The Sinking of Tyre

27 The word of the Lord came to me: “Now, son of man, lament for Tyre.(A) Say to Tyre, who is situated at the entrance of the sea, merchant of the peoples(B) to many coasts and islands, ‘This is what the Lord God says:

Tyre, you declared,
“I am perfect in beauty.”
Your realm was in the heart of the sea;
your builders perfected your beauty.
They constructed all your planking
with pine trees from Senir.(C)
They took a cedar from Lebanon
to make a mast for you.
They made your oars of oaks from Bashan.
They made your deck of cypress wood
from the coasts of Cyprus,(D)
inlaid with ivory.
Your sail was made of
fine embroidered linen from Egypt,
and served as your banner.
Your awning was of blue and purple fabric
from the coasts of Elishah.
The inhabitants of Sidon and Arvad(E)
were your rowers.
Your wise men were within you, Tyre;
they were your captains.
The elders of Gebal and its wise men(F)
were within you, repairing your leaks.
“‘All the ships of the sea and their sailors
came to you to barter for your goods.
10 Men of Persia, Lud, and Put(G)
were in your army, serving as your warriors.
They hung shields and helmets in you;
they gave you splendor.
11 Men of Arvad and Helech
were stationed on your walls all around,
and Gammadites were in your towers.
They hung their shields[a] all around your walls;
they perfected your beauty.

12 “‘Tarshish(H) was your trading partner because of your abundant wealth of every kind. They exchanged silver, iron, tin, and lead for your merchandise. 13 Javan, Tubal, and Meshech(I) were your merchants. They exchanged slaves[b] and bronze utensils for your goods. 14 Those from Beth-togarmah(J) exchanged horses, war horses, and mules for your merchandise. 15 Men of Dedan[c](K) were also your merchants; many coasts and islands were your regular markets. They brought back ivory tusks(L) and ebony as your payment. 16 Aram[d] was your trading partner because of your numerous products. They exchanged turquoise,[e] purple and embroidered cloth, fine linen, coral,[f] and rubies[g] for your merchandise. 17 Judah and the land of Israel were your merchants. They exchanged wheat from Minnith,(M) meal,[h] honey, oil, and balm, for your goods. 18 Damascus was also your trading partner because of your numerous products and your abundant wealth of every kind, trading in wine from Helbon and white wool.[i] 19 Vedan[j] and Javan from Uzal[k](N) dealt in your merchandise; wrought iron, cassia,(O) and aromatic cane were exchanged for your goods. 20 Dedan(P) was your merchant in saddlecloths for riding. 21 Arabia and all the princes of Kedar were your business partners, trading with you in lambs, rams, and goats. 22 The merchants of Sheba(Q) and Raamah traded with you. For your merchandise they exchanged the best of all spices and all kinds of precious stones as well as gold.(R) 23 Haran, Canneh, Eden,(S) the merchants of Sheba, Asshur,(T) and Chilmad traded with you. 24 They were your merchants in choice garments, cloaks of blue and embroidered materials, and multicolored carpets,[l] which were bound and secured with cords in your marketplace. 25 Ships of Tarshish(U) were the carriers for your goods.

“‘So you became full and heavily loaded[m]
in the heart of the sea.
26 Your rowers have brought you
onto the high seas,(V)
but the east wind has wrecked you
in the heart of the sea.
27 Your wealth, merchandise, and goods,
your sailors and captains,
those who repair your leaks,
those who barter for your goods,
and all the warriors on board,
with all the other people within you,
sink into the heart of the sea
on the day of your downfall.

28 “‘The countryside shakes
at the sound of your sailors’ cries.(W)
29 All the oarsmen
disembark from their ships.
The sailors and all the captains of the sea
stand on the shore.
30 Because of you, they raise their voices
and cry out bitterly.
They throw dust on their heads;(X)
they roll in ashes.
31 They shave their heads because of you
and wrap themselves in sackcloth.
They weep over you
with deep anguish and bitter mourning.

32 “‘In their wailing they lament for you,(Y)
mourning over you:
“Who was like Tyre,
silenced[n] in the middle of the sea?
33 When your merchandise was unloaded from the seas,
you satisfied many peoples.
You enriched the kings of the earth
with your abundant wealth and goods.
34 Now you are wrecked by the sea
in the depths of the waters;
your goods and the people within you
have gone down.
35 All the inhabitants of the coasts and islands
are appalled(Z) at you.
Their kings shudder with fear;
their faces are contorted.
36 Those who trade among the peoples
scoff[o](AA) at you;
you have become an object of horror
and will never exist again.”’” (AB)

Footnotes

  1. 27:11 Or quivers; Hb obscure
  2. 27:13 Lit souls of men
  3. 27:15 LXX reads Rhodes
  4. 27:16 Some Hb mss, Aq, Syr read Edom
  5. 27:16 Hb obscure
  6. 27:16 Hb obscure
  7. 27:16 Hb obscure
  8. 27:17 Or resin; Hb obscure
  9. 27:18 Or and wool from Zahar
  10. 27:19 Or Dan
  11. 27:19 Hb obscure
  12. 27:24 Hb obscure
  13. 27:25 Or and very glorious
  14. 27:32 Hb obscure
  15. 27:36 Lit hiss

Tyre, the ship of state

27 The Lord’s word came to me: You, human one, sing a lament for Tyre. Say this about Tyre, who sits enthroned at the entrance to the sea, the people’s agent for trade throughout the coastlands. The Lord God proclaims:

Tyre, you say,
“I’m perfectly beautiful!”
    But your territory is in the depths of the sea,
    and it’s your builders who made you beautiful.
For you they made your deck of cypress from Senir.
    To make your mast, they took cedar from Lebanon.
For your oars, they used the oaks of Bashan.
    They made your hull, inlaid with ivory, of boxwood from the coasts of Cyprus.
Fine embroidered linen from Egypt was your sail;
    it became your emblem.
    Your awning was made of blue and purple cloth from the coasts of Elishah.

The princes of Sidon and Arvad were your oarsmen. Your own wise men were in you as your helmsmen. The elders and wise men of Gebal were in you, patching up your leaks. Every seagoing ship and its sailors came to do business with you. 10 Paras, Lud, and Put were the warriors in your army. By hanging their shields and helmets on you, they made you radiant. 11 The men of Arvad and Helech were stationed on your walls all around; the men of Gamad were in your towers. They hung their weapons on your walls all around. They were the ones who completed your beauty.

12 Tarshish was your procurer of great wealth. For your wares, they exchanged silver, iron, tin, and lead. 13 Javan, Tubal, and Meshech were your agents in human trafficking. They gave you bronze vessels for these wares of yours. 14 Beth-togarmah traded horses, warhorses, and mules for your wares. 15 Islanders from Rhodes[a] were your agents. By contract they procured ebony and ivory for you from many coastlands. 16 Aram was your agent for many products. They traded turquoise, purple cloth, colorful brocades, linen, coral, and rubies for your wares. 17 Judah and the land of Israel were your agents, trading the finest wheat,[b] millet,[c] honey, oil, and balm for your wares. 18 For many of your finished products, Damascus traded out of its great wealth the wine of Helbon and white wool. 19 Vedan and Javan from the region of Uzal traded with you. They exchanged wrought iron, cinnamon, and spices for your wares. 20 Dedan was your agent for saddle blankets. 21 Arabia and all the princes of Kedar traded for you. They procured lambs, rams, and goats for you. 22 They were your agents in Sheba and Raamah. For your wares they exchanged the finest spices, every kind of precious stone, and gold. 23 Haran, Canneh, and Eden were your agents,[d] and also Assyria and Chilmad. 24 They procured fine finished goods for you, garments of purple and brocade, and plush carpets rolled up and securely tied with ropes, among your acquisitions. 25 The ships of Tarshish carried your goods.

You were filled to capacity and heavily laden in the middle of the sea.
26 Your oarsmen brought you out onto the high seas;
    an east wind sank you into the sea’s depths.
27 Your goods, your wares, your wealth,
    your sailors, your helmsmen, those patching your leaks,
    your merchants, all your warriors in you,
    and all the company that is with you—
        they also sank into the sea’s depth
        on the day of your demise.
28 At your helmsmen’s cries for help,
    the troubled waters seethe.
29 Those entrusted with the oars desert their posts.
    All sailors and helmsmen seek footing on the shore.
30 Loudly they cry,
    bitterly they wail,
    and they put dust on their heads
    and cover themselves with ashes.
31 They cut off all their hair
    and put on mourning clothes.
In despair they weep for you,
    and bitterly perform the mourning rites.
32 In their lamentation they raise a lament for you;
    they sing lamentions over you:
        “Who was like Tyre, silenced in the middle of the sea?”

33 When your wares came out from the seas,
    you satisfied many people.
Your abundant wealth and merchandise
    enriched the kings of the earth.
34 Now you are shattered by the seas;
    your cargoes, as well as everyone in your company,
    are sunk into the water’s depths.
35 Now the inhabitants of the coastlands
    shudder on account of you.
And as for their kings, their hair stands on end;
    their faces betray their horror.
36 The merchants for the peoples hiss because of you.
    You have become a terror;
        from now on you are nothing.

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 27:15 Heb Dedan
  2. Ezekiel 27:17 Or wheat from Minnith
  3. Ezekiel 27:17 Heb uncertain
  4. Ezekiel 27:23 LXX; MT adds Sheba.