1 O n the first day of the third month in the eleventh year, the Word of the Lord came to me saying,

And in the eleventh year, in the third month, on the first day 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 people, ‘Who can be compared with you in greatness?

Son of man, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his multitude: Whom are you like in your greatness?

3 L ook at Assyria, once a cedar in Lebanon with beautiful branches and many leaves. It was very high, and its top was among the heavy branches.

Behold, Assyria, a cedar in Lebanon, with fair branches and with forestlike shade and of high stature, with its top among the thick boughs.

4 T he waters made it grow, and the water under the ground made it grow high. Its rivers flowed all around its base, and spread water to all the trees of the field.

The waters nourished it; the deep made it grow tall; its rivers ran round about its planting, sending out its streams to all the trees of the forest.

5 S o it was higher than all the trees of the field. And it grew many long and spreading branches because it had so much water.

Therefore it towered higher than all the trees of the forest; its boughs were multiplied and its branches became long, because there was much water when they were shot forth.

6 A ll the birds of the air made their nests in its branches. And under its branches all the animals of the field gave birth. All great nations lived in its shadow.

All the birds of the heavens made their nests in its boughs, and under its branches all the wild beasts of the field brought forth their young and under its shadow dwelt all of the great nations.

7 I t was beautiful in its greatness with its spreading branches, for its roots went down to much water.

Thus was it beautiful in its greatness, in the length of its branches, for its root was by many and great waters.

8 T he cedars in God’s garden could not compare with it. The fir trees and the chestnut trees could not compare with its branches. No tree in God’s garden was like it in beauty.

The cedars in the garden of God could not hide or rival it; the cypress trees did not have boughs like it and the plane trees did not have branches like it, nor was any tree in the garden of God like it in its beauty.

9 I made it beautiful with its many branches. And all the trees that were in Eden were jealous of it.

I made it beautiful with the multitude of its branches, so that all the trees of Eden that were in the garden of God envied it.

10 ‘ So the Lord God says, “Because it has grown high with its top among the heavy branches, its heart has become proud,

Therefore thus said the Lord God: Because it is exalted in stature and has set its top among the thick boughs and the clouds, and its heart is proud of its height,

11 I will give it over to a powerful ruler of the nations, and he will punish it. Because of its sin, I will drive it out.

I will even deliver it into the hand of a mighty one of the nations; he shall surely deal with it. I have driven it out for its wickedness and lawlessness.

12 R ulers from other nations will cut it down and leave it. Its branches will fall on the mountains and in all the valleys. Its spreading branches will be broken in all the deep valleys of the land. All the people of the earth will go away from its shadow and leave it.

And strangers, the most terrible of the nations, will cut it off and leave it; upon the mountains and in all the valleys its branches will fall and its boughs will lie broken by all the watercourses of the land, and all the peoples of the earth will go down out of its shade and leave it.

13 A ll the birds of the air will live on its broken pieces. And all the animals of the field will be on its fallen branches.

Upon its ruins all the birds of the heavens will dwell, and all the wild beasts of the field will be upon branches.

14 T his will be so that no trees by the water will grow high with their tops among the heavy branches. No trees that drink water will ever grow so high. For they have all been given over to death. They will go to the earth below, among men who die and go down to the grave.”

All this is so that none of the trees by the waters may exalt themselves because of their height or shoot up their top among the thick boughs and the clouds, and that none of their mighty ones should stand upon themselves for their height, all that drink water. For they are all delivered over to death, to the lower world, in the midst of the children of men, with those who go down to the pit (the grave).

15 ‘ The Lord God says, “When it goes down to the place of the dead, I will make the waters under the ground cover it in sorrow. I will stop its rivers of water and fill Lebanon with sorrow over it. All the trees of the field will waste away because of it.

Thus says the Lord God: When goes down to Sheol (the place of the dead), I will cause a mourning; I will cover the deep for it and I will restrain its floods, and the many waters will be stayed; and I will cause Lebanon to be in black gloom and to mourn for it, and all the trees of the field, dismayed, will faint because of it.

16 I will make the nations shake in fear at the sound of its fall when I send it to the place of the dead with those who go down to the grave. Then all the well-watered trees of Eden, the best of Lebanon, will be comforted in the earth below.

I will make the nations quake at the sound of its fall when I cast it down to Sheol with those who descend into the pit, and all the trees of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, all that drink water, will be comforted in the netherworld.

17 A nd those who lived under its shadow among the nations will go down to the place of the dead with it, to those who were killed by the sword.

They also shall go down into Sheol with it to those who were slain by the sword—yes, those who were its arm, who dwelt under its shadow in the midst of the nations.

18 “ Which of the trees of Eden can be compared with you in beauty and greatness? Yet you will be brought down with the trees of Eden to the earth below. You will lie among the sinful, with those who were killed by the sword. This is Pharaoh and all his people!”’ says the Lord God.”

To whom among the trees of Eden are you thus like in glory and in greatness? Yet you shall be brought down with the trees of Eden to the netherworld. You shall lie among the uncircumcised heathen with those who are slain by the sword. This is how it shall be with Pharaoh and all the multitude of his strength, his tumult, and his store, says the Lord God.