1 And 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,
2 Son 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.
4 The waters made him great, the deep set him up on high with her rivers running round about his plants, and sent her little rivers unto all the trees of the field.
5 Therefore 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.
6 All 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.
7 Thus was he fair in his greatness, in the length of his branches: for his root was by great waters.
8 The cedars in the garden of God could not hide him: the fir trees were not like his boughs, and the chestnut trees were not like his branches; nor any tree in the garden of God was like unto him in his beauty.
9 I 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;
11 I 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.
12 And 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.
13 Upon his ruin shall all the fowls of the heaven remain, and all the beasts of the field shall be upon his branches:
14 To 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.
15 Thus 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.
16 I 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.
17 They 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.
<html><b>Whom are you like in your greatness</b> In your haughtiness against Me, whom did you think to resemble?</html>
<html><b>Behold Assyria</b> which I have already cast down. <b>a cedar in Lebanon</b> it was <b>shady woods</b> A forest that covers, [making] a great shade. <b>and among the interwoven branches</b> the green trees. <b>its lofty tops</b> [Heb. צַמַּרְתּוֹ,] cime in French, top.</html>
<html><b>its canals</b> [Heb. תְּעָלתֶיהָ,] fosses in French, ditches, canals. <b>to all the trees of the field</b> to water them. The symbol is as the Targum of Jonathan interprets it: Behold the Assyrians were like the cedars of Lebanon, etc., as above. <b>Water nurtured it; the deep made it grow tall</b> [Jonathan paraphrases:] Among nations he is great; because of his supporters he is powerful; he subjugates kings under his kingdom, and he appoints rulers over every state of the earth. The Midrash Aggadah (Pesikta Rabbathi 34:11, Meir Ayin 33) [states]: “and among the interwoven branches was its lofty top.” Whence did he merit greatness? Because 1) he withdrew from the counsel of the generation of separation, as it is said (Gen. 10: 11): “Out of that land Asshur went forth. “When all those who came upon the world formed one league to enter counsel to rebel against Him, then his lofty top was visible by itself, and [he] did not link himself with them. “Water nurtured him; the [waters of the] deep raised him up” and because 2) he hearkened to the voice of Jonah the son of Amittai, who descended into the [waters of the] deep, and the people of Nineveh repented of the violence that was in their hands.</html>
<html><b>its boughs</b> [Heb. סַרְעַפֹּתָיו,] <b>its branches</b> [Heb. פֹארֹתָיו.] <b>because of abundant waters when it sent forth</b> its branches through the abundant waters. When it sent forth its branches, i.e., when it grew its branches, and the expression “sending” applies to them, as “and sent forth branches.”</html>
<html><b>In its boughs</b> [Heb. בִּסְעַפֹתָיו.] <b>nested</b> [Heb. קִנְנוּ,] from the word קֵּן, nest.</html>
<html><b>And it became beautiful</b> [Heb. וַיִיף,] an expression of beauty (יֹפִי). <b>its tendrils</b> [Heb. דָּלִיוֹתָיו.] They too are an expression used for branches: [those] that extend lengthwise in every direction, like the tendrils of a vineyard, ses treilles in French, its climbing vines.</html>
<html><b>did not dim it</b> They did not dim its form; i.e., none among them surpassed it in beauty. <b>in the garden of God</b> i.e., in the entire world. <b>and chestnut trees</b> [Heb. ועֲרְמֹנִים,] chastaniyers, chastaneyrs in Old French [chataigniers in Modern French].</html>
<html><b>all the trees of Eden</b> i.e., all the praiseworthy kings.</html>
<html><b>Because you grew haughty with your height</b> So I said to Assyria.</html>
<html><b>into the hands of the strongest of nations</b> into the hands of the harshest of nations; I gave him into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar, as the master said (Seder Olam, ch. 24; Meg. 11b; Arachin 12a): In his first year, he conquered Nineveh. <b>that he execute upon him</b> [that] Nebuchadnezzar [execute upon him] in accordance with all My wishes.</html>
<html><b>cast it down</b> [Heb. וַיִטְשֻּׁהוּ,] and they cast it down to the earth, like (Num. 11:31): “and let them down (וַיִטשּׁ) upon the camp.”</html>
<html><b>Upon its carcass…rested</b> as the Targum paraphrases: Upon the carcass of his slain.</html>
<html><b>water trees</b> which are tender and frail, but have numerous and long branches because of the moisture of the water, should not compare themselves to the cedars of Eden; i.e., he should not have been haughty over Israel and should not have stood over them. <b>among the interwoven branches</b> They should not haughtily compare their might - the trees that drink water to the interwoven trees.</html>
<html><b>On the day he descended into the Grave</b> When I humbled the king of Assyria into the hands of his enemy. <b>I caused mourning</b> [I caused] many mourners who relied on him [to mourn] over him. <b>I covered the deep on his account</b> I covered the deep because of him, for it was accustomed to water him and cause his growth, as Scripture stated above (verse 4): “the deep made it grow tall.” That day, I covered it so that it should not ascend and extinguish his fire. i.e., I weakened his aids. <b>I withdrew its rivers</b> which were flowing around its planting. <b>abundant waters stopped</b> [The waters] that used to make its branches grow long, as he said above (verse 5): “and its branches grew long because of abundant waters.” <b>and I darkened</b> the Lebanon because of him. [Heb. וָאַקְדִיר,] from an expression for blackness. <b>and all the trees of the field</b> to which his channels were sent, as stated above. <b>swooned over him</b> Because of him, their moisture ceased, as a person who swoons and whose spirit flies away [i.e., he loses consciousness]; pasmer in Old French, to faint, to swoon. [pamer in Modern French.]</html>
<html><b>and they were consoled in the nether part of the earth</b> The others who descended to Gehinnom received consolations. They said, “This one is like us also.”</html>
<html><b>and his allies, who dwelt in his shade</b> [Heb. וּזְרֹעוֹ, lit. and his arm,] and his helpers, who dwelt in his shade.</html>
<html><b>To whom have you likened yourself so</b> You, Pharaoh, to which of the trees of Eden have you likened yourself, who is as great as Assyria in glory and in greatness? Behold you have seen that I lowered him into the Grave, and you too will be lowered with the trees of Eden, with the other strong monarchs. <b>into the nether part of the earth</b> Gehinnom.</html>