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.
Līdzība par vareno ciedru
(Sal. Ech 17:22–24)1 Vienpadsmitā gada trešā mēneša septītajā dienā Kunga vārds nāca pār mani: 2 “Cilvēka dēls, saki Ēģiptes ķēniņam faraonam un viņa pulkiem:
kam tu līdzinies savā dižumā?
3 Redzi, Asīrija bija ciedrs Lebanonā,
skaistiem zariem, ēnainu lapotni, slaidu stumbru,
tam galotne mākoņos sniedzās!
4 Ūdeņi to izaudzēja, dzīles to kuplināja,
upes plūda tam visapkārt,
strautiem tecēdamas pie visiem meža kokiem.
5 Tādēļ tas slējās pār visiem meža kokiem,
tam kuploja zari un atvases garumā stiepās
no bagātā ūdens plūduma!
6 Visi debesu putni vija ligzdas tā zaros,
visi lauka zvēri mazuļus dzemdēja zem tā zariem,
visas varenās tautas mita tā pavēnī.
7 Skaists savā dižumā, zaru kuplumā,
jo saknes tam sniedzas līdz bagātiem ūdeņiem!
8 Ciedri Dieva dārzā viņu neaizēnoja,
pat cipreses nelīdzinājās viņa zariem,
platānas nevarēja sacensties ar viņa pazarēm –
neviens koks Dieva dārzā nebija līdzīgs skaistumā!
9 Es to darīju tik skaistu, ar tik kupliem zariem,
ka visi koki, kas auga Dieva dārzā Ēdenē,
apskauda viņu!
10 Tādēļ tā saka Kungs Dievs: tādēļ, ka tas bija paaugstinājies jo augstu un slēja galotni mākoņos, un tā sirds lepojās par savu augstumu, 11 es to atdevu stiprajām tautām, kas ar to darīs, ko gribēs. Es to atmetu noziegumu dēļ! 12 Svešinieki no visvarmācīgākajām tautām to nocirtīs un nometīs kalnos, viņa zari mētāsies visās ielejās. Visas zemes strautos atradīs viņa nolauztos zarus. Visas zemes ļaudis dosies projām no viņa pavēņa.
13 Visi debesu putni salaidīsies uz tā kritalām,
visi lauka zvēri metīsies uz tā zariem.
14 Tādēļ lai neviens koks, kas pie ūdeņiem, nelielās un neslien galotni mākoņos. Un neviens, kas ūdenī veldzējas, lai nepaļaujas uz savu augstumu, jo tie visi lemti nāvei pazemē – kopā ar cilvēka dēliem, kas grimst bedrē!
15 Tā saka Kungs Dievs: todien, kad tas nogāja šeolā, es sarīkoju apraudāšanu, es pār to sedzu bezdibeni un apturēju tā upes, un apstājās lielie ūdeņi. Es ietinu tumsā Lebanonu, un nokalta visi lauka koki. 16 Es iztrūcināju visas tautas ar viņa kritiena troksni, kad nogrūdu šeolā kopā ar tiem, kas grimst bedrē! Pazemē nīkst visi labākie Ēdenes koki un labākie Lebanona koki, visi, kas bija veldzējušies ūdenī. 17 Arī tie, kas starp tautām dzīvoja viņa pavēnī, līdz kopā ar viņu nogāja šeolā pie zobena nokautajiem. 18 Ar kuru no Ēdenes kokiem tevi salīdzināt slavā un dižumā? Tu esi nogrūsts pazemē kopā ar Ēdenes kokiem, nu tu esi pie neapgraizītajiem, tu guli pie zobena kautajiem! – Tas ir faraons un visi viņa pulki,” saka Kungs Dievs.
