The Prophet Ezekiel

⭑ Literal Standard Version :: World English Bible Catholic ⭑

- Chapter 31 -

And it comes to pass, in the eleventh year, in the third [month], on the first of the month, a word of YHWH has been to me, saying,

“Son of man, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt, and to his multitude: To whom have you been like in your greatness?

Behold, Asshur, a cedar in Lebanon, || Beautiful in branch, and shading bough, and high in stature, || And its foliage has been between thickets.

Waters have made it great, || The deep has exalted him with its flowings, || Going around its planting, || And it has sent forth its conduits to all trees of the field.

Therefore his stature has been higher than all trees of the field, || And his boughs are multiplied, and his branches are long, || Because of many waters in his shooting forth.

Every bird of the heavens has made a nest in his boughs, || And every beast of the field has brought forth under his branches, || And all great nations dwell in his shade.

And he is beautiful in his greatness, || In the length of his thin shoots, || For his root has been by great waters.

Cedars have not hid him in the garden of God, || Firs have not been like to his boughs, || And plane-trees have not been as his branches, || No tree in the garden of God has been like to him in his beauty,

I have made him beautiful in the multitude of his thin shoots, || And all trees of Eden that [are] in the garden of God envy him.

Therefore, thus said Lord YHWH: Because that you have been high in stature, || And he yields his foliage between thickets, || And his heart is high in his haughtiness,

I give him into the hand of a god of nations, || He deals severely with him, || In his wickedness I have cast him out.

And strangers cut him off, || The terrible of nations, and they leave him, || His thin shoots have fallen on the mountains and in all valleys, || And his boughs are broken at all streams of the land, || And all peoples of the land go down from his shade, and they leave him.

Every bird of the heavens dwells on his ruin, || And all beasts of the field have been on his boughs,

In order that none of the trees of the waters || May become haughty because of their stature, || Nor give their foliage between thickets, || Nor any drinking waters stand up to them in their haughtiness, || For all of them are given up to death, || To the lower earth, || In the midst of the sons of men, || To those going down to the pit.

Thus said Lord YHWH: I have caused mourning in the day of his going down to Sheol, || I have covered the deep over him, and diminish its flowings, || And many waters are restrained, || And I make Lebanon black for him, || And all trees of the field [have been] a covering for him.

I have caused nations to shake at the sound of his fall, || In My causing him to go down to Sheol, || With those going down to the pit, || And all trees of Eden are comforted in the lower earth, || The choice and good of Lebanon—All drinking waters.

Those with him have also gone down to Sheol, || To the pierced of the sword, || And—his arm—they dwelt in his shade in the midst of nations.

To whom have you been thus like, || In glory and in greatness among the trees of Eden? And you have been brought down with the trees of Eden, || To the lower earth, || You lie in the midst of the uncircumcised, || With the pierced of the sword. This [is] Pharaoh, and all his multitude, || A declaration of Lord YHWH!”

In the eleventh year, in the third month, in the first day of the month, the LORD’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. 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 branches. The pine trees were not like 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.’

“Therefore thus said the Lord GOD: ‘Because he is exalted in stature, and he has set his top among the thick branches, and his heart is lifted up in his height,

I will 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.

Foreigners, 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.

All the birds of the sky will dwell on his ruin, and all the animals of the field will be on his branches,

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.’

“The Lord GOD 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.

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.

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.

“‘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 GOD.”

Footnotes

(a)31:15 Sheol is the place of the dead.

(b)31:16 Sheol is the place of the dead.