Ezekiel 31

¹ In the eleventh year, on the first day of the third month, the word of Yahweh was addressed to me asfol ows,

² 'Son of man, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt and his throng of subjects: "What can compare with you forgreatness?

³ I know: a cedar tree in the Lebanon with noble branches, dense foliage, lofty height. Its top pierces theclouds.

⁴ The waters have made it grow, the deep has made it tall, pouring its rivers round the place where it isplanted, sending rivulets to al the wild trees.

⁵ This is why its height was greater than that of other wild trees, its branches increased in number, itsboughs stretched wide, because of the plentiful waters making it grow.

⁶ Al the birds of heaven nested in its branches; under its boughs all wild animals dropped their young; inits shade sat many, many people.

⁷ It was beautiful in its size, in the span of its boughs; for its roots were in plentiful waters.

⁸ There was no cedar like it in the garden of God, no cypress had branches such as these, no plane treecould match its boughs, no tree in the garden of God could rival its beauty.

⁹ I had made it so lovely with its many branches that it was the envy of every tree in Eden, in the gardenof God.

¹⁰ "Very wel , the Lord Yahweh says this: "Since it has raised itself to its ful height, has lifted its top into the clouds, and has grown arrogant about its height,

¹¹ I have handed it over to the prince of the nations, for him to treat as its wickedness deserves; I haverejected it.

¹² Foreigners, the most barbarous of nations, have cut it down and deserted it. On the mountains, in althe val eys, lie its branches; its broken boughs are in every ravine throughout the country; everybody in thecountry has fled its shade and deserted it.

¹³ On its wreckage perch al the birds of heaven; all the wild animals have advanced on its branches.

¹⁴ "So in future let no tree rear its height beside the waters, none push its top into the clouds, nowatered tree stretch its height towards them. For al of them are doomed to death, to the depths of theunderworld, with the common run of humanity, with those who sink into oblivion.

¹⁵ "The Lord Yahweh says this: The day it went down to Sheol, I imposed mourning, I closed the deepover it. I stopped its rivers and the plentiful waters dried up; I made Lebanon dark because of it, and al the wildtrees wilted because of it.

¹⁶ With the noise when it fel I made the nations quake, as I hurled it down to Sheol, with those who sinkinto oblivion. In the depths of the underworld al the trees of Eden took comfort, the pick of the loveliest trees ofthe Lebanon, al irrigated by the waters.

¹⁷ And its offspring among the nations, once living in its shade, went down to Sheol with it, to those whohave been slaughtered by the sword.

¹⁸ "Which of the trees of Eden compares with you for glory and greatness? Yet you have been hurleddown with the trees of Eden, to the depths of the underworld, among the uncircumcised, and there you lie withthose who have been slaughtered by the sword. So much for Pharaoh and al his throng -- declares the LordYahweh." '