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27 Yahweh’s word came again to me, saying, “You, son of man, take up a lamentation over Tyre; and tell Tyre, ‘You who dwell at the entry of the sea, who are the merchant of the peoples to many islands, the Lord Yahweh says:

“You, Tyre, have said,
    ‘I am perfect in beauty.’
Your borders are in the heart of the seas.
    Your builders have perfected your beauty.
They have made all your planks of cypress trees from Senir.
    They have taken a cedar from Lebanon to make a mast for you.
They have made your oars of the oaks of Bashan.
    They have made your benches of ivory inlaid in cypress wood from the islands of Kittim.
Your sail was of fine linen with embroidered work from Egypt,
    that it might be to you for a banner.
    Blue and purple from the islands of Elishah was your awning.
The inhabitants of Sidon and Arvad were your rowers.
    Your wise men, Tyre, were in you.
    They were your pilots.
The old men of Gebal
    and its wise men were your repairers of ship seams in you.
All the ships of the sea with their mariners were in you
    to deal in your merchandise.

10 “‘“Persia, Lud, and Put were in your army,
    your men of war.
They hung the shield and helmet in you.
    They showed your beauty.
11 The men of Arvad with your army were on your walls all around,
    and valiant men were in your towers.
They hung their shields on your walls all around.
    They have perfected your beauty.

12 “‘“Tarshish was your merchant by reason of the multitude of all kinds of riches. They traded for your wares with silver, iron, tin, and lead.

13 “‘“Javan, Tubal, and Meshech were your traders. They traded the persons of men and vessels of bronze for your merchandise.

14 “‘“They of the house of Togarmah traded for your wares with horses, war horses, and mules.

15 “‘“The men of Dedan traded with you. Many islands were the market of your hand. They brought you horns of ivory and ebony in exchange.

16 “‘“Syria was your merchant by reason of the multitude of your handiworks. They traded for your wares with emeralds, purple, embroidered work, fine linen, coral, and rubies.

17 “‘“Judah and the land of Israel were your traders. They traded wheat of Minnith, confections, honey, oil, and balm for your merchandise.

18 “‘“Damascus was your merchant for the multitude of your handiworks, by reason of the multitude of all kinds of riches, with the wine of Helbon, and white wool.

19 “‘“Vedan and Javan traded with yarn for your wares: bright iron, cassia, and calamus were among your merchandise.

20 “‘“Dedan was your trafficker in precious cloths for riding.

21 “‘“Arabia, and all the princes of Kedar were the merchants of your hand; in lambs, rams, and goats. In these, they were your merchants.

22 “‘“The traders of Sheba and Raamah were your traders. They traded for your wares with the chief of all spices, and with all precious stones, and gold.

23 “‘“Haran, Canneh, and Eden, the traders of Sheba, Asshur and Chilmad, were your traders. 24 These were your traders in choice wares, in wrappings of blue and embroidered work, and in chests of rich clothing, bound with cords and made of cedar, among your merchandise.

25 “‘“The ships of Tarshish were your caravans for your merchandise.
    You were replenished
    and made very glorious in the heart of the seas.
26 Your rowers have brought you into great waters.
    The east wind has broken you in the heart of the seas.
27 Your riches,
    your wares,
    your merchandise,
your mariners,
    your pilots,
    your repairers of ship seams,
the dealers in your merchandise,
    and all your men of war, who are in you,
with all your company which is among you,
    will fall into the heart of the seas in the day of your ruin.
28 At the sound of the cry of your pilots,
    the pasture lands will shake.
29 All who handle the oars,
    the mariners and all the pilots of the sea,
    will come down from their ships.
They will stand on the land,
30     and will cause their voice to be heard over you,
    and will cry bitterly.
They will cast up dust on their heads.
    They will wallow in the ashes.
31 They will make themselves bald for you,
    and clothe themselves with sackcloth.
They will weep for you in bitterness of soul,
    with bitter mourning.
32 In their wailing they will take up a lamentation for you,
    and lament over you, saying,
‘Who is there like Tyre,
    like her who is brought to silence in the middle of the sea?’
33 When your wares went out of the seas,
    you filled many peoples.
You enriched the kings of the earth
    with the multitude of your riches and of your merchandise.
34 In the time that you were broken by the seas,
    in the depths of the waters,
your merchandise
    and all your company fell within you.
35 All the inhabitants of the islands are astonished at you,
    and their kings are horribly afraid.
    They are troubled in their face.
36 The merchants among the peoples hiss at you.
    You have become a terror,
    and you will be no more.”’”

A Lament for Doomed Tyre

27 And the word of Yahweh came[a] to me, saying,[b] “And you, son of man,[c] raise a lament against Tyre. And you must say to Tyre, the one who sits at the entrance of the sea as the merchant of the peoples to the many coastlands, ‘Thus says the Lord Yahweh:

Tyre, you yourself said[d]
    “I am perfect in beauty!”[e]
In the heart of the seas are your boundaries;
    your builders perfected your beauty.
They built with pine trees from Senir
    all of your boards for you;
they took cedars from Lebanon
    to make a sailing mast for you.[f]
They made your oars
    with oaks from Bashan;
your deck they made with inlaid ivory,
    with cypress trees from the coastlands of Cyprus.[g]
Your sail was fine linen with colorful weaving from Egypt
    to serve as a banner for you;[h]
blue and purple cloth from the coastlands of Cyprus[i]
    was your awning.
The inhabitants of Sidon and Arvan
    were your rowers;
your skilled men,[j] O Tyre, were from your own people,[k]
    and they were your seamen.
The elders of Gebal and its skilled men[l] were among you[m]
    as the repairers of the seam of your boat;
all of the ships of the sea and their mariners were among you[n]
    to barter your wares.
10 Persia and Lud and Put
    were among your soldiers;[o]
small shield and helmet hung among you[p]
    and gave to you your adornment.
11 The people[q] of Arvan and Helech
    were on your walls all around,
and Gammadites
    were in your towers.
They hung their quivers[r] on your walls all around;
    they perfected your beauty.

12 “‘Tarshish was your trader; from the abundance of all of their wealth, with silver, iron, tin, and lead they exchanged for your merchandise. 13 Javan, Tubal, and Meshech were your traders; in exchange for people[s] and an object of bronze they gave you your wares. 14 From Beth Togarmah they exchanged horses and war horses and mules for your wares. 15 The people[t] of Dedan were trading with you, many coastlands composed the region of your influence;[u] they brought back horns of ivory and ebony as your payment. 16 Edom[v] was trading with you because of the abundance of your products, trading with malachite, purple wool yarn and colorful weaving, and fine white fabric and black corals and rubies; all these they exchange for your merchandise. 17 Judah and the land of Israel were trading with you with wheat from Minnith and millet and honey and olive oil and balm; all these they gave for your wares. 18 Damascus was trading with you because of[w] the abundance of your products, because of the abundance of all of your wealth, trading with the wine of Helbon and white wool. 19 Vedan and Javan from Uzal, they exchanged wrought iron, cinnamon,[x] and reed spice for your merchandise; all this was for your wares. 20 Dedan was trading with you, with garments of woven material for riding. 21 Arabia and all of the leaders of Kedar were your customers;[y] with young rams and adult rams and goats they were trading with them with you. 22 The traders of Sheba and Raamah were trading with you, with the finest of every spice and with every precious stone and gold; they exchanged all these for your merchandise. 23 Haran and Canneh and Eden, the traders of Sheba, Assyria, and Kilmad were trading with you. 24 They were trading with you in finery, in mantles of blue cloth and colorful embroidered work and with rugs of variegated cloth in twisted cords and knotted tightly; these were among your merchandise.[z] 25 The ships of Tarshish were carrying for you your wares, and you were filled, and you became very heavy in the heart of the seas.

26 “‘Into many waters
    the rowers brought you;
but the east wind[aa] wrecked you
    in the heart of the seas.
27 Your wealth and your merchandise, your wares,
    your mariners, and your seamen,
your shipwrights[ab] and the barterers of your wares
    and all of your soldiers[ac] who are in you,
along[ad] with all of your crew who are in the midst of you,
    they will fall in the heart of the seas on the day of your downfall.
28 At the sound of the shout[ae] of your seamen,
    the pasturelands will shake.
29 And they will go down from their ships,
    all of those holding an oar,
mariners, all of the seamen of the sea
    will stand on the land,
30 and they will lament[af] over you with their voice,
    and they will cry out[ag] bitterly,
and they will throw[ah] dust on their heads,
    and they will roll[ai] in the dust.
31 They will shave themselves bald for your sake,[aj]
    and they will dress[ak] themselves in sackcloth,
and they will weep[al] over you with a bitterness of soul[am]
    and with bitter wailing.
32 And they will raise[an] over you with their wailing a lament,
    and they will chant[ao] a lament over you:
‘Who is like Tyre,
    like this destruction in the midst of the sea?’
33 When your merchandise went out from the seas,
    you satisfied many peoples with the abundance of your wealth,
and by your wares
    you made rich the kings of the world.
34 Now you are broken by seas
    in the depths of waters;
your wares and all of your crew
    in the midst of you have sunk.
35 All of the inhabitants of the coastlands
    are appalled over you,
and their kings shudder[ap] in horror;
    they distort their faces![aq]
36 The traders among the peoples hiss over you;
    you have become a horror,
    and you shall be no more forever!’”[ar]

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 27:1 Literally “was”
  2. Ezekiel 27:1 Literally “to say”
  3. Ezekiel 27:2 Or “mortal,” or “son of humankind”
  4. Ezekiel 27:3 Literally “you you said”
  5. Ezekiel 27:3 Literally “of beauty”
  6. Ezekiel 27:5 Literally “on you”
  7. Ezekiel 27:6 According to the reading tradition (Qere)
  8. Ezekiel 27:7 Literally “to be for you as a banner”
  9. Ezekiel 27:7 Or “Elishah”
  10. Ezekiel 27:8 Literally “wise men”
  11. Ezekiel 27:8 Literally “in you”
  12. Ezekiel 27:9 Literally “wise men”
  13. Ezekiel 27:9 Literally “in you”
  14. Ezekiel 27:9 Literally “in you”
  15. Ezekiel 27:10 Literally “in your army as the men of war your”
  16. Ezekiel 27:10 Literally “in you”
  17. Ezekiel 27:11 Or “children,” or “sons”
  18. Ezekiel 27:11 Or “shields” (cf. NJPS; NIV)
  19. Ezekiel 27:13 Or “for a human person/soul”
  20. Ezekiel 27:15 Or “children”
  21. Ezekiel 27:15 Literally “hand”
  22. Ezekiel 27:16 Reading Edom for Aram
  23. Ezekiel 27:18 Literally “for”
  24. Ezekiel 27:19 Or “cassia”
  25. Ezekiel 27:21 Literally “traders of your hand”
  26. Ezekiel 27:24 Literally “in your trading/marketplace” (cf. NET)
  27. Ezekiel 27:26 Literally “the wind of the east”
  28. Ezekiel 27:27 Literally “the repairers/strengtheners of your seams”
  29. Ezekiel 27:27 Literally “the men of your war”
  30. Ezekiel 27:27 Hebrew “and”
  31. Ezekiel 27:28 Or “cry”
  32. Ezekiel 27:30 Hebrew “lamented”
  33. Ezekiel 27:30 Hebrew “cried out”
  34. Ezekiel 27:30 Hebrew “threw”
  35. Ezekiel 27:30 Hebrew “rolled”
  36. Ezekiel 27:31 Literally “And they made bald for you with baldness”
  37. Ezekiel 27:31 Hebrew “dressed”
  38. Ezekiel 27:31 Hebrew “wept”
  39. Ezekiel 27:31 Or “of their inner self”
  40. Ezekiel 27:32 Hebrew “raised”
  41. Ezekiel 27:32 Hebrew “chanted”
  42. Ezekiel 27:35 Literally “they have bristling hair”
  43. Ezekiel 27:35 Literally “they are distorted as to faces”
  44. Ezekiel 27:36 Literally “there is not you until eternity/endless ages” (cf. NRSV)