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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.’

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Pharaoh Warned of Assyria’s Fate

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

‘Whom are you like in your greatness?
Behold, Assyria was a (C)cedar in Lebanon
With beautiful branches and forest shade,
And [a](D)very high,
And its top was among the [b]clouds.
The (E)waters made it grow, the [c]deep made it high.
With its rivers it continually [d]extended all around its planting place,
And sent out its channels 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 [e]as it spread them out.
All the (H)birds of the sky nested in its twigs,
And under its branches all the animals 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 branches;
For its [f]roots extended to many waters.
The (I)cedars in (J)God’s garden [g]could not match it;
The junipers [h]could not compare with its branches,
And the plane trees [i]could not match its branches.
No tree in (K)God’s garden [j]could compare with it in its beauty.
I made it beautiful with the multitude of its branches,
And all the trees of (L)Eden, which were in the (M)garden of God, were jealous of it.

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Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 31:3 Lit high of stature
  2. Ezekiel 31:3 As in LXX; MT thick boughs
  3. Ezekiel 31:4 I.e., subterranean waters
  4. Ezekiel 31:4 Lit was going
  5. Ezekiel 31:5 Lit in its sending forth
  6. Ezekiel 31:7 Lit root was
  7. Ezekiel 31:8 Lit did
  8. Ezekiel 31:8 Lit did
  9. Ezekiel 31:8 Lit were not like
  10. Ezekiel 31:8 Lit did