1And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the third month, in the first day of the month, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 2Son of man, speak unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, and to his multitude; Whom art thou like in thy greatness?
3¶ Behold, the Assyrian was a cedar in Lebanon with fair branches, and with a shadowing shroud, and of an high stature; and his top was among the thick boughs.31.3 with fair branches: Heb. fair of branches 4The waters made him great, the deep set him up on high with her rivers running round about his plants, and sent out her little rivers unto all the trees of the field.31.4 made…: or, nourished him31.4 set…: or, brought him up31.4 little rivers: or, conduits 5Therefore his height was exalted above all the trees of the field, and his boughs were multiplied, and his branches became long because of the multitude of waters, when he shot forth.31.5 when…: or, when it sent them forth 6All the fowls of heaven made their nests in his boughs, and under his branches did all the beasts of the field bring forth their young, and under his shadow dwelt all great nations. 7Thus was he fair in his greatness, in the length of his branches: for his root was by great waters. 8The cedars in the garden of God could not hide him: the fir trees were not like his boughs, and the chesnut trees were not like his branches; nor any tree in the garden of God was like unto him in his beauty. 9I have made him fair by the multitude of his branches: so that all the trees of Eden, that were in the garden of God, envied him.
10¶ Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou hast lifted up thyself in height, and he hath shot up his top among the thick boughs, and his heart is lifted up in his height; 11I have therefore delivered him into the hand of the mighty one of the heathen; he shall surely deal with him: I have driven him out for his wickedness.31.11 he…: Heb. in doing he shall do unto him 12And strangers, the terrible of the nations, have cut him off, and have left him: upon the mountains and in all the valleys his branches are fallen, and his boughs are broken by all the rivers of the land; and all the people of the earth are gone down from his shadow, and have left him. 13Upon his ruin shall all the fowls of the heaven remain, and all the beasts of the field shall be upon his branches: 14To the end that none of all the trees by the waters exalt themselves for their height, neither shoot up their top among the thick boughs, neither their trees stand up in their height, all that drink water: for they are all delivered unto death, to the nether parts of the earth, in the midst of the children of men, with them that go down to the pit.31.14 their trees…: or, stand upon themselves for their height 15Thus saith the Lord GOD; In the day when he went down to the grave I caused a mourning: I covered the deep for him, and I restrained the floods thereof, and the great waters were stayed: and I caused Lebanon to mourn for him, and all the trees of the field fainted for him.31.15 to mourn: Heb. to be black 16I made the nations to shake at the sound of his fall, when I cast him down to hell with them that descend into the pit: and all the trees of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, all that drink water, shall be comforted in the nether parts of the earth. 17They also went down into hell with him unto them that be slain with the sword; and they that were his arm, that dwelt under his shadow in the midst of the heathen.
18¶ To whom art thou thus like in glory and in greatness among the trees of Eden? yet shalt thou be brought down with the trees of Eden unto the nether parts of the earth: thou shalt lie in the midst of the uncircumcised with them that be slain by the sword. This is Pharaoh and all his multitude, saith the Lord GOD.
香柏樹的比喻
1第十一年三月一日，耶和華對我說： 2「人子啊，你要對埃及王法老和他的百姓說，
『誰能比你強大呢？
3看啊，亞述曾是黎巴嫩的一棵香柏樹，
枝繁葉茂，遮天蔽日，
高聳入雲。
4它在河流和深泉的滋潤下茁壯成長，
溪流四圍環繞它，
澆灌著林間的樹木。
5充足的水源使它高過田間所有的樹木，
枝子長得又粗又長。
6空中的飛鳥都在它的枝頭上搭窩，
田間的野獸都在它的樹蔭下生產，
所有的大國都住在它的蔭下。
7它高大美麗，枝幹修長，
因為樹根深入水源，
8連上帝園中的香柏樹也不能與它相比。
松樹不能與它的枝幹相比，
楓樹不能與它的枝條相比，
主耶和華園中的樹木沒有一棵能與它媲美。
9我使它枝繁葉茂，美麗無比，
以致上帝伊甸園裡的樹木都羡慕它。』
10「因此，主耶和華說，『因為它樹幹高大，樹梢高聳入雲，心高氣傲， 11我要把它交在列國的首領手裡，他必按照它的邪惡懲治它。我丟棄了它。 12外族人，就是列邦中最殘暴的人要把它砍倒，丟棄在那裡，它折斷的枝幹散落在山間和河谷中。世上各族都離開它的蔭下， 13天上的飛禽要棲身在那折斷的樹幹上，地上的走獸要躺臥在它的枝條中。 14故此，水邊的樹木都不再傲然矗立，高聳入雲，水源充足的大樹也不再如此高大，因為它們都註定要與下墳墓的人一同死亡，落到陰間的深處。』
15「主耶和華說，『它下到陰間的那天，我要使哀聲響起，使深淵閉塞，江河止息，洪水停滯。我要使黎巴嫩為它哀哭，田野的樹木因它而枯萎。 16我將它與下墳墓的人一同拋到陰間時，列國聽見它墜落的響聲，都恐懼戰抖。伊甸園中的樹木和黎巴嫩水源充足、上好的樹木都在陰間得到安慰。 17在它蔭庇下做它爪牙的盟友都與它一同落到陰間，到被殺的人那裡。
18「『伊甸園的樹木中，誰能與你的威榮相比呢？然而你卻要與伊甸園的樹木一同下到陰間，躺臥在未受割禮的人當中，與被殺的人在一起。
「『這就是法老和他百姓的結局。這是主耶和華說的。』」
