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26 In the eleventh year, in the first of the month, Yahweh’s word came to me, saying, “Son of man, because Tyre has said against Jerusalem, ‘Aha! She is broken! She who was the gateway of the peoples has been returned to me. I will be replenished, now that she is laid waste;’ therefore the Lord Yahweh says, ‘Behold, I am against you, Tyre, and will cause many nations to come up against you, as the sea causes its waves to come up. They will destroy the walls of Tyre, and break down her towers. I will also scrape her dust from her, and make her a bare rock. She will be a place for the spreading of nets in the middle of the sea; for I have spoken it,’ says the Lord Yahweh. ‘She will become plunder for the nations. Her daughters who are in the field will be slain with the sword. Then they will know that I am Yahweh.’

“For the Lord Yahweh says: ‘Behold, I will bring on Tyre Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, king of kings, from the north, with horses, with chariots, with horsemen, and an army with many people. He will kill your daughters in the field with the sword. He will make forts against you, cast up a mound against you, and raise up the buckler against you. He will set his battering engines against your walls, and with his axes he will break down your towers. 10 By reason of the abundance of his horses, their dust will cover you. Your walls will shake at the noise of the horsemen, of the wagons, and of the chariots, when he enters into your gates, as men enter into a city which is broken open. 11 He will tread down all your streets with the hoofs of his horses. He will kill your people with the sword. The pillars of your strength will go down to the ground. 12 They will make a plunder of your riches, and make a prey of your merchandise. They will break down your walls, and destroy your pleasant houses. They will lay your stones, your timber, and your dust in the middle of the waters. 13 I will cause the noise of your songs to cease. The sound of your harps won’t be heard any more. 14 I will make you a bare rock. You will be a place for the spreading of nets. You will be built no more; for I Yahweh have spoken it,’ says the Lord Yahweh.

15 “The Lord Yahweh says to Tyre: ‘Won’t the islands shake at the sound of your fall, when the wounded groan, when the slaughter is made within you? 16 Then all the princes of the sea will come down from their thrones, and lay aside their robes, and strip off their embroidered garments. They will clothe themselves with trembling. They will sit on the ground, and will tremble every moment, and be astonished at you. 17 They will take up a lamentation over you, and tell you,

“How you are destroyed,
    who were inhabited by seafaring men,
the renowned city,
    who was strong in the sea,
she and her inhabitants,
    who caused their terror to be on all who lived there!”
18 Now the islands will tremble in the day of your fall.
    Yes, the islands that are in the sea will be dismayed at your departure.’

19 “For the Lord Yahweh says: ‘When I make you a desolate city, like the cities that are not inhabited; when I bring up the deep on you, and the great waters cover you; 20 then I will bring you down with those who descend into the pit, to the people of old time, and will make you dwell in the lower parts of the earth, in the places that are desolate of old, with those who go down to the pit, that you be not inhabited; and I will set glory in the land of the living. 21 I will make you a terror, and you will no more have any being. Though you are sought for, yet you will never be found again,’ says the Lord Yahweh.”

Proclamation against Tyre

26 In the twelfth year,[a] in the eleventh[b] month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me: Mortal, because Tyre said concerning Jerusalem,

“Aha, broken is the gateway of the peoples;
    it has swung open to me;
I shall be replenished,
    now that it is wasted,”(A)

therefore, thus says the Lord God:

See, I am against you, O Tyre!
    I will hurl many nations against you,
    as the sea hurls its waves.(B)
They shall destroy the walls of Tyre
    and break down its towers.
I will scrape its soil from it
    and make it a bare rock.(C)
It shall become, in the midst of the sea,
    a place for spreading nets.

I have spoken, says the Lord God.

It shall become plunder for the nations,(D)
    and its daughter towns inland
    shall be killed by the sword.

Then they shall know that I am the Lord.(E)

For thus says the Lord God: I will bring against Tyre from the north King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon, king of kings, together with horses, chariots, cavalry, and a great and powerful army.(F)

Your daughter towns inland
    he shall put to the sword.
He shall set up a siege wall against you,
    cast up a ramp against you,
    and raise a roof of shields against you.(G)
He shall direct the shock of his battering rams against your walls
    and break down your towers with his axes.(H)
10 His horses shall be so many
    that their dust shall cover you.
At the noise of cavalry, wheels, and chariots
    your very walls shall shake
when he enters your gates
    like those entering a breached city.(I)
11 With the hoofs of his horses
    he shall trample all your streets.
He shall put your people to the sword,
    and your strong pillars shall fall to the ground.(J)
12 They will take your riches
    and plunder your merchandise;
they shall break down your walls
    and destroy your fine houses.
Your stones and timber and soil
    they shall cast into the water.
13 I will silence the music of your songs;
    the sound of your lyres shall be heard no more.(K)
14 I will make you a bare rock;
    you shall be a place for spreading nets.
You shall never again be rebuilt,
    for I the Lord have spoken,
    says the Lord God.

15 Thus says the Lord God to Tyre: Shall not the coastlands shake at the sound of your fall, when the wounded groan, when slaughter goes on within you?(L) 16 Then all the princes of the sea shall step down from their thrones; they shall remove their robes and strip off their embroidered garments. They shall clothe themselves with trembling and shall sit on the ground; they shall tremble every moment and be appalled at you.(M) 17 And they shall raise a lamentation over you and say to you:

“How you have vanished[c] from the seas,
    O city renowned,
once mighty on the sea,
    you and your inhabitants,[d]
who imposed your[e] terror
    on all the mainland![f](N)
18 Now the coastlands tremble
    on the day of your fall;
the coastlands by the sea
    are dismayed at your passing.”(O)

19 For thus says the Lord God: When I make you a city laid waste, like cities that are not inhabited, when I bring up the deep over you and the great waters cover you, 20 then I will thrust you down with those who descend into the Pit, to the people of long ago, and I will make you live in the world below, among primeval ruins, with those who go down to the Pit, so that you will not be inhabited or have a place[g] in the land of the living.(P) 21 I will bring you to a dreadful end, and you shall be no more; though sought for, you will never be found again, says the Lord God.(Q)

Footnotes

  1. 26.1 Gk ms: Heb eleventh year
  2. 26.1 Cn: Heb lacks eleventh
  3. 26.17 Gk OL Aquila: Heb have vanished, O inhabited one,
  4. 26.17 Heb it and its inhabitants
  5. 26.17 Heb their
  6. 26.17 Cn: Heb its inhabitants
  7. 26.20 Gk: Heb I will give beauty