S) 12 and the most ruthless of foreign nations(T) cut it down and left it. Its boughs fell on the mountains and in all the valleys;(U) 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.(V) 13 All the birds settled on the fallen tree, and all the wild animals lived among its branches.(W) 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(X) for death,(Y) for the earth below, among mortals who go down to the realm of the dead.(Z)

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.(AA) 16 I made the nations tremble(AB) 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(AC) of Eden,(AD) the choicest and best of Lebanon, the well-watered trees, were consoled(AE) in the earth below.(AF) 17 They too, like the great cedar, had gone down to the realm of the dead, to those killed by the sword,(AG) 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,(AH) with those killed by the sword.

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