Psa 37:35-36, Isa 10:33-34, Jer 12:2, Eze 31:3-18, Dan 4:20-26 | ESV | STEP | I have seen a wicked , ruthless man, spreading himself like a green laurel tree.

35 ^aI have seen a wicked, ruthless man,
spreading himself like ^ba green laurel tree. ^{▼▼The identity of this tree is uncertain}
36 But he passed away, ^{▼▼Or But one passed by} and behold, ^ehe was no more;
though I sought him, he could not be found.

Isaiah 10:33-34

33 Behold, the Lord God of hosts
^fwill lop ^gthe boughs with terrifying power;
the great in height will be hewn down,
and the lofty will be brought low.
34 He will cut down ^hthe thickets of the forest with an axe,
and ⁱLebanon will fall by the Majestic One.

Jeremiah 12:2

2 You plant them, and they take root;
they grow and produce fruit;
^jyou are near in their mouth
and far from their heart.

Ezekiel 31:3-18

3 Behold, ^kAssyria was a ^lcedar in ^mLebanon,
with beautiful branches and ⁿforest shade,
^oand of towering height,
its top among the clouds. ^{▼▼Or its top went through the thick boughs; also verses 10, 14}
4 The waters nourished it;
the deep made it grow tall,
making ^qits rivers flow
around the place of its planting,
sending forth its streams
to all the trees of the field.
5 So ^rit towered high
above all the trees of the field;
its boughs grew large
and its branches long
from ^sabundant water in its shoots.
6 ^tAll the birds of the heavens
made their nests in its boughs;
under its branches all the beasts of the field
gave birth to their young,
and under its shadow
lived all great nations.
7 It was ^ubeautiful in its greatness,
in the length of its branches;
^vfor its roots went down
to abundant waters.
8 ^wThe cedars ^xin the garden of God could not rival it,
nor the fir trees equal its boughs;
neither were the plane trees
like its branches;
no tree ^yin the garden of God
was its equal in beauty.
9 I made it beautiful
in the mass of its branches,
and all the trees of ^zEden envied it,
that were in the garden of God.
10 “Therefore thus says the Lord God: Because ^aait ^{▼▼Syriac, Vulgate; Hebrew you} towered high and set its top among the clouds, and ^acits heart was proud of its height, 11 I will give it into the hand of a mighty one of the nations. He shall surely deal with it as its wickedness deserves. I have cast it out. 12 ^adForeigners, ^aethe most ruthless of nations, have cut it down and left it. ^afOn the mountains and in all the valleys its branches have fallen, and its boughs have been broken in all ^agthe ravines of the land, and ^ahall the peoples of the earth have gone away from its shadow and left it. 13 ^aiOn its fallen trunk dwell all the birds of the heavens, and on its branches are all the beasts of the field. 14 ^ajAll this is in order that no trees by the waters may grow to towering height or set their tops among the clouds, and that no trees that drink water may reach up to them in height. For they are all given over to death, ^akto the world ^albelow, among the children of man, ^{▼▼Or of Adam} with those who go down to the pit.

15 “Thus says the Lord God: On the day ^anthe cedar ^{▼▼Hebrew it} went down to Sheol I caused mourning; I closed the deep over it, and restrained its rivers, and many waters were stopped. I clothed Lebanon in gloom for it, and all the trees of the field fainted because of it. 16 ^apI made the nations quake at the sound of its fall, ^aqwhen I cast it down to Sheol with those who go down to the pit. ^arAnd all the trees of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, all that drink water, ^aswere comforted in the world below. 17 They also went down to Sheol with it, ^atto those who are slain by the sword; yes, ^authose who were its arm, ^avwho lived under its shadow among the nations.

18 ^aw“Whom are you thus like in glory and in greatness ^axamong the trees of Eden? ^ayYou shall be brought down with ^azthe trees of Eden to the world below. ^baYou shall lie among the uncircumcised, ^bbwith those who are slain by the sword.

^bc“This is Pharaoh and all his multitude, declares the Lord God.”

Daniel 4:20-26

20 ^bdThe tree you saw, which grew and became strong, so that its top reached to heaven, and it was visible to the end of the whole earth, 21 ^bewhose leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in which was food for all, under which beasts of the field found shade, and in whose branches the birds of the heavens lived— 22 ^bfit is you, O king, who have grown and become strong. ^bgYour greatness has grown and reaches to heaven, ^bhand your dominion to the ends of the earth. 23 And because the king saw ^bia watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, ^bj‘Chop down the tree and destroy it, but leave the stump of its roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze, in the tender grass of the field, and let him be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts of the field, till ^bkseven periods of time pass over him,’ 24 this is the interpretation, O king: It is a decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king, 25 ^blthat you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. You shall be made ^bmto eat grass like an ox, and you shall be wet with the dew of heaven, and ^bnseven periods of time shall pass over you, till ^boyou know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will. 26 And as it was commanded ^bpto leave the stump of the roots of the tree, your kingdom shall be confirmed for you from the time that you know that Heaven rules.