Egypt Is Compared to a Cedar Tree
1 On the first day of the third month of the eleventh year of our exile, the Lord spoke to me. 2 “Mortal man,” he said, “say to the king of Egypt and all his people:
How powerful you are!
What can I compare you to?
3 You are like a cedar in Lebanon,
With beautiful, shady branches,
A tree so tall it reaches the clouds.
4 There was water to make it grow,
And underground rivers to feed it.
They watered the place where the tree was growing
And sent streams to all the trees of the forest.
5 Because it was well-watered,
It grew taller than other trees.
Its branches grew thick and long.
6 Every kind of bird built nests in its branches;
The wild animals bore their young in its shelter;
The nations of the world rested in its shade.
7 How beautiful the tree was—
So tall, with such long branches.
Its roots reached down to the deep-flowing streams.
8 No cedar in God's garden could compare with it.
No fir tree ever had such branches,
And no plane tree such limbs.
No tree in God's own garden was so beautiful.
9 I made it beautiful, with spreading branches.
It was the envy of every tree in Eden, the garden of God.
10 “Now then, I, the Sovereign Lord, will tell you what is going to happen to that tree that grew until it reached the clouds. As it grew taller it grew proud; 11 so I have rejected it and will let a foreign ruler have it. He will give that tree what it deserves for its wickedness. 12 Ruthless foreigners will cut it down and leave it. Its branches and broken limbs will fall on every mountain and valley in the country. All the nations that have been living in its shade will go away. 13 The birds will come and perch on the fallen tree, and the wild animals will walk over its branches. 14 And so from now on, no tree, no matter how well-watered it is, will grow that tall again or push its top through the clouds and reach such a height. All of them are doomed to die like mortals, doomed to join those who go down to the world of the dead.”
15 This is what the Sovereign Lord says: “On the day when the tree goes to the world of the dead, I will make the underground waters cover it as a sign of mourning. I will hold back the rivers and not let the many streams flow out. Because the tree has died, I will bring darkness over the Lebanon Mountains and make all the trees of the forest wither. 16 When I send it down to the world of the dead, the noise of its downfall will shake the nations. All the trees of Eden and all the choice, well-watered trees of Lebanon who have gone to the world below will be pleased at its downfall. 17 They will go with it to the world of the dead to join those that have already fallen. And all who live under its shadow will be scattered among the nations.
18 “The tree is the king of Egypt and all his people. Not even the trees in Eden were so tall and impressive. But now, like the trees of Eden, it will go down to the world of the dead and join the ungodly and those killed in battle. I have spoken,” says the Sovereign Lord.
Engipte mari sasanekwa norupapa
1 Meyuva etenga komueze outjatatu wombura oitjamurongo na imwe youhuura wetu, Muhona wa hungira ku ami 2 a tja: “Muatje womundu, raera nai kombara ya Engipte na kovandu vayo avehe:
Oove omunamasa, tjiri!
Ounene woye me u sasaneke pu tjike?
3 Ove u ri otja orupapa mOlibanon
ndu nozondavi ozombwa zomuzire,
omuti omure tjinene nai
nga tji mau vaza kovikamba.
4 Imbo pa ri omeva okuuhapisa
nozonḓonḓu zokehi yehi okuuparura.
Ozo ze tjatja poṋa pu pa hapa omuti mbwi,
nu ze twara omipupo komiti avihe vyokuti.
5 Orupapa ndwi tjinga arwa tjatjwa nawa
otjinga arwa hapa okurira
orure pomiti omikwao.
Ozondavi zarwo za rira ozondindi nozonde.
6 Ozonḓera zomihoko avihe aaze
tungu oviruwo mozondavi zarwo;
ovipuka vyokuti aavi kwatere
ounatje wavyo momuzire warwo;
oviwaṋa vyouye aavi suva momuzire warwo.
7 Omuti mbwi wa ri omuwa tjinene,
omure tjinene nu wa ri nozondavi ozonde.
Omize vyawo vya vaza komipupo vyokehikehi.
8 Kapa ri norupapa orukwao motjikunino
tja Ndjambi ndwa sasanekwa na rwo;
nu kapa ri nomuzema mbwa ri nozondavi
nḓa sana kozondavi zarwo;
nu kapa ri nomuṱati mbwe ru vaza.
Kapa ri nomuti motjikunino tja
Ndjambi omuini mbwa ri
omuwa tjinene nai.
9 Ami mbe ru ungura oruwa orumanise,
ndwa ri nozondavi nḓa tandavara.
Orwo iyaru ṱirwa eruru i omiti avihe mOeden,
ihi otjikunino tja Ndjambi.
10 “Nambano ami, ngu mbi ri Muhona Ndjambi, me ku raere imbi mbi mavi tjitwa komuti mbo mbwa hapa nga tji wa kavaza kovikamba. Tji wa rira omure tjinene we ritongamisa; 11 Ami otji mbe u nakaura nu e u yandja mouvara womunane umwe womihoko vyozonganda. Eye me u pe imbi mbya pwa ku wo mena rourunde wawo. 12 Ovandu wozonganda voviwaṋa ovindandi tjinene mave u kondo ave u wisa. Ozondavi zawo maze wire mozondundu na momikutu avihe, nomaso wawo maye tekere motupoko. Omihoko avihe mbyaa vi suva momuzire wawo mavi i, avi isa omuti mbwi. 13 Ozonḓera azehe maze ya nu aze wirire komuti mbwa wa, novipuka vyokuti mavi yata kozondavi zawo. 14 Nu okuza ku nai kape nomuti warwe nangarire kutja u tjatjwa nawa mbu mau hapa okurira omure otja imbwi rukwao poo mbu mau vasisa ondomba yawo kovikamba. Omiti avihe vya kekerwa onḓiro tjimuna omuatje womundu, vya kekerwa kutja vi kawane na imba mba punda motjovakoke.”
15 Muhona Ndjambi ma tja nai: “Meyuva omuti mbwi tji mau wire motjovakoke, ami me u vandeke nomeva wokehi yehi otja otjiraisiro tjoruhoze. Ami me tjaere ozonḓonḓu nu me pwirisa omipupo. Omuti tjinga awa koka, ami otjinga ame eta onḓorera kozondundu za Libanon, nu me kukutisa omiti avihe vyokuti. 16 Nami tji mbe u wisire motjovakoke, omungunda womawiro wawo mau zezerisa oviwaṋa. Omiti avihe vya Eden nomiti avihe omitoororwa vya Libanon mbya tjatjwa nawa nu mbya wira motjovakoke, mavi yorokere omawiro womuti mbo. 17 Ovyo wina mavi u puna wo motjovakoke okukawana na imbi mbya wire rukuru. Nu avehe mbaa ve tura momuzire wawo mave rimbwa mokati koviwaṋa.
18 “Omuti mbwi wa sasanekwa nombara ya Engipte novandu vayo avehe. Kapa ri nomuti nangarire mOeden mbwa ri omure nai nomuhimise. Nungwari nambano, otja omiti vya Eden, ove, mbara ya Engipte, mo pundu motjovakoke, nu mo kawana na imba ovehina Ndjambi na imba mba ṱa movita wina. Ami owami ngu mba hungire.” Muhona Ndjambi ma tja nao.
