| 1 Nell’undecimo anno, il primo giorno del terzo mese, mi fu rivolta la parola di Jahvè: | 1 In the eleventh year, on the first day of the third month, the word of Yahweh was addressed to me asfol ows, |
| 2 «Figlio dell’uomo, di’ al Faraone, re d’Egitto, e a tutta la sua gente: “A chi credi d’esser simile in grandezza? | 2 'Son of man, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt and his throng of subjects: "What can compare with you forgreatness? |
| 3 Ecco l’Assiria come un cedro del Libano, dai rami magnifici, dalla folta ombra e dall’altezza superba: tra le nubi rimaneva la sua cima. | 3 I know: a cedar tree in the Lebanon with noble branches, dense foliage, lofty height. Its top pierces theclouds. |
| 4 Le acque lo fecero crescere e l’abisso operò il suo sviluppo, facendo scorrere i suoi fiumi intorno al terreno dov’esso era piantato, mentre spingeva i suoi canali a tutti gli alberi della campagna. | 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 Era divenuto, perciò, il più alto fra tutti gli alberi della campagna: i suoi rami si erano moltiplicati e le sue fronde allungate per l’abbondanza delle acque, durante il suo sviluppo. | 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 Tra i suoi rami fecero il nido tutti gli uccelli del cielo e sotto le sue fronde partorirono tutte le bestie selvatiche; alla sua ombra abitarono tutte le grandi nazioni. | 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 Era splendido nella sua grandezza, per l’estensione dei rami, perché la sua radice era presso acque abbondanti. | 7 It was beautiful in its size, in the span of its boughs; for its roots were in plentiful waters. |
| 8 I cedri non lo uguagliavano nel giardino di Dio, i cipressi non reggevano al paragone con i suoi rami e i platani non erano come le sue fronde: nessun albero, nel giardino di Dio, eguagliava la sua magnificenza. | 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 Lo avevo formato maestoso per il numero dei suoi rami: lo invidiavano, perciò, tutti gli alberi dell’Eden che erano nel giardino di Dio”». | 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 Perciò così dice il Signore Jahvè: «Poiché era cresciuto in altezza, aveva posto la cima tra le nubi e il suo cuore era inorgoglito per la propria grandezza, | 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 io lo misi nelle mani di un condottiero di popoli; lo rigettai per i suoi misfatti. | 11 I have handed it over to the prince of the nations, for him to treat as its wickedness deserves; I haverejected it. |
| 12 Degli stranieri, i più violenti tra i popoli lo abbatterono, lo gettarono sui monti; i suoi rami caddero per tutte le valli e le sue fronde si spezzarono in tutte le gole del paese; tutti i popoli della terra si allontanarono dalla sua ombra e lo abbandonarono. | 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 Sui suoi resti si posano tutti gli uccelli del cielo e sulle sue fronde passano tutte le bestie selvatiche, | 13 On its wreckage perch al the birds of heaven; all the wild animals have advanced on its branches. |
| 14 perché nessun albero, fecondato dalle acque, cresca in altezza e spinga la cima tra le nubi, né confidi in sé, per la propria altezza, nessun albero che prende alimento dalle acque; perché tutti sono destinati alla morte, nella regione sotterranea, tra i figli dell’uomo, tra coloro che discendono nella fossa». | 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." ' |
