Ezekiel 31

Pharaoh Warned of Assyria’s Fate

1In the 1eleventh year, in the third month, on the first of the month, the word of the Lord came to me saying, 2“Son of man, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his 2hordes, ‘Whom are you like in your greatness?3Behold, Assyria was a 3cedar in Lebanon With beautiful branches and forest shade, And 45very high, And its top was among the 6clouds.4The 7waters made it grow, the 8deep made it high. With its rivers it continually 9extended all around its planting place, And sent out its channels to all the trees of the field.5Therefore 10its height was loftier than all the trees of the field And its boughs became many and its branches long Because of 11many waters 12as it spread them out.6All the 13birds of the heavens nested in its boughs, And under its branches all the beasts of the field gave birth, And all great nations lived under its shade.7So it was beautiful in its greatness, in the length of its branches; For its 14roots extended to many waters.8The 15cedars in 16God’s garden 17could not match it; The 18cypresses 19could not compare with its boughs, And the plane trees 20could not match its branches. No tree in 21God’s garden 22could compare with it in its beauty.9I made it beautiful with the multitude of its branches, And all the trees of 23Eden, which were in the 24garden of God, were jealous of it.

10‘Therefore thus says the Lord 25God, “Because 26it is high in stature and has set its top among the 27clouds, and its 28heart is haughty in its loftiness, 11therefore I will give it into the hand of a 2930despot of the nations; he will thoroughly deal with it. According to its wickedness I have 31driven it away. 1232Alien 33tyrants of the nations have cut it down and left it; on the 34mountains and in all the valleys its branches have fallen and its boughs have been broken in all the ravines of the land. And all the peoples of the earth have 35gone down from its shade and left it. 13On its ruin all the 36birds of the heavens will dwell, and all the beasts of the field will be on its fallen branches 14so that all the trees by the waters may not be exalted in their stature, nor set their top among the 37clouds, nor their 38well-watered mighty ones stand erect in their height. For they have all been given over to death, to the 39earth beneath, among the sons of men, with those who go down to the pit.”

15‘Thus says the Lord God, “On the day when it went down to Sheol I 40caused lamentations; I closed the 41deep over it and held back its rivers. And its many waters were stopped up, and I made Lebanon 42mourn for it, and all the trees of the field wilted away on account of it. 16I made the nations 43quake at the sound of its fall when I made it 44go down to Sheol with those who go down to the pit; and all the 45well-watered trees of Eden, the choicest and best of 46Lebanon, were 47comforted in the earth beneath. 17They also 48went down with it to Sheol to those who were 49slain by the sword; and those who were its 50strength lived 51under its shade among the nations.

18“To which among the trees of Eden are you thus 52equal in glory and greatness? Yet you will be brought down with the trees of Eden to the earth beneath; you will lie in the midst of the 53uncircumcised, with those who were slain by the sword. 54So is Pharaoh and all his hordes!”’ declares the Lord God.”