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 sky nested in its twigs, And under its branches all the animals 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 junipers 18could not compare with its branches, And the plane trees 19could not match its branches. No tree in 20God’s garden 21could compare with it in its beauty.9I made it beautiful with the multitude of its branches, And all the trees of 22Eden, which were in the 23garden of God, were jealous of it.

10‘Therefore this is what the Lord 24God says: “Because 25it is tall in stature and has put its top among the 26clouds, and its 27heart is haughty in its loftiness, 11I will hand it over to a 2829ruler of the nations; he will thoroughly deal with it. In accordance with its wickedness I have 30driven it out. 1231Foreign 32tyrants of the nations have cut it down and left it; on the 33mountains and in all the valleys its branches have fallen, and its branches have been broken in all the ravines of the land. And all the peoples of the earth have 34gone down from its shade and left it. 13All the 35birds of the sky will nest on its fallen trunk, and all the animals of the field will 36rest on its fallen branches, 14so that all the trees by the waters will not be exalted in their stature, nor put their tops among the 37clouds, nor will any of their 38well-watered mighty ones stand straight in their height. For they have all been turned over to death, to the 39earth beneath, among 40mankind, 41with those who go down to the pit.”

15‘This is what the Lord God says: “On the day when it went down to Sheol I 42caused mourning; I closed the 43deep over it and held back its rivers. And its many waters were stopped up, and I made Lebanon mourn for it, and all the trees of the field wilted away on account of it. 16I made the nations 44quake from the sound of its fall when I made it 45go down to Sheol with those who go down to the pit; and all the 46well-watered trees of Eden, the choicest and best of 47Lebanon, were 48comforted in the earth beneath. 17They also 49went down with it to Sheol to those who were 50slain by the sword; and those who were its 51strength lived 52in its shade among the nations.

18“To which among the trees of Eden are you so alike 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 killed by the sword. 54This is Pharaoh and all his hordes!”’ declares the Lord God.”