Ezekiel 31:1-11

It was in the eleventh year of our captivity, in the third month, on the first day of the month. The LORD spoke his word to me, saying: “Human, say to the king of Egypt and his people: ‘No one is like you in your greatness. Assyria was once like a cedar tree in Lebanon with beautiful branches that shaded the forest. It was very tall; its top was among the clouds. Much water made the tree grow; the deep springs made it tall. Rivers flowed around the bottom of the tree and sent their streams to all other trees in the countryside. So the tree was taller than all the other trees in the countryside. Its limbs became long and big because of so much water. All the birds of the sky made their nests in the tree’s limbs. And all the wild animals gave birth under its branches. All great nations lived in the tree’s shade. So the tree was great and beautiful, with its long branches, because its roots reached down to much water. The cedar trees in the garden of God were not as great as it was. The pine trees did not have such great limbs. The plane trees did not have such branches. No tree in the garden of God was as beautiful as this tree. I made it beautiful with many branches, and all the trees of Eden in the garden of God wanted to be like it. “ ‘So this is what the Lord GOD says: The tree grew tall. Its top reached the clouds, and it became proud of its height. So I handed it over to a mighty ruler of the nations for him to punish it. Because it was evil, I got rid of it.