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¹ And it was don in the enleuenthe yeer, in the thridde moneth, in the firste dai of the monethe, the word of the Lord was maad to me,² and he seide, Thou, sone of man, seie to Farao, kyng of Egipt, and to his puple, To whom art thou maad lijk in thi greetnesse?³ Lo! Assur as a cedre in Liban, fair in braunchis, and ful of boowis, and hiy bi hiynesse; and his heiyte was reisid among thicke bowis.⁴ Watris nurschiden hym, the depthe of watris enhaunside him; hise floodis fletiden out in the cumpas of hise rootis, and he sente out hise strondis to alle the trees of the cuntrei.⁵ Therfor his hiynesse was enhaunsid ouer alle trees of the cuntrei, and hise trees weren multiplied, and hise braunchis weren reisid, for many watris.⁶ And whanne he hadde stretchid forth his schadewe, alle the volatils of the eir maden nestis in hise braunchis; and alle the beestis of forestis gendriden vndur hise boowis, and the cumpeny of ful many folkis dwellide vndur the schadewynge place of hym.⁷ And he was ful fair in his greetnesse, and in alargyng of hise trees; for the roote of hym was bisidis many watris.⁸ Cedris in the paradijs of God weren not hiyere than he; fir trees atteyneden not euenli to the hiynesse of hym, and plane trees weren not euene with the boowis of hym. Ech tree of paradijs of God was not maad lic hym and his fairnesse.⁹ For Y made hym fair, and with many and thicke boowis; and alle the trees of lust, that weren in the paradijs of God, hadden enuye to hym.

¹⁰ Therfor the Lord God seith these thingis, For that that he was reisid in hiynesse, and he yaf his hyynesse greene and thicke, and his herte was reisid in his hiynesse;¹¹ now Y haue youe hym in to the hondis of the strongeste man of hethene men. And he doynge schal do to that Assur; aftir the vnfeithfulnesse of hym Y castide hym out.¹² 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.¹³ Alle volatils of the eir dwelliden in the fallyng of hym, and alle beestis of the cuntrei weren in the braunchis of hym.¹⁴ Wherfor alle the trees of watris schulen not be reisid in hir hiynesse, nether schulen sette hir hiynesse among places ful of woode, and ful of boowis, and alle trees that ben moistid of watris schulen not stonde in the hiynesse of tho. For alle thei ben youun in to deth, to the ferthest lond in the myddis of the sones of men, to hem that goon doun in to the lake.¹⁵ The Lord God seith these thingis, In the dai whanne he yede doun to hellis, Y brouyte yn mourenyng; Y hilide hym with depthe of watris, and I forbede his flodis, and Y refreynede many watris. The Liban was sori on him, and alle the trees of the feeld¹⁶ weren shakun of the soun of his falling. I mouide togidere hethene men, whanne Y ledde hym doun to helle, with hem that yeden doun in to the lake. And alle trees of likyng, noble trees, and ful cleere in the Liban, alle that weren moistid with watris, weren coumfortid in the loweste lond.¹⁷ For whi also thei schulen go doun with hym to helle, to slayn men with swerd; and the arm of ech man schal sitte vndur the schadewyng place of hym, in the myddis of naciouns.¹⁸ To whom art thou licned, thou noble and hiy among the trees of likyng? Lo! thou art led doun with the trees of likyng to the fertheste lond. In the myddis of vncircumcidid men thou schalt slepe, with hem that ben slayn bi swerd. Thilke is Farao, and al the multitude of hym, seith the Lord God.