Ezekiel 31

1And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the thirdmonth, in the firstdayof the month, that the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,

1On the first day of the third month of the eleventh year, the word of the LORD came to me.

2Son of man, say unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, and to his multitude: Whom art thou like in thy greatness?

2Son of man, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his crowds of people: Who can be compared to you in your greatness?

3Behold, the Assyrian was a cedar in Lebanon with fair branches, and with a forest-like shade, and of high stature; and its top was among the thick boughs.

3Think about Assyria, which was once like a cedar tree in Lebanon. It had beautiful branches that shaded the forest and it grew very tall, with its top reaching into the clouds.

4The waters nourished it, the deep made it to grow: the rivers thereof ran round about its plantation; and it sent out its channels unto all the trees of the field.

4Deep underground springs and plenty of water made it grow. Rivers flowed around the place where it was planted, and it sent out streams to all the other trees in the field.

5Therefore its stature was exalted above all the trees of the field; and its boughs were multiplied, and its branches became long by reason of many waters, when it shot them forth.

5Because it had so much water, it grew taller than all the other trees. Its branches grew thick and long as it spread them out.

6All the birds of the heavens made their nests in its boughs; and under its branches did all the beasts of the field bring forth their young; and under its shadow dwelt all great nations.

6All the birds of the sky made their nests in its branches, and all the wild animals gave birth under its boughs. All the great nations lived in its shade.

7Thus was it fair in its greatness, in the length of its branches; for its root was by many waters.

7It was beautiful in its size and with its long branches, because its roots reached down to plenty of water.

8The cedars in the garden of God could not hide it; the fir-trees were not like its boughs, and the plane-trees were not as its branches; nor was any tree in the garden of God like unto it in its beauty.

8The cedars in the garden of God could not compete with it. No fir tree had boughs like it, and no plane tree had branches that compared to it. No tree in God's garden was as beautiful as this tree.

9I made it fair by the multitude of its branches, so that all the trees of Eden, that were in the garden of God, envied it.

9I made it beautiful with many branches, so that all the trees of Eden in the garden of God were jealous of it.

10Therefore thus said the Lord Jehovah: Because thou art exalted in stature, and he hath set his top among the thick boughs, and his heart is lifted up in his height;

10Therefore, this is what the Lord GOD says: Because the tree grew so tall and lifted its top into the clouds, becoming proud of its height,

11I will even deliver him into the hand of the mighty one of the nations; he shall surely deal with him; I have driven him out for his wickedness.

11I handed it over to a mighty ruler of the nations to deal with it as it deserved. I discarded it because of its wickedness.

12And strangers, the terrible of the nations, have cut him off, and have left him: upon the mountains and in all the valleys his branches are fallen, and his boughs are broken by all the watercourses of the land; and all the peoples of the earth are gone down from his shadow, and have left him.

12Foreigners, the most ruthless of the nations, cut it down and left it lying there. Its branches fell on the mountains and in every valley. Its boughs lay broken in all the ravines of the land. All the nations of the earth left its shade and abandoned it.

13Upon his ruin all the birds of the heavens shall dwell, and all the beasts of the field shall be upon his branches;

13All the birds of the sky live on the fallen trunk, and all the wild animals lie among its broken branches.

14to the end that none of all the trees by the waters exalt themselves in their stature, neither set their top among the thick boughs, nor that their mighty ones stand up in their height, even all that drink water: for they are all delivered unto death, to the nether parts of the earth, in the midst of the children of men, with them that go down to the pit.

14This happened so that no other trees well-watered by the springs would become proud of their height or lift their tops into the clouds. No other well-watered trees will ever stand so tall again. For they are all destined for death and will go down to the earth below, along with common people who descend into the pit.

15Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: In the day when he went down to Sheol I caused a mourning: I covered the deep for him, and I restrained the rivers thereof; and the great waters were stayed; and I caused Lebanon to mourn for him, and all the trees of the field fainted for him.

15This is what the Lord GOD says: On the day it went down to the grave, I caused a time of mourning. I covered the deep springs and stopped their rivers; the great waters were held back. I made Lebanon grow dark with sorrow, and all the trees of the field wilted.

16I made the nations to shake at the sound of his fall, when I cast him down to Sheol with them that descend into the pit; and all the trees of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, all that drink water, were comforted in the nether parts of the earth.

16I made the nations tremble at the sound of its fall when I cast it down to the grave to join those who go down to the pit. Then all the trees of Eden, the very best trees of Lebanon that were well-watered, were comforted in the world below.

17They also went down into Sheol with him unto them that are slain by the sword; yea, they that were his arm, that dwelt under his shadow in the midst of the nations.

17Those who lived in its shade among the nations—its allies who were its strength—also went down to the grave with it to join those killed by the sword.

18To whom art thou thus like in glory and in greatness among the trees of Eden? yet shalt thou be brought down with the trees of Eden unto the nether parts of the earth: thou shalt lie in the midst of the uncircumcised, with them that are slain by the sword. This is Pharaoh and all his multitude, saith the Lord Jehovah.

18Which of the trees in Eden can be compared to you in glory and greatness? Yet you, too, will be brought down with the trees of Eden to the earth below. You will lie among the godless and those killed by the sword. This is Pharaoh and all his many people, declares the Lord GOD.