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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.”

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Footnotes

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

10 “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because it was tall in stature, and its top reached into the clouds, and it was proud of its height, 11 I gave it over to the leader of the nations. He has judged it thoroughly,[a] as its sinfulness deserves. I have thrown it out. 12 Foreigners from the most terrifying nations have cut it down and left it to lie there on the mountains. In all the valleys its branches have fallen, and its boughs lie broken in the ravines of the land. All the peoples of the land[b] have departed[c] from its shade and left it. 13 On its ruins all the birds of the sky will live, and all the wild animals[d] will walk[e] on its branches. 14 For this reason no watered trees will grow so tall; their tops will not reach into the clouds, nor will the well-watered ones grow that high.[f] For all of them have been appointed to die in the lower parts of the earth;[g] they will be among mere mortals,[h] with those who descend to the Pit.

15 “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: On the day it[i] went down to Sheol I caused observers to lament.[j] I covered it with the deep and held back its rivers; its plentiful water was restrained. I clothed Lebanon in black for it, and all the trees of the field wilted because of it. 16 I made the nations shake at the sound of its fall, when I threw it down to Sheol, along with those who descend to the Pit.[k] Then all the trees of Eden, the choicest and the best of Lebanon, all that were well-watered, were comforted in the earth below. 17 Those who lived in its shade, its allies[l] among the nations, also went down with it to Sheol, to those killed by the sword. 18 Which of the trees of Eden was like you in majesty and loftiness? You will be brought down with the trees of Eden to the lower parts of the earth; you will lie among the uncircumcised, with those killed by the sword! This is what will happen to Pharaoh and all his hordes, declares the Sovereign Lord.’”

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Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 31:11 tn Heb “acting he has acted with regard to it.” The infinitive absolute precedes the main verb to emphasize the certainty and decisiveness of the action depicted.
  2. Ezekiel 31:12 tn Or “earth” (KJV, ASV, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
  3. Ezekiel 31:12 tn Heb “gone down.”
  4. Ezekiel 31:13 tn Heb “the beasts of the field,” referring to wild as opposed to domesticated animals.
  5. Ezekiel 31:13 tn Heb “be.”
  6. Ezekiel 31:14 tn Heb “and they will not stand to them in their height, all the drinkers of water.”
  7. Ezekiel 31:14 tn Heb “for death, to the lower earth.”
  8. Ezekiel 31:14 tn Heb “the sons of men.”
  9. Ezekiel 31:15 tn Or “he.”
  10. Ezekiel 31:15 tn Heb “I caused lamentation.” D. I. Block (Ezekiel [NICOT], 2:194-95) proposes an alternative root that would give the meaning: “I gated back the waters,” i.e., shut off the water supply.
  11. Ezekiel 31:16 sn For the expression “going down to the Pit,” see Ezek 26:20 and 32:18, 24, 29.
  12. Ezekiel 31:17 tn Heb “its arm.”