Pharaoh to Be Slain
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1In the eleventh year, in the third month, on the first day of the month, the word of the LORD came to me:
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2"Son of man, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to 3his multitude: 4"Whom are you like in your greatness?
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Behold, 5Assyria was a 6cedar in 7Lebanon, with beautiful branches and 8forest shade, 9and of towering height, its top among the clouds.a
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The waters nourished it; the deep made it grow tall, making 10its rivers flow around the place of its planting, sending forth its streams to all the trees of the field.
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So 11it towered high above all the trees of the field; its boughs grew large and its branches long from 12abundant water in its shoots.
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13All the birds of the heavens made their nests in its boughs; under its branches all the beasts of the field gave birth to their young, and under its shadow lived all great nations.
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It was 14beautiful in its greatness, in the length of its branches; 15for its roots went down to abundant waters.
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16The cedars 17in the garden of God could not rival it, nor the fir trees equal its boughs; neither were the plane trees like its branches; no tree 18in the garden of God was its equal in beauty.
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I made it beautiful in the mass of its branches, and all the trees of 19Eden envied it, that were in the garden of God.
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"Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Because 20itb towered high and set its top among the clouds, and 21its heart was proud of its height,
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I will give it into the hand of a mighty one of the nations. He shall surely deal with it as its wickedness deserves. I have cast it out.
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22Foreigners, 23the most ruthless of nations, have cut it down and left it. 24On the mountains and in all the valleys its branches have fallen, and its boughs have been broken in all 25the ravines of the land, and 26all the peoples of the earth have gone away from its shadow and left it.
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27On its fallen trunk dwell all the birds of the heavens, and on its branches are all the beasts of the field.
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28All this is in order that no trees by the waters may grow to towering height or set their tops among the clouds, and that no trees that drink water may reach up to them in height. For they are all given over to death, 29to the world 30below, among the children of man,c with those who go down to the pit.
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"Thus says the Lord GOD: On the day 31the cedard went down to Sheol I caused mourning; I closed the deep over it, and restrained its rivers, and many waters were stopped. I clothed Lebanon in gloom for it, and all the trees of the field fainted because of it.
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32I made the nations quake at the sound of its fall, 33when I cast it down to Sheol with those who go down to the pit. 34And all the trees of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, all that drink water, 35were comforted in the world below.
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They also went down to Sheol with it, 36to those who are slain by the sword; yes, 37those who were its arm, 38who lived under its shadow among the nations.
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39"Whom are you thus like in glory and in greatness 40among the trees of Eden? 41You shall be brought down with 42the trees of Eden to the world below. 43You shall lie among the uncircumcised, 44with those who are slain by the sword. 45"This is Pharaoh and all his multitude, declares the Lord GOD."
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.
(English Standard Version - The Holy Bible Online)