5. But this tree towered overthose other trees,and its branchesgrew long and thick.
6. Birds built nestsin its branches,and animals were bornbeneath it.People from all nationslived in the shadeof this strong tree.
7. It had beautiful,long branches,and its roots found waterdeep in the soil.
8. None of the cedar treesin my garden of Edenwere as beautifulas this tree;no tree of any kindhad such long branches.
9. I, the Lord, gave this treeits beauty,and I helped the branchesgrow strong.All other trees in Edenwanted 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.