New Revised Standard NRS
The Bible in Basic English BBE
1 In 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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Now in the eleventh year, in the third month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
2 Mortal, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his hordes: Whom are you like in your greatness?
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Son of man, say to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and to his people; Whom are you like in your great power?
3 Consider Assyria, a cedar of Lebanon, with fair branches and forest shade, and of great height, its top among the clouds.
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See, a pine-tree with beautiful branches and thick growth, giving shade and very tall; and its top was among the clouds.
4 The waters nourished it, the deep made it grow tall, making its rivers flow around the place it was planted, sending forth its streams to all the trees of the field.
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It got strength from the waters and the deep made it tall: its streams went round about its planted land and it sent out its waterways to all the trees of the field.
5 So it towered high above all the trees of the field; its boughs grew large and its branches long, from abundant water in its shoots.
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In this way it became taller than all the trees of the field; and its branches were increased and its arms became long because of the great waters.
6 All the birds of the air made their nests in its boughs; under its branches all the animals of the field gave birth to their young; and in its shade all great nations lived.
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In its branches all the birds of heaven came to rest, and under its arms all the beasts of the field gave birth to their young, and great nations were living in its shade.
7 It was beautiful in its greatness, in the length of its branches; for its roots went down to abundant water.
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So it was beautiful, being so tall and its branches so long, for its root was by great waters.
8 The cedars in the garden of God could not rival it, nor the fir trees equal its boughs; the plane trees were as nothing compared with its branches; no tree in the garden of God was like it in beauty.
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No cedars were equal to it in the garden of God; the fir-trees were not like its branches, and plane-trees were as nothing in comparison with its arms; no tree in the garden of God was so beautiful.
9 I made it beautiful with its mass of branches, the envy of all the trees of Eden that were in the garden of God.
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I made it beautiful with its mass of branches: so that all the trees in the garden of God were full of envy of it.
10 Therefore thus says the Lord God: Because it towered high and set its top among the clouds, and its heart was proud of its height,
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For this cause the Lord has said: Because he is tall, and has put his top among the clouds, and his heart is full of pride because he is so high,
11 I gave it into the hand of the prince of the nations; he has dealt with it as its wickedness deserves. I have cast it out.
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I have given him up into the hands of a strong one of the nations; he will certainly give him the reward of his sin, driving him out.
12 Foreigners from the most terrible of the nations have cut it down and left it. On the mountains and in all the valleys its branches have fallen, and its boughs lie broken in all the watercourses of the land; and all the peoples of the earth went away from its shade and left it.
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And men from strange lands, who are to be feared among the nations, after cutting him off, have let him be: on the mountains and in all the valleys his branches have come down; his arms are broken by all the waterways of the land; all the peoples of the earth have gone from his shade, and have let him be.
13 On its fallen trunk settle all the birds of the air, and among its boughs lodge all the wild animals.
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All the birds of heaven have come to rest on his broken stem where it is stretched on the earth, and all the beasts of the field will be on his branches:
14 All this is in order that no trees by the waters may grow to lofty height or set their tops among the clouds, and that no trees that drink water may reach up to them in height. For all of them are handed over to death, to the world below; along with all mortals, with those who go down to the Pit.
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In order that no trees by the waters may be lifted up in their growth, putting their tops among the clouds; and that no trees which are watered may take their place on high: for they are all given up to death, to the lowest parts of the earth among the children of men, with those who go down to the underworld.
15 Thus says the Lord God: On the day it went down to Sheol I closed the deep over it and covered it; I restrained its rivers, and its mighty waters were checked. I clothed Lebanon in gloom for it, and all the trees of the field fainted because of it.
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This is what the Lord has said: The day when he goes down to the underworld, I will make the deep full of grief for him; I will keep back her streams and the great waters will be stopped: I will make Lebanon dark for him, and all the trees of the field will be feeble because of him.
16 I made the nations quake at the sound of its fall, when I cast it down to Sheol with those who go down to the Pit; and all the trees of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, all that were well watered, were consoled in the world below.
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I will send shaking on the nations at the sound of his fall, when I send him down to the underworld with those who go down into the deep: and on earth they will be comforting themselves, all the trees of Eden, the best of Lebanon, even all the watered ones.
17 They also went down to Sheol with it, to those killed by the sword, along with its allies, those who lived in its shade among the nations.
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And they will go down with him to the underworld, to those who have been put to the sword; even those who were his helpers, living under his shade among the nations
18 Which among the trees of Eden was like you in glory and in greatness? Now you shall be brought down with the trees of Eden to the world below; you shall lie among the uncircumcised, with those who are killed by the sword. This is Pharaoh and all his horde, says the Lord God.
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Whom then are you like? for you will be sent down with the trees of Eden into the lowest parts of the earth: there you will be stretched out among those without circumcision, with those who were put to the sword. This is Pharaoh and all his people, says the Lord.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.