Ezekiel 28
Good News Translation
Prophecy against the King of Tyre
28 The Lord spoke to me. 2 “Mortal man,” he said, “tell the ruler of Tyre what I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying to him: Puffed up with pride, you claim to be a god. You say that like a god you sit on a throne, surrounded by the seas. You may pretend to be a god, but, no, you are mortal, not divine. 3 You think you are wiser than Danel,[a] that no secret can be kept from you. 4 Your wisdom and skill made you rich with treasures of gold and silver. 5 You made clever business deals and kept on making profits. How proud you are of your wealth!
6 “Now then, this is what I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying: Because you think you are as wise as a god, 7 I will bring ruthless enemies to attack you. They will destroy all the beautiful things you have acquired by skill and wisdom. 8 They will kill you and send you to a watery grave. 9 When they come to kill you, will you still claim that you are a god? When you face your murderers, you will be mortal and not at all divine. 10 You will die like a dog at the hand of godless foreigners. I, the Sovereign Lord, have given the command.”
The Fall of the King of Tyre
11 The Lord spoke to me again. 12 “Mortal man,” he said, “grieve for the fate that is waiting for the king of Tyre. Tell him what I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying: You were once an example of perfection. How wise and handsome you were! 13 You lived in Eden, the garden of God, and wore gems of every kind: rubies and diamonds; topaz, beryl, carnelian, and jasper; sapphires, emeralds, and garnets. You had ornaments of gold. They were made for you[b] on the day you were created. 14 I put a terrifying angel there to guard you.[c] You lived on my holy mountain and walked among sparkling gems. 15 Your conduct was perfect from the day you were created until you began to do evil. 16 You were busy buying and selling, and this led you to violence and sin. So I forced you to leave my holy mountain, and the angel who guarded you drove you away from the sparkling gems. 17 You were proud of being handsome, and your fame made you act like a fool. Because of this I hurled you to the ground and left you as a warning to other kings. 18 You did such evil in buying and selling that your places of worship were corrupted. So I set fire to the city and burned it to the ground. All who look at you now see you reduced to ashes. 19 You are gone, gone forever, and all the nations that had come to know you are terrified, afraid that they will share your fate.”
Prophecy against Sidon
20 (A)The Lord said to me, 21 “Mortal man, denounce the city of Sidon. 22 Tell the people there what I, the Sovereign Lord, say about them: I am your enemy, Sidon; people will praise me because of what I do to you. They will know that I am the Lord, when I show how holy I am by punishing those who live in you. 23 I will send diseases on you and make blood flow in your streets. You will be attacked from every side, and your people will be killed. Then you will know that I am the Lord.”
Israel Will Be Blessed
24 The Lord said, “None of the surrounding nations that treated Israel with scorn will ever again be like thorns and briers to hurt Israel. And they will know that I am the Sovereign Lord.”
25 The Sovereign Lord said, “I will bring back the people of Israel from the nations where I scattered them, and all the nations will know that I am holy. The people of Israel will live in their own land, the land that I gave to my servant Jacob. 26 They will live there in safety. They will build houses and plant vineyards. I will punish all their neighbors who treated them with scorn, and Israel will be secure. Then they will know that I am the Lord their God.”
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 28:3 Danel; or Daniel (see 14.14).
- Ezekiel 28:13 Probable text They were made for you; Hebrew unclear.
- Ezekiel 28:14 One ancient translation I put … you; Hebrew unclear.
Ezekiel 28
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Proclamation against the King of Tyre
28 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 Mortal, say to the prince of Tyre: Thus says the Lord God:
Because your heart is proud
and you have said, “I am a god;
I sit in the seat of the gods,
in the heart of the seas,”
yet you are but a mortal and no god,
though you compare your mind
with the mind of a god.(A)
3 You are indeed wiser than Daniel;[a]
no secret is hidden from you;(B)
4 by your wisdom and your understanding
you have amassed wealth for yourself
and have gathered gold and silver
into your treasuries.(C)
5 By your great wisdom in trade
you have increased your wealth,
and your heart has become proud in your wealth.(D)
6 Therefore thus says the Lord God:
Because you compare your mind
with the mind of a god,(E)
7 therefore, I will bring strangers against you,
the most terrible of the nations;
they shall draw their swords against the beauty of your wisdom
and defile your splendor.(F)
8 They shall thrust you down to the Pit,
and you shall die a violent death
in the heart of the seas.(G)
9 Will you still say, “I am a god,”
in the presence of those who kill you,
though you are but a mortal and no god,
in the hands of those who pierce you?
10 You shall die the death of the uncircumcised
by the hand of foreigners,
for I have spoken, says the Lord God.(H)
Lamentation over the King of Tyre
11 Moreover the word of the Lord came to me: 12 Mortal, raise a lamentation over the king of Tyre, and say to him: Thus says the Lord God:
You were the signet of perfection,[b]
full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.(I)
13 You were in Eden, the garden of God;
every precious stone was your covering,
carnelian, chrysolite, and moonstone,
beryl, onyx, and jasper,
sapphire,[c] turquoise, and emerald;
and worked in gold were your settings
and your engravings.[d]
On the day that you were created
they were prepared.(J)
14 You were a cherub;[e]
I placed you on the holy mountain of God;
you walked among the stones of fire.(K)
15 You were blameless in your ways
from the day that you were created,
until iniquity was found in you.(L)
16 In the abundance of your trade
you were filled with violence, and you sinned,
so I cast you as a profane thing from the mountain of God,
and I drove you out, O guardian cherub,
from among the stones of fire.(M)
17 Your heart was proud because of your beauty;
you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor.
I cast you to the ground;
I exposed you before kings,
to feast their eyes on you.(N)
18 By the multitude of your iniquities,
in the unrighteousness of your trade,
you profaned your sanctuaries.
So I brought out fire from within you;
it consumed you,
and I turned you to ashes on the earth
in the sight of all who saw you.(O)
19 All who know you among the peoples
are appalled at you;
you have come to a dreadful end
and shall be no more forever.(P)
Proclamation against Sidon
20 The word of the Lord came to me: 21 Mortal, set your face toward Sidon, and prophesy against it,(Q) 22 and say: Thus says the Lord God:
I am against you, O Sidon,
and I will gain glory in your midst.
They shall know that I am the Lord
when I execute judgments in it
and manifest my holiness in it;(R)
23 for I will send pestilence into it,
and bloodshed into its streets;
and the dead shall fall in its midst,
by the sword that is against it on every side.
And they shall know that I am the Lord.(S)
24 The house of Israel shall no longer find a pricking brier or a piercing thorn among all their neighbors who have treated them with contempt. And they shall know that I am the Lord God.(T)
Future Blessing for Israel
25 Thus says the Lord God: When I gather the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they are scattered and manifest my holiness in them in the sight of the nations, then they shall settle on their own soil that I gave to my servant Jacob.(U) 26 They shall live in safety in it and shall build houses and plant vineyards. They shall live in safety when I execute judgments upon all their neighbors who have treated them with contempt. And they shall know that I am the Lord their God.(V)
Ezekiel 28
Complete Jewish Bible
28 The word of Adonai came to me: 2 “Human being, tell the prince of Tzor that Adonai Elohim says:
‘Because you are so proud
and have said, “I am a god;
I sit on the throne of God,
surrounded by the sea”;
yet you are a man, not God,
even though you think that you think like God.
3 Sure, you are wiser than Dani’el!
No secret can be hidden from you!
4 By your wisdom and discernment
you have acquired wealth,
you have gathered gold and silver
into your treasuries.
5 By your great skill in trading
you have increased your wealth,
and it is because of your wealth
that you have become so proud.
6 “Therefore Adonai Elohim says,
‘Because you think that you think like God,
7 I will bring foreigners against you,
the most barbarous of the nations,
to draw their swords against your fine wisdom
and defile your splendor.
8 They will lower you into the pit to die
a violent death surrounded by the sea.
9 Will you still say, “I am God,”
to them who are about to kill you?
You are a man, you are not God,
in the hands of those who defile you.
10 You will die the deaths of the uncircumcised
at the hands of foreigners.
For I have spoken,’
says Adonai Elohim.”
11 The word of Adonai came to me: 12 “Human being, raise a lament for the king of Tzor, and tell him that Adonai Elohim says:
‘You put the seal on perfection;
you were full of wisdom and perfect in beauty;
13 you were in ‘Eden, the garden of God;
covered with all kinds of precious stones —
carnelians, topaz, diamonds,
beryl, onyx, jasper,
sapphires, green feldspar, emeralds;
your pendants and jewels were made of gold,
prepared the day you were created.
14 You were a keruv, protecting a large region;
I placed you on God’s holy mountain.
You walked back and forth
among stones of fire.
15 You were perfect in your ways
from the day you were created,
until unrighteousness
was found in you.
16 “‘When your commerce grew,
you became filled with violence;
and in this way you sinned.
Therefore I have thrown you out, defiled,
from the mountain of God;
I have destroyed you, protecting keruv,
from among the stones of fire.
17 Your heart grew proud because of your beauty,
you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor.
But I have thrown you on the ground;
before kings I have made you a spectacle.
18 By your many crimes in dishonest trading,
you have profaned your sanctuaries;
therefore I brought forth fire from within you,
and it has devoured you;
I reduced you into ashes on the ground
in the sight of all who can see you.
19 All who know you among the peoples
will be aghast at you.
You are an object of terror,
and you will cease to exist.’”
20 The word of Adonai came to me: 21 “Human being, turn your face toward Tzidon, and prophesy against it. 22 Say that Adonai Elohim says:
‘I am against you, Tzidon;
but I will be glorified in you.
They will know that I am Adonai,
once I execute judgments in her
and show my holiness in her.
23 For I will send plagues into her,
and blood will flow in her streets;
attacked from all sides by the sword,
the wounded will fall within her.
Then they will know that I am Adonai.
24 “‘The house of Isra’el will no longer have a briar pricking away at them, no longer will any of its contemptuous neighbors be a thorn to stab them. Then they will know that I am Adonai Elohim.’
25 “Adonai Elohim says, ‘Once I have gathered the house of Isra’el from the peoples among whom they are scattered, once I have shown my holiness in them as the Goyim watch, then they will live in their own land, which I gave to my servant Ya‘akov. 26 They will have security when they live there, building houses and planting vineyards; yes, they will live in safety, once I have executed judgments against all their contemptuous neighbors. Then they will know that I am Adonai their God.’”
Ezekiel 28
The Message
The Money Has Gone to Your Head
28 1-5 God’s Message came to me, “Son of man, tell the prince of Tyre, ‘This is what God, the Master, says:
“‘Your heart is proud,
going around saying, “I’m a god.
I sit on God’s divine throne,
ruling the sea”—
You, a mere mortal,
not even close to being a god,
A mere mortal
trying to be a god.
Look, you think you’re smarter than Daniel.
No enigmas can stump you.
Your sharp intelligence
made you world-wealthy.
You piled up gold and silver
in your banks.
You used your head well,
worked good deals, made a lot of money.
But the money has gone to your head,
swelled your head—what a big head!
6-11 “‘Therefore, God, the Master, says:
“‘Because you’re acting like a god,
pretending to be a god,
I’m giving fair warning: I’m bringing strangers down on you,
the most vicious of all nations.
They’ll pull their swords and make hash
of your reputation for knowing it all.
They’ll puncture the balloon
of your god-pretensions.
They’ll bring you down from your self-made pedestal
and bury you in the deep blue sea.
Will you protest to your assassins,
“You can’t do that! I’m a god”?
To them you’re a mere mortal.
They’re killing a man, not a god.
You’ll die like a stray dog,
killed by strangers—
Because I said so.
Decree of God, the Master.’”
11-19 God’s Message came to me: “Son of man, raise a funeral song over the king of Tyre. Tell him, A Message from God, the Master:
“You had everything going for you.
You were in Eden, God’s garden.
You were dressed in splendor,
your robe studded with jewels:
Carnelian, peridot, and moonstone,
beryl, onyx, and jasper,
Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald,
all in settings of engraved gold.
A robe was prepared for you
the same day you were created.
You were the anointed cherub.
I placed you on the mountain of God.
You strolled in magnificence
among the stones of fire.
From the day of your creation
you were sheer perfection . . .
and then imperfection—evil!—was detected in you.
In much buying and selling
you turned violent, you sinned!
I threw you, disgraced, off the mountain of God.
I threw you out—you, the anointed angel-cherub.
No more strolling among the gems of fire for you!
Your beauty went to your head.
You corrupted wisdom
by using it to get worldly fame.
I threw you to the ground,
sent you sprawling before an audience of kings
and let them gloat over your demise.
By sin after sin after sin,
by your corrupt ways of doing business,
you defiled your holy places of worship.
So I set a fire around and within you.
It burned you up. I reduced you to ashes.
All anyone sees now
when they look for you is ashes,
a pitiful mound of ashes.
All who once knew you
now throw up their hands:
‘This can’t have happened!
This has happened!’”
* * *
20-23 God’s Message came to me: “Son of man, confront Sidon. Preach against it. Say, ‘Message from God, the Master:
“‘Look! I’m against you, Sidon.
I intend to be known for who I truly am among you.’
They’ll know that I am God
when I set things right
and reveal my holy presence.
I’ll order an epidemic of disease there,
along with murder and mayhem in the streets.
People will drop dead right and left,
as war presses in from every side.
Then they’ll realize that I mean business,
that I am God.
24 “No longer will Israel have to put up with
their thistle-and-thorn neighbors
Who have treated them so contemptuously.
And they also will realize that I am God.”
25-26 God, the Master, says, “When I gather Israel from the peoples among whom they’ve been scattered and put my holiness on display among them with all the nations looking on, then they’ll live in their own land that I gave to my servant Jacob. They’ll live there in safety. They’ll build houses. They’ll plant vineyards, living in safety. Meanwhile, I’ll bring judgment on all the neighbors who have treated them with such contempt. And they’ll realize that I am God.”
Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Copyright © 1998 by David H. Stern. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson