Ezekiel 27
New King James Version
Lamentation for Tyre
27 The word of the Lord came again to me, saying, 2 “Now, son of man, (A)take up a lamentation for Tyre, 3 and say to Tyre, (B)‘You who [a]are situated at the entrance of the sea, (C)merchant of the peoples on many coastlands, thus says the Lord God:
“O Tyre, you have said,
(D)‘I am perfect in beauty.’
4 Your borders are in the midst of the seas.
Your builders have perfected your beauty.
5 They [b]made all your planks of fir trees from (E)Senir;
They took a cedar from Lebanon to make you a mast.
6 Of (F)oaks from Bashan they made your oars;
The company of Ashurites have inlaid your planks
With ivory from (G)the coasts of [c]Cyprus.
7 Fine embroidered linen from Egypt was what you spread for your sail;
Blue and purple from the coasts of Elishah was what covered you.
8 “Inhabitants of Sidon and Arvad were your oarsmen;
Your wise men, O Tyre, were in you;
They became your pilots.
9 Elders of (H)Gebal and its wise men
Were in you to caulk your seams;
All the ships of the sea
And their oarsmen were in you
To market your merchandise.
10 “Those from Persia, [d]Lydia, and [e]Libya
Were in your army as men of war;
They hung shield and helmet in you;
They gave splendor to you.
11 Men of Arvad with your army were on your walls all around,
And the men of Gammad were in your towers;
They hung their shields on your walls all around;
They made (I)your beauty perfect.
12 (J)“Tarshish was your merchant because of your many luxury goods. They gave you silver, iron, tin, and lead for your goods. 13 (K)Javan, Tubal, and Meshech were your traders. They bartered (L)human lives and vessels of bronze for your merchandise. 14 Those from the house of (M)Togarmah traded for your wares with horses, steeds, and mules. 15 The men of (N)Dedan were your traders; many isles were the market of your hand. They brought you ivory tusks and ebony as payment. 16 Syria was your merchant because of the abundance of goods you made. They gave you for your wares emeralds, purple, embroidery, fine linen, corals, and rubies. 17 Judah and the land of Israel were your traders. They traded for your merchandise wheat of (O)Minnith, millet, honey, oil, and (P)balm. 18 Damascus was your merchant because of the abundance of goods you made, because of your many luxury items, with the wine of Helbon and with white wool. 19 Dan and Javan paid for your wares, [f]traversing back and forth. Wrought iron, cassia, and cane were among your merchandise. 20 (Q)Dedan was your merchant in saddlecloths for riding. 21 Arabia and all the princes of (R)Kedar were your regular merchants. They traded with you in lambs, rams, and goats. 22 The merchants of (S)Sheba and Raamah were your merchants. They traded for your wares the choicest spices, all kinds of precious stones, and gold. 23 (T)Haran, Canneh, Eden, the merchants of (U)Sheba, Assyria, and Chilmad were your merchants. 24 These were your merchants in choice items—in purple clothes, in embroidered garments, in chests of multicolored apparel, in sturdy woven cords, which were in your marketplace.
25 “The (V)ships of Tarshish were carriers of your merchandise.
You were filled and very glorious (W)in the midst of the seas.
26 Your oarsmen brought you into many waters,
But (X)the east wind broke you in the midst of the seas.
27 “Your (Y)riches, wares, and merchandise,
Your mariners and pilots,
Your caulkers and merchandisers,
All your men of war who are in you,
And the entire company which is in your midst,
Will fall into the midst of the seas on the day of your ruin.
28 The (Z)common-land[g] will shake at the sound of the cry of your pilots.
29 “All (AA)who handle the oar,
The mariners,
All the pilots of the sea
Will come down from their ships and stand on the [h]shore.
30 They will make their voice heard because of you;
They will cry bitterly and (AB)cast dust on their heads;
They (AC)will roll about in ashes;
31 They will (AD)shave themselves completely bald because of you,
Gird themselves with sackcloth,
And weep for you
With bitterness of heart and bitter wailing.
32 In their wailing for you
They will (AE)take up a lamentation,
And lament for you:
(AF)‘What city is like Tyre,
Destroyed in the midst of the sea?
33 ‘When(AG) your wares went out by sea,
You satisfied many people;
You enriched the kings of the earth
With your many luxury goods and your merchandise.
34 But (AH)you are broken by the seas in the depths of the waters;
(AI)Your merchandise and the entire company will fall in your midst.
35 (AJ)All the inhabitants of the isles will be astonished at you;
Their kings will be greatly afraid,
And their countenance will be troubled.
36 The merchants among the peoples (AK)will hiss at you;
(AL)You will become a horror, and be no (AM)more forever.’ ” ’ ”
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 27:3 Lit. sit or dwell
- Ezekiel 27:5 built
- Ezekiel 27:6 Heb. Kittim, western lands, especially Cyprus
- Ezekiel 27:10 Heb. Lud
- Ezekiel 27:10 Heb. Put
- Ezekiel 27:19 LXX, Syr. from Uzal
- Ezekiel 27:28 open lands or pasturelands
- Ezekiel 27:29 Lit. land
Ezekiel 27
Easy-to-Read Version
Tyre, the Door to the Seas
27 The word of the Lord came to me again. He said, 2 “Son of man,[a] sing this sad song about Tyre. 3 Say this about Tyre: ‘Tyre, you are the door to the seas. You are the merchant for many nations. You travel to many countries along the coast. This is what the Lord God says:
“Tyre, you think that you are so beautiful.
You think you are perfectly beautiful!
4 The Mediterranean Sea is the border around your city.
Your builders made you perfectly beautiful,
like the ships that sail from you.
5 Your builders used cypress trees
from the mountains of Senir to make your planks.
They used cedar trees from Lebanon
to make your mast.
6 They used oak trees from Bashan
to make your oars.
They used pine trees from Cyprus
to make the cabin on your deck.[b]
They decorated that shelter with ivory.
7 For your sail, they used colorful linen made in Egypt.
That sail was your flag.
The coverings over your cabin were blue and purple.
They came from the coast of Cyprus.[c]
8 Men from Sidon and Arvad rowed your boats for you.
Tyre, your wise men were the pilots on your ships.
9 The elders and wise men from Byblos[d]
were on board to help put caulking[e] between the boards on your ship.
All the ships of the sea and their sailors
came to trade and do business with you.
10 “‘Men from Persia, Lud, and Put were in your army. They were your men of war who hung their shields and helmets on your walls. They brought honor and glory to your city. 11 Men from Arvad and Cilicia were guards standing on the wall around your city. Men from Gammad were in your towers. They hung their shields on the walls around your city and made your beauty complete.
12 “‘Tarshish was one of your best customers. They traded silver, iron, tin, and lead for all the wonderful things you sold. 13 People in Greece, Turkey, and the area around the Black Sea traded with you. They traded slaves and bronze for the things you sold. 14 People from the nation[f] of Togarmah traded horses, war horses, and mules for the things you sold. 15 The people of Rhodes[g] traded with you. You sold your things in many places. People brought ivory tusks and ebony wood to pay you. 16 Aram traded with you because you had so many good things. They traded emeralds, purple cloth, fine needlework, fine linen, coral, and rubies for the things you sold.
17 “‘The people in Judah and Israel traded with you. They paid for the things you sold with the wheat, olives, early figs, honey, oil, and balm.[h] 18 Damascus was a good customer. They traded with you for the many wonderful things you had. They traded wine from Helbon and white wool for those things. 19 Damascus traded wine from Uzal for the things you sold. They paid with wrought iron, cassia, and sugar cane. 20 Dedan provided good business and traded with you for saddle blankets and riding horses. 21 Arabia and all the leaders of Kedar traded lambs, rams, and goats for your goods. 22 The merchants of Sheba and Raamah traded with you. They traded all the best spices and every kind of precious stone and gold for your goods. 23 Haran, Canneh, Eden, the merchants of Sheba, Asshur, and Kilmad traded with you. 24 They paid with the finest clothing, blue cloth, cloth with fine needlework, rugs of many colors, and the strongest ropes. These were the things they traded with you. 25 The ships from Tarshish carried the things you sold.
“‘Tyre, you are like one of those cargo ships.
You are on the sea, loaded with many riches.
26 Your oarsmen rowed you far out to sea.
But a powerful east wind will destroy your ship at sea.
27 All your wealth will spill into the sea.
Your wealth—the things you buy and sell—will spill into the sea.
Your whole crew—sailors, pilots, and the men who put caulking between the boards on your ship—
will spill into the sea.
The merchants and soldiers in your city
will all sink into the sea.
That will happen on the day
that you are destroyed!
28 “‘You send your merchants to faraway places.
Those places will shake with fear when they hear your pilots’ cry!
29 Your whole crew will jump ship.
The sailors and pilots will jump ship and swim to the shore.
30 They will be very sad about you.
They will cry, throw dust on their heads, and roll in ashes.
31 They will shave their heads for you.
They will put on sackcloth.
They will cry for you like someone crying for someone who died.
32 “‘And in their loud crying they will sing this sad song about you:
“‘No one is like Tyre!
Tyre is destroyed, in the middle of the sea!
33 Your merchants sailed across the seas.
You satisfied many people with your great wealth and the things you sold.
You made the kings of the earth rich!
34 But now you are broken by the seas
and by the deep waters.
All the things you sell
and all your people have fallen.
35 All the people living on the coast
are shocked about you.
Their kings are terrified.
Their faces show their shock.
36 The merchants in other nations whistle about you.
What happened to you will frighten people,
because you were destroyed.
You are gone forever.’”
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 27:2 Son of man This was usually just a way of saying “a person” or “a human being.” Here, it is a way of addressing Ezekiel.
- Ezekiel 27:6 deck The floor of a ship.
- Ezekiel 27:7 Cyprus Literally, “Elishah.” This might be the area near Enkomi, Cyprus, or it might be the Greek islands.
- Ezekiel 27:9 Byblos Literally, “Gebal.”
- Ezekiel 27:9 caulking Often a mixture of tar and rope that was put between the boards to make a ship watertight so that it would not leak. Also in verse 27.
- Ezekiel 27:14 nation Literally, “house.” This might mean the royal family of that country.
- Ezekiel 27:15 Rhodes Or “Dedan.” See verse 20.
- Ezekiel 27:17 balm An ointment from some kinds of trees and plants. It is used as medicine.
Ezekiel 27
New Living Translation
The End of Tyre’s Glory
27 Then this message came to me from the Lord: 2 “Son of man, sing a funeral song for Tyre, 3 that mighty gateway to the sea, the trading center of the world. Give Tyre this message from the Sovereign Lord:
“You boasted, O Tyre,
‘My beauty is perfect!’
4 You extended your boundaries into the sea.
Your builders made your beauty perfect.
5 You were like a great ship
built of the finest cypress from Senir.[a]
They took a cedar from Lebanon
to make a mast for you.
6 They carved your oars
from the oaks of Bashan.
Your deck of pine from the coasts of Cyprus[b]
was inlaid with ivory.
7 Your sails were made of Egypt’s finest linen,
and they flew as a banner above you.
You stood beneath blue and purple awnings
made bright with dyes from the coasts of Elishah.
8 Your oarsmen came from Sidon and Arvad;
your helmsmen were skilled men from Tyre itself.
9 Wise old craftsmen from Gebal did the caulking.
Ships from every land came with goods to barter for your trade.
10 “Men from distant Persia, Lydia, and Libya[c] served in your great army. They hung their shields and helmets on your walls, giving you great honor. 11 Men from Arvad and Helech stood on your walls. Your towers were manned by men from Gammad. Their shields hung on your walls, completing your beauty.
12 “Tarshish sent merchants to buy your wares in exchange for silver, iron, tin, and lead. 13 Merchants from Greece,[d] Tubal, and Meshech brought slaves and articles of bronze to trade with you.
14 “From Beth-togarmah came riding horses, chariot horses, and mules, all in exchange for your goods. 15 Merchants came to you from Dedan.[e] Numerous coastlands were your captive markets; they brought payment in ivory tusks and ebony wood.
16 “Syria[f] sent merchants to buy your rich variety of goods. They traded turquoise, purple dyes, embroidery, fine linen, and jewelry of coral and rubies. 17 Judah and Israel traded for your wares, offering wheat from Minnith, figs,[g] honey, olive oil, and balm.
18 “Damascus sent merchants to buy your rich variety of goods, bringing wine from Helbon and white wool from Zahar. 19 Greeks from Uzal[h] came to trade for your merchandise. Wrought iron, cassia, and fragrant calamus were bartered for your wares.
20 “Dedan sent merchants to trade their expensive saddle blankets with you. 21 The Arabians and the princes of Kedar sent merchants to trade lambs and rams and male goats in exchange for your goods. 22 The merchants of Sheba and Raamah came with all kinds of spices, jewels, and gold in exchange for your wares.
23 “Haran, Canneh, Eden, Sheba, Asshur, and Kilmad came with their merchandise, too. 24 They brought choice fabrics to trade—blue cloth, embroidery, and multicolored carpets rolled up and bound with cords. 25 The ships of Tarshish were your ocean caravans. Your island warehouse was filled to the brim!
The Destruction of Tyre
26 “But look! Your oarsmen
have taken you into stormy seas!
A mighty eastern gale
has wrecked you in the heart of the sea!
27 Everything is lost—
your riches and wares,
your sailors and pilots,
your ship builders, merchants, and warriors.
On the day of your ruin,
everyone on board sinks into the depths of the sea.
28 Your cities by the sea tremble
as your pilots cry out in terror.
29 All the oarsmen abandon their ships;
the sailors and pilots stand on the shore.
30 They cry aloud over you
and weep bitterly.
They throw dust on their heads
and roll in ashes.
31 They shave their heads in grief for you
and dress themselves in burlap.
They weep for you with bitter anguish
and deep mourning.
32 As they wail and mourn over you,
they sing this sad funeral song:
‘Was there ever such a city as Tyre,
now silent at the bottom of the sea?
33 The merchandise you traded
satisfied the desires of many nations.
Kings at the ends of the earth
were enriched by your trade.
34 Now you are a wrecked ship,
broken at the bottom of the sea.
All your merchandise and crew
have gone down with you.
35 All who live along the coastlands
are appalled at your terrible fate.
Their kings are filled with horror
and look on with twisted faces.
36 The merchants among the nations
shake their heads at the sight of you,[i]
for you have come to a horrible end
and will exist no more.’”
Footnotes
- 27:5 Or Hermon.
- 27:6 Hebrew Kittim.
- 27:10 Hebrew Paras, Lud, and Put.
- 27:13 Hebrew Javan.
- 27:15 Greek version reads Rhodes.
- 27:16 Hebrew Aram; some manuscripts read Edom.
- 27:17 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
- 27:19 Hebrew Vedan and Javan from Uzal. The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
- 27:36 Hebrew hiss at you.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
