| Holman Christian Standard Bible | International Standard Version |
| 1In the eleventh year, in the third month, on the first day of the month, the word of the LORD came to me: " | 1On the first day of the third month of the eleventh year of our captivity, this message came to me from the LORD: |
| 2Son of man, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his hordes: Who are you like in your greatness? | 2"Son of Man, tell this to Pharaoh, king of Egypt and his gangs: 'Who do you think you are? What makes you so great? |
| 3Think of Assyria, a cedar in Lebanon, with beautiful branches and shady foliage and of lofty height. Its top was among the clouds. | 3Think about Assyria, that cedar of Lebanon, beautiful with its branches, like a shady forest, with an awesome height, its summit touches the clouds. |
| 4The waters caused it to grow; the underground springs made it tall, directing their rivers all around the place where the tree was planted and sending their channels to all the trees of the field. | 4Abundant water made it great, Subterranean rivers made it grow. Rivers surrounded the area where it had been planted, and water channels nourished all the trees in the fields. |
| 5Therefore the cedar became greater in height than all the trees of the field. Its branches multiplied, and its boughs grew long as it spread them out because of the plentiful water. | 5That's why it grew taller than any of the trees in the fields. Its boughs flourished. Its branches grew luxurious because all the water made it spread out well. |
| 6All the birds of the sky nested in its branches, and all the animals of the field gave birth beneath its boughs; all the great nations lived in its shade. | 6The birds in the sky made nests in its boughs; all the beasts of the field gave birth under its branches. All the great nations rested in its shade. |
| 7It was beautiful in its greatness, in the length of its limbs, for its roots extended to abundant water. | 7Beautiful because it was so great, with its long branches, it was rooted in many bodies of water. |
| 8The cedars in God's garden could not rival it; the pine trees couldn't compare with its branches, nor could the plane trees match its boughs. No tree in the garden of God could compare with it in beauty. | 8The cedars in God's garden could not compare to it; Fir trees could not match its boughs. The plane tree never grew branches like it, and no tree in God's garden compares to its beauty. |
| 9I made it beautiful with its many limbs, and all the trees of Eden, which were in God's garden, envied it." | 9I made it beautiful, including all of its branches; all the trees in God's garden of Eden envied it!'" |
| 10Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: Since it became great in height and set its top among the clouds, and it grew proud on account of its height, | 10"Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: 'Because of its towering height, with its summit reaching into the clouds, and because it was haughty in its position, |
| 11I determined to hand it over to a ruler of nations; he would surely deal with it. I banished it because of its wickedness. | 11I turned it over to the leader of those nations, who dealt with it thoroughly. I have driven it away because of its wickedness. |
| 12Foreigners, ruthless men from the nations, cut it down and left it lying. Its limbs fell on the mountains and in every valley; its boughs lay broken in all the earth's ravines. All the peoples of the earth left its shade and abandoned it. | 12Foreign dictators have trimmed it down to size and abandoned it. Its branches have fallen off on mountains and in all the valleys. Its boughs have broken off in all the ravines of the land. All the nations of the earth have moved out of its shade and abandoned it. |
| 13All the birds of the sky nested on its fallen trunk, and all the animals of the field were among its boughs. | 13All the birds in the sky will live among its ruins, and the wild animals will forage among its branches. |
| 14This happened so that no trees planted beside water would become great in height and set their tops among the clouds, and so that no other well-watered trees would reach them in height. For they have all been consigned to death, to the underworld, among the people who descend to the Pit." | 14As a result, none of its watered trees will grow tall, their tops will never reach to the clouds, and they'll never grow so high again, because all of them have been appointed to death in the world beneath where human beings go, that is, down to the Pit.'" |
| 15This is what the Lord GOD says: I caused grieving on the day the cedar went down to Sheol. I closed off the underground deep because of it: I held back the rivers of the deep, and its abundant waters were restrained. I made Lebanon mourn on account of it, and all the trees of the field fainted because of it. | 15"This is what the Lord GOD says: 'On the day that it descended into Sheol, I shut down its water supplies, covered over its deep water, and shut down its rivers. As a result its abundant water sources dried up, and I caused Lebanon to mourn for it. All the trees of the field wilted because of it. |
| 16I made the nations quake at the sound of its downfall, when I threw it down to Sheol to be with those who descend to the Pit. Then all the trees of Eden, all the well-watered trees, the choice and best of Lebanon, were comforted in the underworld. | 16I made the nations tremble when they heard that Assyria was falling, descending into Sheol to join those who go down into the Pit. Then all of the trees of Eden in the world below were comforted, including the choicest and best of Lebanon, all of whom were well-watered. |
| 17They too descended with it to Sheol, to those slain by the sword. As its allies they had lived in its shade among the nations." | 17They also went down with it into Sheol, to those who had been killed violently and to those who had trusted in its strength by living in its shadow among the nations. |
| 18Who then are you like in glory and greatness among Eden's trees? You also will be brought down to the underworld to be with the trees of Eden. You will lie among the uncircumcised with those slain by the sword. This is Pharaoh and all his hordes"--the declaration of the Lord GOD. | 18So tell me now, which of the trees of Eden compares to you in glory or greatness? Nevertheless, you'll be brought down, along with those trees of Eden, to the earth below. You'll lie in the middle of the uncircumcised, with those who have been killed in war. Pharaoh and all his gang will be just like this!' declares the Lord GOD." |
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