Egypt's King Will Be Chopped Down like a Cedar Tree
1 Eleven years after King Jehoiachin and the rest of us had been led away as prisoners to Babylonia, the Lord spoke to me on the first day of the third month. He said:
2 Ezekiel, son of man, tell the king of Egypt and his people that I am saying:
You are more powerful
than anyone on earth.
Now listen to this.
3 There was once a cedar tree
in Lebanon
with large, strong branches
reaching to the sky.
4 This tree had plenty of water
to help it grow tall,
and nearby streams watered
the other trees
in the forest.
5 But this tree towered over
those other trees,
and its branches
grew long and thick.
6 Birds built nests
in its branches,
and animals were born
beneath it.
People from all nations
lived in the shade
of this strong tree.
7 It had beautiful,
long branches,
and its roots found water
deep in the soil.
8 None of the cedar trees
in my garden of Eden
were as beautiful
as this tree;
no tree of any kind
had such long branches.
9 I, the Lord, gave this tree
its beauty,
and I helped the branches
grow strong.
All other trees in Eden
wanted to be just like it.
10 King of Egypt, now listen to what I, the Lord God, am saying about that tree:
The tree grew so tall that it reached the sky and became very proud and arrogant. 11 So I, the Lord God, will reject the tree and hand it over to a foreign ruler, who will punish it for its wickedness. 12 Cruel foreigners will chop it down and leave it wherever it falls. Branches and broken limbs will be scattered over the mountains and in the valleys. The people living in the shade of those branches will go somewhere else. 13 Birds will then nest on the stump of the fallen tree, and wild animals will trample its branches.
14 Never again will any tree dare to grow as tall as this tree, no matter how much water it has. Every tree must die, just as humans die and go down to the world of the dead.
15 On the day this tree dies and goes to the world below, I, the Lord God, will command rivers and streams to mourn its death. Every underground spring of water and every river will stop flowing. The mountains in Lebanon will be covered with darkness as a sign of their sorrow, and all the trees in the forest will wither. 16 This tree will crash to the ground, and I will send it to the world below. Then the nations of the earth will tremble.
The trees from Eden and the choice trees from Lebanon are now in the world of the dead, and they will be comforted when this tree falls. 17 Those people who found protection in its shade will also be sent to the world below, where they will join the dead.
18 King of Egypt, all these things will happen to you and your people! You were like this tree at one time—taller and stronger than anyone on earth. But now you will be chopped down, just as every tree in the garden of Eden must die. You will be sent down to the world of the dead, where you will join the godless and the other victims of violent death. I, the Lord God, have spoken.
Etumbalo laFarao
1 Ndele momudo omutimulongo nowotete mohani onhinhatu mefiku lotete lohani, ondjovo yOmwene ye uya kwaame, ndele tai ti: 2 “Kaana komunhu, lombwela Farao, ohamba yaEgipiti neemhunga daye u tye:
Ove wa faafana nalyelye metumbalo loye?
3 Tala, Asiria sha li omuti omusederi
komhunda yaLibanon
u noitai i nomafo mawa, u nomudile muwa
nowa li mule mokukula,
noxulo yao ya twa koilemo.
4 Wa kulifwa komeva.
Wa ningwa munene koule womeni ledu,
wa dingililwa komilonga
monhele omo wa twikwa mo,
ndele eenghungulukilo doye domeva
we di undulila omiti adishe domomuulu.
5 Onghee hano oo wa kula unene
u dule omiti adishe domomuulu,
noitai yao ya hapupala
noitai ya tandavela
noya lepala molwomeva manene.
6 Eedila adishe dokeulu
oda yala oihadi yado moitai yao,
noifitukuti aishe yomomufitu
oya dalela momudile woitai yao,
noiwana i lili noi lili inene
oya kala omutumba momudile wao.
7 Ndele oo wa li wa wapala mounene wao
moule woitai yao,
shaashi omidi dao oda li pomeva mahapu.
8 Moshikunino shaKalunga
omiti omisederi inadi fika puwo,
omiti omisipresi inadi foitai yao,
nomiti daplatani inadi feemhanga dao.
Omuti nande umwe womoshikunino shaKalunga
wa fika puwo newapalo.
9 Ame onde u wapalekifa molwouhapu woitai yao,
opo omiti adishe domuEden
odo da li moshikunino shaKalunga de u fila efupa.
10 “Onghee hano, Omwene Kalunga ta ti ngaha: Shaashi oo wa kula unene, nowa twala oxulo yao koilemo ndele we linenepekela oule wao. 11 Ame ohandi ke u yandja momake ovanaenghono vomoiwana. Oshili vo otave u ningile eshi tave u ningi. Molwouhenakalunga waye, Ame nde mu taataa mo. 12 Ovanailongo, oiwana idjuu oye u tetaula, ndele ye u denga poshi. Oitai yao ya wila keemhunda nomomalufilu aeshe, noitai yao ya ninga oitekaukile momakololo aeshe oshilongo. Noiwana aishe yokombada yedu oya dja momudile wao, ndele ye u fiya po ngaho. 13 Eedila adishe dokeulu oda wila kolupwelele lao nopoitai yao aishe oifitukuti aishe ya kala. 14 Opo omiti adishe odo di li pomeva diha kule unene nokutwa eexulo dado koilemo, naado yo di neenghono diha kale mounene wado nande umwe ou ta nu omeva! Osheshi do adishe oda yandjelwa okufya okuya mombwili yomedu mokati kovana vovanhu, kwaavenya va kulukilile mo.
15 “Omwene Kalunga ta ti ngaha: Mefiku tuu olo ye okwa kulukila moshovafi, Ame nda nyika oluhodi, oule nde u uvika molwaye, ndele nda kelela omilonga, opo omeva manene a kanghame. Ndele Libanon, Ame nde shi uvikila momulaulu omolwaye, ndele omiti adishe domomiulu dao wa kulukila. 16 Omolweweelelo lewo laye, Ame nda kakamifa oiwana, Ame eshi nde mu kulukifila moshovafi pamwe naavenya va kulukilile mo. Nomiti adishe domuEden, omiti da hoololwa nodiwa domuLibanon, adishe hadi nu omeva, ode lihekeleka moule womedu. 17 Vo ova kulukila pamwe naye moshovafi, kwaavenya va dipawa keongamukonda, novakwafi vaye yo ava va kala omutumba momudile waye mokati koiwana. 18 Pa kala tuu ngeno mokati komiti domuEden nande umwe u fike pwoove metumbalo nomewapalo? Nande ongaho ove u nokweekelwa moule womedu pamwe nomiti domuEden. Ove u nokunangala mokati kaava inava pita etanda pamwe naava va dipawa keongamukonda. Osho Farao neemhunga daye adishe tadi ka ningwa, Omwene Kalunga ta ti.”
