Ezekiel 31

1And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the third month, in the first day of the month, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

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

3Behold, the Assyrian was a cedar in Lebanon with fair branches, and with a shadowing shroud, and of an high stature; and his top was among the thick boughs.footnote a

4The waters made him great, the deep set him up on high with her rivers running round about his plants, and sent out her little rivers unto all the trees of the field.footnote bfootnote cfootnote d

5Therefore his height was exalted above all the trees of the field, and his boughs were multiplied, and his branches became long because of the multitude of waters, when he shot forth.footnote e

6All the fowls of heaven made their nests in his boughs, and under his branches did all the beasts of the field bring forth their young, and under his shadow dwelt all great nations.

7Thus was he fair in his greatness, in the length of his branches: for his root was by great waters.

8The cedars in the garden of God could not hide him: the fir trees were not like his boughs, and the chesnut trees were not like his branches; nor any tree in the garden of God was like unto him in his beauty.

9I have made him fair by the multitude of his branches: so that all the trees of Eden, that were in the garden of God, envied him.

10Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou hast lifted up thyself in height, and he hath shot up his top among the thick boughs, and his heart is lifted up in his height;

11I have therefore delivered him into the hand of the mighty one of the heathen; he shall surely deal with him: I have driven him out for his wickedness.footnote f

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 rivers of the land; and all the people of the earth are gone down from his shadow, and have left him.

13Upon his ruin shall all the fowls of the heaven remain, and all the beasts of the field shall be upon his branches:

14To the end that none of all the trees by the waters exalt themselves for their height, neither shoot up their top among the thick boughs, neither their trees stand up in their height, 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.footnote g

15Thus saith the Lord GOD; In the day when he went down to the grave I caused a mourning: I covered the deep for him, and I restrained the floods 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.footnote h

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

17They also went down into hell with him unto them that be slain with the sword; and they that were his arm, that dwelt under his shadow in the midst of the heathen.

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 be slain by the sword. This is Pharaoh and all his multitude, saith the Lord GOD.

Egypt Will Fall like Assyria

1In the eleventh year, on the first day of the third month, the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2“Son of man, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his multitude:‘Who can be comparedto your greatness? 3Look at Assyria, a cedar in Lebanon,with beautiful branches that shaded the forest.It towered on high;its top was among the clouds. 4The waters made it grow;the deep springs made it tall,directing their streams all around its baseand sending their channels to all the trees of the field.

5Therefore it towered higherthan all the trees of the field.Its branches multiplied,and its boughs grew longas it spread them outbecause of the abundant waters. 6All the birds of the airnested in its branches,and all the beasts of the fieldgave birth beneath its boughs;all the great nationslived in its shade.

7It was beautiful in its greatness,in the length of its limbs,for its roots extendedto abundant waters. 8The cedars in the garden of Godcould not rival it;the cypressesfootnote acould not compare with its branches,nor the plane treesfootnote bmatch its boughs.No tree in the garden of Godcould compare with its beauty. 9I made it beautiful with its many branches,the envy of all the trees of Eden,which were in the garden of God.’

10Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Since it became greatfootnote c in height and set its top among the clouds,footnote d and it grew proud on account of its height, 11I delivered it into the hand of the ruler of the nations, for him to deal with it according to its wickedness. I have banished it.

12Foreigners, the most ruthless of the nations, cut it down and left it. Its branches have fallen on the mountains and in every valley; its boughs lay broken in all the earth’s ravines. And all the peoples of the earth left its shade and abandoned it.

13All the birds of the air nested on its fallen trunk, and all the beasts of the field lived among its boughs. 14This happened so that no other trees by the waters would become great in height and set their tops among the clouds, and no other well-watered trees would reach them in height. For they have all been consigned to death, to the depths of the earth, among the mortals who descend to the Pit.’

15This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘On the day it was brought down to Sheol, I caused mourning. I covered the deep because of it; I held back its rivers; its abundant waters were restrained. I made Lebanon mourn for it, and all the trees of the field fainted because of it. 16I made the nations quake at the sound of its downfall, when I cast it down to Sheol with those who descend to the Pit.
Then all the trees of Eden, the choicest and best of Lebanon, all the well-watered trees, were consoled in the earth below. 17They too descended with it to Sheol, to those slain by the sword. As its allies they had lived in its shade among the nations.

18Who then is like you in glory and greatness among the trees of Eden? You also will be brought down to the depths of the earth to be with the trees of Eden. You will lie among the uncircumcised, with those slain by the sword. This is Pharaoh and all his multitude, declares the Lord GOD.’”