Ezekiel 31:3-14 ▼

3 Behold, Assyria was a cedar in Lebanon, beautiful of branches and giving shade to the forest and high of stature, and among the clouds was its top.

4 The waters made it grow, the deep gave it height with her rivers running around the place of her planting, and her conduits she sent out to all the trees of the field.

5 Upon thus its height was exalted above all the trees of the field, and its boughs were multiplied, and its branches became long from the abundant waters in its sending forth.

6 In its boughs made their nests all the birds of the heavens, and under its branches gave birth all the beasts of the field, and in its shade dwelt all the great nations.

7 And it was beautiful in its greatness, in the length of its branches, because its root was to abundant waters.

8 The cedars could not darken it in the garden of God; the fir trees were not like unto its boughs, and the plane trees were not like its branches; there was no tree in the garden of God, not any like it in its beauty.

9 Beautiful I made it with an abundance of branches, and envied all the trees of Eden that were in the garden of God.’

10 Therefore, thus says the Lord YHWH: ‘Because that you became great in height, and it set its top to among the thick boughs, and was lifted up its heart in its height,

11 so I will give it into the hand of the mighty one of the nations, and he will deal severely with it according to its wickedness! I have driven it out,

12 and foreigners have cut it down, the most ruthless of the nations. And they have left it on the mountains, and in all the valleys its branches have fallen, and its boughs lie broken by all the rivers of the land. And all the peoples of the earth have gone out from its shade, and they have left it.

13 On its carcass will dwell all the birds of the heavens, and on its branches will be all the beasts of the field,

14 in order that not any trees by the waters will exalt in their height, and they will not give their tops to among the thick boughs. All those drinking from the waters should not reach their oaks to their height, for they all have been given to death, to the land far below, in the midst of the sons of men, with those going down to the Pit.’