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.
Egipteb ge sederhais ǀkha ra ǀgopeǀnōhe
1 Disiǀguiǀaǁî kurib di ǃnonaǁî ǁkhâb di ǂguro tsēs ais ge ǃKhūb di mîsa tita ǃoa ge hā. 2 “Khoenôa ǀgôatse, Egipteb gao-aob Faraob tsî ǁîb di ǁaes tsîna mîba:
“Tari-i ǀkhats kha ǀgopeǀnōhe ǁkhā kaisib âts ǃnâ?
3 Sats ge Libanonni di sederhais khami ī,
îsa ǁnâugu, somma ra māga ūhâs,
ǀgapi hais, ǃâudi kōse ra sīsa.
4 ǁGamgu ge ǁîsa ge kaikhâi kai,
ǃgammi ge ǁîsa ǀgapisebǀî ge ǀomkhâi kai.
ǃĀga ǁîs ǂnamipe dâu kai
tsîs nau haidi hoadi ǃoa ge sîǂui.
5 ǁÎs ge kaise ge ǀgapi,
hoaraga haidi ǃaub didi ǂamai.
ǁÎs di ǁnâugu ge ge gaxu,
ǀoasa ǁgam-i ge ǁnâuga hâba i xui-ao.
6 Hoaraga ǀhomanin ge
omrodi âna ǁîs ǁnâugu ǃnâ ge om.
Hoaraga xamarin tsî ǀgurun ge ǁîs ǁnâugu ǃnaka,
ǀgôaron âna ge ǁora.
Tsî ǁîs di sommi ǃnaka di ge
kai ǃhaodi ǃhūbaib dide ge ǁan.
7 ǁÎs ge ge îsa i, kaisib âs ǃnâ
tsî gaxusib ǁnâugu âs dib ǃnâ,
ǃnomagu âs ge ǀoasa ǁgamgu kōse ǁgôa xui-ao.
8 Elob ǃhanab ǃnâ mâ sederhaidi ge
ǁîs ǀkha ge ǀgopeǀnōhe ǁoa i.
Siprehaidi ge ǁnāti ī ǁnâuga ge ūhâ tama hâ i.
ǂGāb haidi tsîn ge ǁnāti ī ǁnâuga ge ūhâ tama hâ i.
Elob ǃhanab ǃnâ mâ haidi di ǀguis tsîn ge
ǁîs khami ge îsa tama hâ i.
9 Tita ge ǁîsa ǂgui ǁnâugu ǀkha ge îxa kai,
tsî di ge Edenni ǃnâ mâ haidi,
Elob ǃhanab ǃnâ mâdi hoade,
ǁîs khami gere ī ǂgao.
10 “ǁNā-amagab ge ǃKhūb Eloba nēti ra mî. ǀGapiseb kōse ǀomkhâi tsîs ge ǀams âsa ǃâudi kōse tsîs ge ǀgapisib âs xa ǂnī kaihe, 11 amaga ta ge ǃhaodi ǃnâ ǀgaisab ǃomǁae ǁîsa ge māǁnâ. ǁÎb ge eloxoresasib âb ǃoa ǁîsa nî sîsenū. Tita ge ǁîsa ge doeǁgaǂui. 12 ǃHaokhoen, ǃhaodi ǃnâ ǁgaoǃnân ge ǁîsa ǁhāǁnâ tsî ge ǁnāxūǁgui. ǁÎs di ǁnâugu ge ǃhomgu ai tsî ǃgoaǃnāgu hoagu ǃnâ nî ǁnā, ǁnâugu âs ge khôaǂkhūsase hoaraga ǃārogu ǃhūb digu ǃnâ ǁgoe. ǃHūbaib di ǃhaodi hoadi ge ǁîs somma xu ǃgûbē tsî ǁîsa ge ǁnāxūǁgui. 13 Hoaraga ǀhomanin ge ǁnāǁgoe haib âs ai nî ǁan tsî hoaraga xamarin ge ǁîs di ǁnâuga ai nî dā, 14 î di ǁgammi amǃgâ mā haide tā ǀgapise ǀomkhâi tsî ǀams âde ǃâudi kōse sī, tsî di ǁgamma xu ra āde tā ǁîdi kōse ǀomkhâi sī. ǁÎdi hoadi ge ǁō nîse ī, ǁnān ǁŌhân Hâǃkhaib ǃnâ ge ǂgân ǃoa nî ǁgôase.”
15 Nētib ge ǃKhūb Eloba ra mî: “ǁÎs ga ǁŌhân Hâǃkhaib ǃoa ǁgôa, o ta ge ǃgamsiba ǁîs ǂama nî ǃoa kai tsî ǁîb ǃāga ǁkhae tsî ǁîb ǁgamga nî ǀam kai. Tita ge Libanonna ǁîs ǃaroma ge ǂnū kai tsî di ge ǃaub di haidi hoade ǁîs ǃaroma ge ǂnâ. 16 ǁÎs ǁnās di ǀōb ǀkha ta ge ǃhaode ge ǀkhū kai, ǁîsa ta ge ǁŌhân Hâǃkhaib ǃoa āb ǃnâ ra ǁgôan ǀkha sîǁgôao. Tsî hoaraga haidi Edenni didi tsî ôaǂuisa tsî ǂoaǂamsa haidi Libanonni didi, ǃgâise ǂnâhe hâdi ge ǃhūbaib di ǃgamsib ǃnâ nî ǁkhaeǂgaohe. 17 ǁÎdi tsîn ge ǁîs ǀkha ǁŌhân Hâǃkhaib ǃoa nî ǁgôa, naun gôab xa ge ǃgamhena ǃoa. ǁÎs sommi ǃnaka ge ûi hâ in ge ǃhaodi ǃnâ nî ǀgaruǀgaruhe.
18 “Mâs Edenni ǃnâ mâ haidi disa sats khami i, sa ǂkhaisib tsî kaisib ǃnâ? Xawets ge satsa Edenni haidi ǀkha ǃhūbaib ǃgamsib ǃoa nî ǁgôa-ūhe tsî eloxoresan tsî gôab ǀkha ǃgamhe hân tsîn ǀkha ǀguipa nî ǁgoe. ǁNān ge Faraob tsî ǁîb ǁaes tsîna,”
tib ge ǃKhūb Eloba ra mî.