Ezekiel 31
NASB — New American Standard Bible (NASB)
NIVUK — New International Version - UK Bible (NIVUK)
Verse 1
In the eleventh year, in the third month, on the first of the month, the word of the Lord came to me saying,
In the eleventh year, in the third month on the first day, the word of the Lord came to me:
Verse 2
“Son of man, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his hordes,
‘Whom are you like in your greatness?
‘Son of man, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his hordes:
‘“Who can be compared with you in majesty?
Verse 3
‘Behold, Assyria was a cedar in Lebanon
With beautiful branches and forest shade,
And [a]very high,
And its top was among the [b]clouds.
With beautiful branches and forest shade,
And [a]very high,
And its top was among the [b]clouds.
Consider Assyria, once a cedar in Lebanon,
with beautiful branches overshadowing the forest;
it towered on high,
its top above the thick foliage.
with beautiful branches overshadowing the forest;
it towered on high,
its top above the thick foliage.
Verse 4
‘The waters made it grow, the [c]deep made it high.
With its rivers it continually [d]extended all around its planting place,
And sent out its channels to all the trees of the field.
With its rivers it continually [d]extended all around its planting place,
And sent out its channels to all the trees of the field.
The waters nourished it,
deep springs made it grow tall;
their streams flowed
all around its base
and sent their channels
to all the trees of the field.
deep springs made it grow tall;
their streams flowed
all around its base
and sent their channels
to all the trees of the field.
Verse 5
‘Therefore its height was loftier than all the trees of the field
And its boughs became many and its branches long
Because of many waters [e]as it spread them out.
And its boughs became many and its branches long
Because of many waters [e]as it spread them out.
So it towered higher
than all the trees of the field;
its boughs increased
and its branches grew long,
spreading because of abundant waters.
than all the trees of the field;
its boughs increased
and its branches grew long,
spreading because of abundant waters.
Verse 6
‘All the birds 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.
And under its branches all the beasts of the field gave birth,
And all great nations lived under its shade.
All the birds of the sky
nested in its boughs,
all the wild animals
gave birth under its branches;
all the great nations
lived in its shade.
nested in its boughs,
all the wild animals
gave birth under its branches;
all the great nations
lived in its shade.
Verse 7
‘So it was beautiful in its greatness, in the length of its branches;
For its [f]roots extended to many waters.
For its [f]roots extended to many waters.
It was majestic in beauty,
with its spreading boughs,
for its roots went down
to abundant waters.
with its spreading boughs,
for its roots went down
to abundant waters.
Verse 8
‘The cedars in God’s garden [g]could not match it;
The [h]cypresses [i]could not compare with its boughs,
And the plane trees [j]could not match its branches.
No tree in God’s garden [k]could compare with it in its beauty.
The [h]cypresses [i]could not compare with its boughs,
And the plane trees [j]could not match its branches.
No tree in God’s garden [k]could compare with it in its beauty.
The cedars in the garden of God
could not rival it,
nor could the junipers
equal its boughs,
nor could the plane trees
compare with its branches –
no tree in the garden of God
could match its beauty.
could not rival it,
nor could the junipers
equal its boughs,
nor could the plane trees
compare with its branches –
no tree in the garden of God
could match its beauty.
Verse 9
‘I made it beautiful with the multitude of its branches,
And all the trees of Eden, which were in the garden of God, were jealous of it.
And all the trees of Eden, which were in the garden of God, were jealous of it.
I made it beautiful
with abundant branches,
the envy of all the trees of Eden
in the garden of God.
with abundant branches,
the envy of all the trees of Eden
in the garden of God.
Verse 10
‘Therefore thus says the Lord [l]God, “Because [m]it is high in stature and has set its top among the [n]clouds, and its heart is haughty in its loftiness,
‘“Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: because the great cedar towered over the thick foliage, and because it was proud of its height,
Verse 11
therefore I will give it into the hand of a [o]despot of the nations; he will thoroughly deal with it. According to its wickedness I have driven it away.
I gave it into the hands of the ruler of the nations, for him to deal with according to its wickedness. I cast it aside,
Verse 12
Alien tyrants of the nations have cut it down and left it; on the mountains 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 gone down from its shade and left it.
and the most ruthless of foreign nations cut it down and left it. Its boughs fell on the mountains and in all the valleys; its branches lay broken in all the ravines of the land. All the nations of the earth came out from under its shade and left it.
Verse 13
On its ruin all the birds of the heavens will dwell, and all the beasts of the field will be on its fallen branches
All the birds settled on the fallen tree, and all the wild animals lived among its branches.
Verse 14
so that all the trees by the waters may not be exalted in their stature, nor set their top among the [p]clouds, nor their [q]well-watered mighty ones stand erect in their height. For they have all been given over to death, to the earth beneath, among the sons of men, with those who go down to the pit.”
Therefore no other trees by the waters are ever to tower proudly on high, lifting their tops above the thick foliage. No other trees so well-watered are ever to reach such a height; they are all destined for death, for the earth below, among mortals who go down to the realm of the dead.
Verse 15
‘Thus says the Lord God, “On the day when it went down to Sheol I caused lamentations; I closed the [r]deep over it and held back its rivers. And its many waters were stopped up, and I made Lebanon [s]mourn for it, and all the trees of the field wilted away on account of it.
‘“This is what the Sovereign Lord says: on the day it was brought down to the realm of the dead I covered the deep springs with mourning for it; I held back its streams, and its abundant waters were restrained. Because of it I clothed Lebanon with gloom, and all the trees of the field withered away.
Verse 16
I made the nations quake at the sound of its fall when I made it go down to Sheol with those who go down to the pit; and all the [t]well-watered trees of Eden, the choicest and best of Lebanon, were comforted in the earth beneath.
I made the nations tremble at the sound of its fall when I brought it down to the realm of the dead to be with those who go down to the pit. Then all the trees of Eden, the choicest and best of Lebanon, the well-watered trees, were consoled in the earth below.
Verse 17
They also went down with it to Sheol to those who were slain by the sword; and those who were its [u]strength lived under its shade among the nations.
They too, like the great cedar, had gone down to the realm of the dead, to those killed by the sword, along with the armed men who lived in its shade among the nations.
Verse 18
“To which among the trees of Eden are you thus [v]equal 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 uncircumcised, with those who were slain by the sword. So is Pharaoh and all his hordes!”’ declares the Lord God.”
‘“Which of the trees of Eden can be compared with you in splendour and majesty? Yet you, too, will be brought down with the trees of Eden to the earth below; you will lie among the uncircumcised, with those killed by the sword.
‘“This is Pharaoh and all his hordes, declares the Sovereign Lord.”’