Add parallel Print Page Options

A Lament for Tyre

27 The word of the Lord came again to me, saying: Now you, son of man, take up a lamentation over Tyre. And say to Tyre who is situated at the entrance of the sea, who is a merchant of the peoples for many coastlands, Thus says the Lord God:

O Tyre, you have said,
    “I am perfect in beauty.”
Your borders are in the midst of the seas.
    Your builders have perfected your beauty.
They have made all your ship boards
    of fir trees from Senir;
they have taken cedars from Lebanon
    to make a mast for you.
Of the oaks of Bashan
    they have made your oars;
with ivory they have inlaid your deck of boxwood
    out of the coastlands of Cyprus.
Fine linen with embroidered work from Egypt was your sail,
    so that it became your distinguishing sign;
blue and purple from the coastlands of Elishah
    was your awning.
The inhabitants of Sidon and Arvad were your mariners;
    your wise men, O Tyre, were aboard; they were your pilots.
The elders of Byblos and her wise men
    were in you repairing your seams;
all the ships of the sea with their mariners
    were in you to deal in your merchandise.

10 They of Persia and of Lydia and of Put
    were in your army, your men of war;
they hung the shield and helmet in you;
    they set forth your comeliness.
11 The sons of Arvad and your army
    were upon your walls all around,
and the Gammad
    were in your towers;
they hung their shields on your walls all around;
    they have made your beauty perfect.

12 Tarshish was your merchant by reason of the multitude of all kinds of riches. With silver, iron, tin, and lead, they traded in your wares.

13 Greece, Tubal, and Meshek, they were your merchants. They traded in your market with the lives of men and vessels of bronze.

14 Those of Beth Togarmah gave horses and horsemen and mules for your wares.

15 The sons of Dedan were your merchants. Many coastlands were your merchandise. They brought you for a payment horns of ivory and ebony.

16 Aram was your merchant by reason of the multitude of your wares. They paid for your wares with emeralds, purple, embroidered work, fine linen, coral, and agate.

17 Judah and the land of Israel, they were your merchants. They traded in your market with the wheat of Minnith, cakes, honey, oil, and balm.

18 Damascus was your merchant in the multitude of your wares, because of the multitude of all kinds of riches, because of the wine of Helbon and white wool.

19 Dan and Javan paid for your wares from Izal. Bright iron, cassia, and sweet cane were in your market.

20 Dedan was your merchant in saddlecloths for chariots.

21 Arabia and all the officials of Kedar, they were your customers in lambs, rams, and goats. For these they were your merchants.

22 The merchants of Sheba and Raamah, they were your merchants. They paid for your wares with the best of all kinds of spices and with all kinds of precious stones and gold.

23 Harran, and Kanneh, and Eden, the merchants of Sheba, Ashur, and Kilmad, were your merchants. 24 They traded with you in choice garments, in clothes of blue and embroidered work, and in carpets of many colors and tightly wound cords, which were among your merchandise.

25 The ships of Tarshish were
    the carriers for your market.
And you were filled and were very glorious
    in the midst of the seas.
26 Your rowers have brought you
    into great waters;
the east wind has broken you
    in the midst of the seas.
27 Your riches and your wares, your merchandise,
    your mariners and your pilots, your caulkers,
and the dealers of your merchandise, and all your men of war who are in you,
    with all your company which is in your midst,
shall fall into the midst of the seas
    in the day of your ruin.
28 The meadowlands shall shake
    at the sound of the cry of your pilots.
29 All who handle the oar,
    the mariners and all the pilots of the sea,
shall come down from their ships;
    they shall stand upon the land.
30 And they shall cause their voice to be heard against you,
    and shall cry bitterly,
and shall cast up dust upon their heads;
    they shall wallow in ashes.
31 Also they shall make themselves utterly bald for you,
    and gird themselves with sackcloth;
and they shall weep for you with bitterness of heart
    and bitter wailing.
32 Also, in their wailing
    they shall take up a lamentation for you and lament over you, saying,
“Who is like Tyre, like her who is silent
    in the midst of the sea?
33 When your wares went out by sea,
    you filled many peoples;
you enriched the kings of the earth
    with the multitude of your riches and of your merchandise.
34 Now that you are broken by the seas
    in the depths of the waters,
your merchandise and all your company
    in your midst have fallen.
35 All the inhabitants of the coastlands
    shall be astonished at you,
and their kings shall be sorely afraid;
    they are troubled in countenance.
36 The merchants among the peoples hiss at you;
    you shall be a terror,
    and you shall cease to be forever.”