1. On the first day of the third month in the eleventh year, the word of the Lord came to me:
2. Son of man, say to Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and to his hordes: In your greatness, whom do you resemble?
3. Assyria! It is Assyria!A cedar of Lebanon—Beautiful branches,thick shade,Towering heights,its crown in the clouds!
4. The waters made it grow,the deep made it tall,Letting its currents flowaround the place it was planted,Then sending its channelsto all the other trees of the field.
5. Thereupon it towered in heightabove all the trees in the field;Its branches were numerousand its boughs long,Because of the many waterssent to its shoots.
6. In its branches nestedall the birds of the sky;Under its boughs all the wild animalsgave birth,And in its shade dweltall the mighty nations.
7. It was magnificent in sizeand in the length of its branches,For its roots reached downto the many waters.
8. In the garden of God,no cedars could rival it,No juniper could equal its branches,no plane tree match its boughs.No tree in the garden of Godcould match its beauty.
9. I made it beautifulwith abundant foliage,So that all the trees in Edenwere envious of it.
10. Therefore, thus says the Lord God:Because it was arrogant about its height,lifting its crown among the cloudsand exalting itself because of its size,
11. I handed it over to a ruler of nationsto deal with it according to its evil.I have cast it off,
12. and foreigners have cut it down,The most ruthless nations,have hurled it on the mountains.Its boughs fell into every valleyand its branches lay brokenin every ravine in the land.All the peoples of the earthdeparted from its shadewhen it was hurled down.
13. On its fallen trunksit all the birds of the sky;Beside its fallen branches,are found all the beasts of the field.
14. This has happened so no well-watered treewill gain such lofty height,or lift its crown to the clouds.Not one of those fed by waterwill tower in height over the rest.For all of them are destined for death,for the underworld, among mere mortals,with those who go down to the pit.
15. Thus says the Lord God:On the day it went down to Sheol,I made the deep close upin mourning for it.I restrained the currents of the deep,and held back the many waters.I darkened Lebanon because of it,and all the trees of the fieldlanguished because of it.
16. At the sound of its fall,I made nations shudder,When I cast it down to Sheolwith those who go down to the pit.In the underworldall the trees of Eden took comfort:Lebanon’s choicest and best,all that were fed by the waters.
17. They too will go down to Sheol,to those slain by the sword,Its allies who dweltin its shade among the nations.
18. To whom among the trees of Edendo you compare in glory and greatness?You will be brought downwith the trees of Eden to the underworld,And lie among the uncircumcised,with those slain by the sword.Such is Pharaoh and all his hordes—oracle of the Lord God.