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Contemporary English Version

Ezekiel 31:12

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.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Pride;   Self-Exaltation;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Assyria;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Lebanon;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Repentance;   Easton Bible Dictionary - River;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Paradise;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Assyria ;   Nineveh ;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Chief parables and miracles in the bible;   Egypt;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - River;   Watercourse;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Foreigners, ruthless men from the nations, cut it down and left it lying. Its limbs fell on the mountains and in every valley; its boughs lay broken in all the earth’s ravines. All the peoples of the earth left its shade and abandoned it.
Hebrew Names Version
Strangers, the terrible of the nations, have cut him off, and have left him: on the mountains and in all the valleys his branches are fallen, and his boughs are broken by all the watercourses of the land; and all the peoples of the eretz are gone down from his shadow, and have left him.
King James Version
And strangers, the terrible of the nations, have cut him off, and have left him: upon the mountains and in all the valleys his branches are fallen, and his boughs are broken by all the rivers of the land; and all the people of the earth are gone down from his shadow, and have left him.
English Standard Version
Foreigners, the most ruthless of nations, have cut it down and left it. On the mountains and in all the valleys its branches have fallen, and its boughs have been broken in all the ravines of the land, and all the peoples of the earth have gone away from its shadow and left it.
New American Standard Bible
"Foreign tyrants of the nations have cut it down and left it; on the mountains and in all the valleys its branches have fallen, and its branches have been broken in all the ravines of the land. And all the peoples of the earth have gone down from its shade and left it.
New Century Version
The cruelest foreign nation cut it down and left it. The tree's branches fell on the mountains and in all the valleys, and its broken limbs were in all the ravines of the land. All the nations of the earth left the shade of that tree.
Amplified Bible
"Alien tyrants of the nations have cut it down and left it; its foliage has fallen on the mountains and in all the valleys and its branches have been broken in all the ravines of the land. And all the nations of the earth have come from under its shade and have left it.
World English Bible
Strangers, the terrible of the nations, have cut him off, and have left him: on the mountains and in all the valleys his branches are fallen, and his boughs are broken by all the watercourses of the land; and all the peoples of the earth are gone down from his shadow, and have left him.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And the strangers haue destroyed him, euen the terrible nations, and they haue left him vpon the mountaines, and in all the valleis his branches are fallen, and his boughes are broken by all the riuers of the land: and all the people of the earth are departed from his shadowe, and haue forsaken him.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Alien tyrants of the nations have cut it down and left it; on the mountains and in all the valleys its branches have fallen and its boughs have been broken in all the ravines of the land. And all the peoples of the earth have gone down from its shade and left it.
Legacy Standard Bible
Strangers—ruthless ones of the nations have cut it down and abandoned it; on the mountains and in all the valleys its foliage have fallen, and its boughs have been broken in all the ravines of the land. And all the peoples of the earth have gone down from its shade and abandoned it.
Berean Standard Bible
Foreigners, the most ruthless of the nations, cut it down and left it. Its branches have fallen on the mountains and in every valley; its boughs lay broken in all the earth's ravines. And all the peoples of the earth left its shade and abandoned it.
Complete Jewish Bible
Foreigners, the most barbarous of the nations, will destroy him and leave him lying where he is. His branches will lie fallen on the mountains and in the valleys, his boughs will lie broken in all the rivers of the land, and all the peoples of the earth will withdraw from his shade and leave him.
Darby Translation
And strangers, the terrible of the nations, have cut him off and have left him; upon the mountains and in all the valleys his branches are fallen, and his boughs are broken in all the watercourses of the land; and all the peoples of the earth are gone down from his shadow, and have left him.
Easy-to-Read Version
Strangers—the most terrible people in the world—cut it down and scattered its branches on the mountains and in the valleys. Its broken limbs drifted down the rivers flowing through that land. There was no more shadow under that tree, so all the people left.
George Lamsa Translation
And foreigners, the most powerful of the nations shall destroy it, and leave it upon the mountains, and its branches shall fall in all the valleys, and its boughs shall be broken by all the rivers of the land; and all the people of the earth shall go down from its shadow, and leave it alone.
Good News Translation
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.
Lexham English Bible
And strangers cut it off, the most ruthless of nations, and they abandoned it. On the mountains and in all of the valleys its branches fell, and its branches were broken in all the river channels of the land, and all the peoples of the world went out from its shadow, and they abandoned it.
Literal Translation
And strangers have cut him off, the fearful of the nations, and have left him. His branches have fallen on the mountains and in all the valleys, and his boughs have been broken in all the ravines of the land. And all the people of the landhave gone from his shadow and have left him.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
the enemies shal destroye him, & the mighty men of the Heithen shall so scatre him, that his braunches shal lye vpon all mountaynes & in all valleys: his bowes shall be broken downe to the grounde thorow out the londe. Then all the people of the londe shal go from his shadowe, and forsake him.
American Standard Version
And strangers, the terrible of the nations, have cut him off, and have left him: upon the mountains and in all the valleys his branches are fallen, and his boughs are broken by all the watercourses of the land; and all the peoples of the earth are gone down from his shadow, and have left him.
Bible in Basic English
And men from strange lands, who are to be feared among the nations, after cutting him off, have let him be: on the mountains and in all the valleys his branches have come down; his arms are broken by all the waterways of the land; all the peoples of the earth have gone from his shade, and have let him be.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And strangers, the terrible of the nations, do cut him off, and cast him down; upon the mountains and in all the valleys his branches are fallen, and his boughs lie broken in all the channels of the land; and all the peoples of the earth do go down from his shadow, and do leave him.
King James Version (1611)
And strangers, the terrible of the nations haue cut him off, and haue left him: vpon the mountaines and in all the valleys his branches are fallen, and his boughes are broken by all the riuers of the land, and all the people of the earth are gone downe from his shadow, and haue left him.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And straungers haue destroyed hym, euen the terrible nations, and haue left hym: vpon the mountaynes and vpon al valleys haue his bowes fallen, and his bowes are broken by all the riuers of the land: and all the people of the earth are departed from his shadowe, & haue forsaken hym.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And ravaging strangers from the nations have destroyed him, and have cast him down upon the mountains: his branches fell in all the valleys, and his boughs were broken in every field of the land; and all the people of the nations are gone down from their shelter, and have laid him low.
English Revised Version
And strangers, the terrible of the nations, have cut him off, and have left him: upon the mountains and in all the valleys his branches are fallen, and his boughs are broken by all the watercourses of the land; and all the peoples of the earth are gone down from his shadow, and have left him.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And aliens, and the moost cruel men of naciouns, schulen kitte hym doun, and schulen caste hym forth on hillis. And hise braunchis schulen falle doun in alle grete valeis, and hise trees schulen be brokun in alle roochis of stoon of erthe. And alle the puplis of erthe schulen go awei fro his schadewing place, and schulen forsake hym.
Update Bible Version
And strangers, the terrible of the nations, have cut him off, and have left him: on the mountains and in all the valleys his branches have fallen, and his boughs are broken by all the watercourses of the land; and all the peoples of the earth have gone down from his shadow, and have left him.
Webster's Bible Translation
And strangers, the terrible of the nations, have cut him off, and have left him: upon the mountains and in all the valleys his branches are fallen, and his boughs are broken by all the rivers of the land; and all the people of the earth have gone down from his shade, and have left him.
New English Translation
Foreigners from the most terrifying nations have cut it down and left it to lie there on the mountains. In all the valleys its branches have fallen, and its boughs lie broken in the ravines of the land. All the peoples of the land have departed from its shade and left it.
New King James Version
And aliens, the most terrible of the nations, have cut it down and left it; its branches have fallen on the mountains and in all the valleys; its boughs lie broken by all the rivers of the land; and all the peoples of the earth have gone from under its shadow and left it.
New Living Translation
A foreign army—the terror of the nations—has cut it down and left it fallen on the ground. Its branches are scattered across the mountains and valleys and ravines of the land. All those who lived in its shadow have gone away and left it lying there.
New Life Bible
Rulers from other nations will cut it down and leave it. Its branches will fall on the mountains and in all the valleys. Its spreading branches will be broken in all the deep valleys of the land. All the people of the earth will go away from its shadow and leave it.
New Revised Standard
Foreigners from the most terrible of the nations have cut it down and left it. On the mountains and in all the valleys its branches have fallen, and its boughs lie broken in all the watercourses of the land; and all the peoples of the earth went away from its shade and left it.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Therefore have foreigners the terrible of the nations cut him down. And abandoned him, - Upon the mountains and in all valleys, have fallen his waving branches And broken have been his boughs in all the river-beds of the land, And all the peoples of the earth have come down out of his shade. And abandoned him:
Douay-Rheims Bible
And strangers, and the most cruel of the nations shall cut him down, and cast him away upon the mountains, and his boughs shall fall in every valley, and his branches shall be broken on every rock of the country: and all the people of the earth shall depart from his shadow, and leave him.
Revised Standard Version
Foreigners, the most terrible of the nations, will cut it down and leave it. On the mountains and in all the valleys its branches will fall, and its boughs will lie broken in all the watercourses of the land; and all the peoples of the earth will go from its shadow and leave it.
Young's Literal Translation
And cut him off do strangers, The terrible of nations, and they leave him, On the mountains and in all valleys have his thin shoots fallen, And broken are his boughs at all streams of the land, And go down from his shade do all peoples of the land, and they leave him.

Contextual Overview

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.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

strangers: Ezekiel 28:7, Ezekiel 30:11, Habakkuk 1:6, Habakkuk 1:11

upon: Ezekiel 32:4, Ezekiel 32:5, Ezekiel 35:5, Ezekiel 35:8, Ezekiel 39:4, Isaiah 34:5-7

gone: Daniel 4:12-14, Nahum 3:17, Nahum 3:18, Revelation 17:16

Reciprocal: Isaiah 21:1 - from Ezekiel 29:11 - foot of man Ezekiel 30:12 - by the hand Daniel 4:14 - let

Cross-References

Genesis 31:37
After searching through everything I have, did you find anything of yours? If so, put it here, where your relatives and mine can see it. Then we can decide what to do.
Genesis 31:42
If the fearsome God worshiped by Abraham and my father Isaac had not been on my side, you would have sent me away without a thing. But God saw my hard work, and he knew the trouble I was in, so he helped me. Then last night he told you how wrong you were.
Genesis 31:43
Laban said to Jacob, "Leah and Rachel are my daughters, and their children belong to me. All these sheep you are taking are really mine too. In fact, everything you have belongs to me. But there is nothing I can do to keep my daughters and their children.
Exodus 3:7
The Lord said: I have seen how my people are suffering as slaves in Egypt, and I have heard them beg for my help because of the way they are being mistreated. I feel sorry for them,
Exodus 3:9
My people have begged for my help, and I have seen how cruel the Egyptians are to them.
Leviticus 19:13
Do not steal anything or cheat anyone, and don't fail to pay your workers at the end of each day.
Deuteronomy 24:15
Pay them their wages at the end of each day, because they live in poverty and need the money to survive. If you don't pay them on time, they will complain about you to the Lord , and he will punish you.
Psalms 12:5
But you, Lord , tell them, "I will do something! The poor are mistreated and helpless people moan. I'll rescue all who suffer."
Psalms 139:3
You notice everything I do and everywhere I go.
Ecclesiastes 5:8
Don't be surprised if the poor of your country are abused, and injustice takes the place of justice. After all, the lower officials must do what the higher ones order them to do.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And strangers, the terrible of the nations, have cut him off,.... Cut off the boughs and branches of this cedar, and cut him down to the ground; that is, utterly destroyed him, his empire and monarchy: these "strangers" were the Medes, who lived in a country distant from Assyria; and "the terrible of the nations", the cruel and merciless Chaldeans, the soldiers of the king of Babylon's army; see Ezekiel 30:11:

and have left him upon the mountains, like a tree cut down there, and its boughs and branches lopped off, which roll down from thence into the valleys, and by the rivers of water signifying his depression from a high and exalted state to a very low one, as follows:

and in all the valley his branches are fallen, and his boughs are broken by all the rivers of the land; signifying that many provinces and countries under his dominion were broken off, and by force taken away from him; or they broke off and revolted of themselves, and either set up for themselves, and recovered their former power and authority; or gave up themselves to the conqueror. The Targum is,

"and in all valleys his army fell, and his auxiliaries were scattered by all the rivers of the land:''

and all the people of the earth are gone down from his shadow, and have left him: those that joined themselves to his empire, put themselves under his protection, or sought his friendship and alliance, now withdrew themselves from him, and left him alone to shift for himself; as frightened birds and beasts will do, when a tree is cut down and fallen, in the boughs or under the shadow of which they dwelt. The Targum paraphrases it,

"from the shadow of his kingdom.''

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Assyria’s fall.

Ezekiel 31:11

More accurately: Therefore I will deliver him, etc ... he shall surely deal with him. I have driven him out, etc.

Ezekiel 31:14

Their trees - Rather, as in the margin, “standing unto themselves” meaning “standing in their own strength.” The clause will then run thus: “Neither all that drink water stand up” in their own strength. “All that drink water” means mighty princes to whom wealth and prosperity flow in. The Egyptians owed everything to the waters of the Nile. The substance is, that Assyria’s fall was decreed in order that the mighty ones of the earth might learn not to exalt themselves in pride or to rely on themselves, seeing that they must share the common lot of mortality.


 
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