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.
Misira be labaŋ na le ko Asiriya
1 Sanji taŋ niŋ kiliŋo kari sabanjaŋo tili foloo la, Yaawe* la kumoo naata n kaŋ ko: 2 “Ite hadamadiŋo, kiilaariyaa kumoo fo Firawoona ma Misira mansakewo a niŋ a la jamaa moolu ye ko:
Fo ite niŋ jumaa le si laa noo semboo la?
3 A fele, m be i misaali la le ko Libanooni sedari* yiroo
meŋ buloolu niŋ a jamboolu ñiiñaata,
ì ñukuñukuta ka dubeŋo dii sutoo kono,
a suŋo jaŋayaata santo,
fo a turoo be naa minaayoolu maa la.
4 Jiyo meŋ be siyaariŋ a suŋo koto le ye a ñiiñandi.
Duuma jiyo le ye a tinna a jaŋayaata.
Baawo jiyo le ka woyi dulaa bee to, sutoo kono jee,
aniŋ wo woyoolu le ka bori yiri juwolu bee koto,
sutoo kono jee.
5 Wo le ye a tinna
a jaŋayaata ka tambi yiroolu bee la,
wuloo kono.
A buloolu ka wara le, ì ye jamfa.
Jiyo meŋ be a suŋo koto
le ka a biirendi wo ñaama.
6 Kunoolu mennu bee ka tii santo
ka ì la ñaŋolu laa ate le kaŋ.
Wulakono daafeŋolu bee
ka wuluu a suŋo le koto,
duniyaa banku moolu bee
ka tara a dubeŋo le koto.
7 A suŋo la waroo niŋ a buloolu la jaŋayaa le ye a ñiiñandi baake.
Kaatu a suloolu dunta le fo duuma,
ì taata fo duuma jii woyoolu kono.
8 Hani sedari yiroolu mennu be Alla la naakoo kono
niŋ a te laa noo la.
A niŋ junipa yiroolu buloolu faŋolu te laa noo la.
Hani arimoni yiribuloolu faŋolu la ñiiñaa maŋ a sii.
Yiri te Alla la naakoo kono
a niŋ meŋ si muluŋ.
9 Nte le ye a dadaa ka a ñiiñandi wo ñaama
ka jamfa santo ka tambi yiroolu bee la
mennu be nte Alla faŋo la naakoo kono.
Yiroolu mennu bee be Edeni naakoo kono
ñaa bota a fee le.”
10 Maarii Yaawe ye ñiŋ ne fo ko: “A buloolu jaŋayaata le fo a be naa futa la minaayoolu ma. Wo le ye a tinna a ka kibiri, aniŋ a ka a faŋ wara. 11 Wo kamma la m be a duŋ na maralilaa doo le bulu, wo bulu ye sii a la kendeke ko a la kuu jawoolu be ñaameŋ, nte faŋo le ye a bayi jee a la kuu jawoo kamma la. 12 Bantala banku* jawu baalu la kelediŋolu le ye a suŋo kuntu, ì ye a fili jaariŋ konkoolu kaŋ aniŋ wulumbaŋolu kono. A buloolu ye tara katiŋ-katindiŋ jiibuloolu kono taariŋ. Duniyaa moolu bee be bo la a dubeŋo koto le. 13 Kunoolu mennu bee ka tii be loo la a yiribulu boyiriŋo kaŋ ne, aniŋ wulakono daafeŋolu bee ye tara a buloolu niŋ a jamboolu koto. 14 Wo kamma la, yiroolu mennu bee falinta jii daala, a ye wolu bali le ka jaŋayaa waraŋ ka ì buloolu fayi ka jamfa fo ka sutiyaa minaayoolu ma. Kaatu saayaa le be ì ñaato ka taa kaburoo kono, ka taa kafu doolu ma mennu faata ì ñaa, ì be kaburoo le kono.”
15 Maarii Yaawe ye ñiŋ ne fo ko: “Niŋ a taata laakira, m be sunu baa le laa la a wo jiibuloolu kaŋ, ŋa a wo jiiñaalu suki. Wo jiibuloolu mennu ka bori, ŋa ì bee londi ì kana bori kotenke. Ŋa Libanooninkoolu muuri niŋ niikuyaa la. Wo yiroolu mennu bee be wuloo kono be noro la le, ì la kuwo kamma. 16 M be kijafara baa le laa la bankoolu kaŋ, ka bo niŋ a boyi kaŋo la, niŋ ŋa a fayi duuma, ka taa laakira, aniŋ moo doolu mennu taata a ñaa kaburoo kono. Aduŋ Edeni naakoo kono yiri ñiimaalu bee, mennu mu Libanooni yiri betoolu ti, woyoo daala yiroolu bee, ì ye mennu jiiboŋ kendeke, a be ke la wolu ye jusu ñaburaŋo le ti, laakira jee. 17 Wolu mennu bee be a dubeŋo koto nuŋ aniŋ a deŋñoolu mennu be duniyaa kono, ì niŋ a taata ñoo la kaburoo kono le ka kafu wo doolu la mennu faata keloo kono.
18 “Ñiŋ yiroo mu ite Firawoona niŋ i la jamaa moolu bee le ti. Yiri nene maŋ soto Edeni naakoo kono meŋ na horomoo warata ko ite. Bari i be boyi la le i ye faa, i ye taa bankoo koto duuma, i niŋ wo Alla lombaloolu be tara la laariŋ dulaa kiliŋ ne laakira, i niŋ moolu mennu foloo faata keloo kono i ñaa.” Maarii Yaawe le ye a fo.
