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

And it cometh to pass, in the eleventh year, in the third, in the first of the month, hath a word of Jehovah been unto 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 unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, and unto his multitude: To whom hast thou been like in thy 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.

Lo, Asshur, a cedar in Lebanon, Fair in branch, and shading bough, and high in stature, And between thickets hath its foliage been.

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.

Waters have made it great, The deep hath exalted him with its flowings, Going round about its planting, And its conduits it hath sent forth unto all trees of the field.

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 higher hath been his stature than all trees of the field, And multiplied are his boughs, and long are his branches, Because of many waters in his shooting 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.

In his boughs made a nest hath every fowl of the heavens, And under his branches brought forth hath every beast of the field, And in his shade dwell do all great nations.

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

And he is fair in his greatness, In the length of his thin shoots, For his root hath been by 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.

Cedars have not hid him in the garden of God, Firs have not been like unto his boughs, And chesnut-trees have not been as his branches, No tree in the garden of God hath been like unto him in his beauty,

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

Fair I have made him in the multitude of his thin shoots, And envy him do all trees of Eden that in the garden of God.

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 Jehovah: Because that thou hast been high in stature, And he yieldeth his foliage between thickets, And high is his heart in his haughtiness,

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 give him into the hand of a god of nations, He dealeth sorely with him, In his wickedness I have cast him out.

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 cut him off do strangers, The terrible of nations, and they leave him, On the mountains and in all valleys have his thin shoots fallen, And broken are his boughs at all streams of the land, And go down from his shade do all peoples of the land, and they leave him.

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.

On his ruin dwell do all fowls of the heavens, And on his boughs have been all the beasts of the field,

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.”

In order that none of the trees of the waters May become haughty because of their stature, Nor give their foliage between thickets, Nor any drinking waters stand up unto them in their haughtiness, For all of them are given up to death, Unto the earth -- the lower part, In the midst of the sons of men, Unto those going down to the pit.

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 said the Lord Jehovah: In the day of his going down to sheol I have caused mourning, I have covered for him the deep, and diminish its flowings, And restrained are many waters, And I make Lebanon black for him, And all trees of the field have been covered for him.

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.

From the sound of his fall I have caused nations to shake, In My causing him to go down to sheol, With those going down to the pit, And comforted in the earth -- the lower part, are all trees of Eden, The choice and the good of Lebanon, All drinking waters.

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.

Also they with him have gone down to sheol, Unto the pierced of the sword, And -- his arm -- they dwelt in his shade in the midst of 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.”

Unto whom hast thou been thus like, In honour and in greatness among the trees of Eden, And thou hast been brought down with the trees of Eden, Unto the earth -- the lower part, In the midst of the uncircumcised thou liest, With the pierced of the sword? It Pharaoh, and all his multitude, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah!'