Ezekiel 27-28

GOD’S WORD Translation

A Funeral Song about Tyre

27 The Lord spoke his word to me. He said, ²“Son of man, sing a funeral song about Tyre. ³Tyre is the city at the entrance to the sea. It is the merchant to the nations. Say to Tyre, ‘This is what the Almighty Lord says:

Tyre, you used to brag about your perfect beauty.
⁴Your home is the sea.

“ ‘Your builders made your beauty perfect.
⁵Your builders made all your boards from pine trees on Mount Hermon.
They took cedar trees from Lebanon to make a mast for you.
⁶They made your oars from oaks in Bashan.
They made your deck from pine trees on the shores of Cyprus.
It had ivory set in it.
⁷Your sails were made out of fine embroidered linen from Egypt.
They were like your flags.
Your awnings were violet and purple.
They came from the coasts of Elishah.
⁸People from Sidon and Arvad used to row you.
Your own skilled people were your sailors.
⁹Master shipbuilders from Gebal went inside you to caulk your seams.
All the ships on the sea and their sailors
docked alongside you to trade with you.
¹⁰People from Persia, Lud, and Put were soldiers in your army.
They hung their shields and helmets inside you.
Their victories made you look good.

¹¹“ ‘People from Arvad and Helech ^[a] were guards all around your walls. People from Gammad guarded your towers. They hung their shields all around your walls, making your beauty perfect.

¹²“ ‘People from Tarshish traded with you because you were so very rich. They exchanged silver, iron, tin, and lead for your merchandise. ¹³People from Greece, Tubal, and Meshech traded with you. They exchanged slaves and bronze items for your goods. ¹⁴People from Beth Togarmah exchanged horses, war horses, and mules for your merchandise. ¹⁵People from Dedan traded goods with you. You traded with many people on the coasts, and they brought you ivory and ebony as payment.

¹⁶“ ‘People from Syria traded with you because you had so many products. They exchanged emeralds, purple cloth, richly woven cloth, linen, coral, and rubies for your merchandise. ¹⁷Judah and Israel traded with you. They exchanged wheat from Minnith, baked goods, honey, olive oil, and balsam for your goods. ¹⁸People from Damascus traded with you because you had so many products. They exchanged wine from Helbon and wool from Sahar.

¹⁹“ ‘Danites and Greeks from Uzal traded for your merchandise. They exchanged wrought iron, cassia, and sugar cane for your goods. ²⁰Dedan traded saddle blankets with you. ²¹Arabia and all the officials of Kedar traded with you. They traded lambs, rams, and male goats. ²²The merchants from Sheba and Raamah traded with you. They traded the finest spices, precious stones, and gold for your merchandise. ²³Haran, Canneh, Eden, the merchants from Sheba, Assyria, and Kilmad traded with you. ²⁴In your marketplace they traded for beautiful clothes, purple robes, embroidered cloth, and many multicolored rugs with woven and twisted cords.

²⁵“ ‘Ships from Tarshish carried your goods.
You were like a ship filled with heavy cargo in the sea.
²⁶Your rowers took you out to the high seas,
and an east wind wrecked you in the sea.
²⁷Your wealth, your merchandise, and the goods you sell,
your mariners and your sailors,
your caulkers and your merchants,
your soldiers and everyone else on board
sank into the sea when your ship was wrecked.

²⁸“ ‘When your sailors cried out, people on the shore trembled.
²⁹All the rowers, the sailors,
and all the mariners came down from their ships
and stood on the shore.
³⁰They cried loudly and bitterly over you.
They put dust on their heads and covered themselves with ashes.
³¹They shaved their heads because of you and put on sackcloth.
They cried over you with bitterness and with bitter mourning.
³²They sang a funeral song for you with loud crying:
“Who is like Tyre, the city destroyed in the sea?”
³³Your merchandise was sent overseas.
You filled many people with your great wealth and your goods.
You made the kings of the earth rich.
³⁴Now you are wrecked in the sea, at the bottom of the sea.
Your goods and your whole crew sank with you.
³⁵All those who live on the coasts are horrified because of you.
Their kings are terribly afraid.
Their faces show their fear.
³⁶The merchants among the nations laugh at you.
You have come to a terrible end,
and you will never exist again.’ ”

Judgment on the King of Tyre

28 The Lord spoke his word to me. He said, ²“Son of man, tell the ruler of Tyre, ‘This is what the Almighty Lord says:

In your arrogance you say,
“I’m a god. I sit on God’s throne in the sea.”
But you’re only human and not a god,
although you think you are a god.
³You think that you are wiser than Daniel
and that no secret can be hidden from you.
⁴Because you are wise and understanding,
you’ve made yourself rich.
You saved gold and silver in your treasuries.
⁵Because of your great skill in trading,
you’ve made yourself very wealthy.
You have become arrogant because of your wealth.

⁶“ ‘This is what the Almighty Lord says:

You think you are wise like God.
⁷That is why I am going to bring foreigners against you,
the most ruthless foreigners among the nations.
They will draw their swords against your fine wisdom
and dishonor your greatness.
⁸They will throw you into a pit,
and you will die a violent death in the sea.
⁹You will no longer say that you are a god
when you face those who kill you.
You will be a human, not a god, in the hands of those who kill you.
¹⁰You will die at the hands of foreigners like a godless person.
I have spoken,’ ” declares the Lord.

¹¹The Lord spoke his word to me. He said, ¹²“Son of man, sing a funeral song for the ruler of Tyre. Tell him, ‘This is what the Almighty Lord says:

You were the perfect example,
full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
¹³You were in Eden, God’s garden.
You were covered with every kind of precious stone:
red quartz, topaz, crystal,
beryl, onyx, gray quartz, sapphire,
turquoise, and emerald.
Your settings and your sockets
were made of gold when you were created.
¹⁴I appointed an angel ^[b] to guard you.
You were on God’s holy mountain.
You walked among fiery stones.
¹⁵Your behavior was perfect from the time you were created,
until evil was found in you.
¹⁶You traded far and wide. You learned to be violent, and you sinned.
So I threw you down from God’s mountain in disgrace.
The guardian angel forced you out from the fiery stones.
¹⁷You became too proud because of your beauty.
You wasted your wisdom because of your greatness.
So I threw you to the ground
and left you in front of the kings
so that they could see you.
¹⁸You dishonored your own holy places
because of your many sins and dishonest trade.
So I set fire to you to burn you up.
I turned you into ashes on the ground
in the presence of all who saw you.
¹⁹All the nations who knew you are horrified because of you.
You have come to a terrible end,
and you will never exist again.’ ”

Judgment on Sidon Means Hope for Israel

²⁰The Lord spoke his word to me. He said, ²¹“Son of man, turn to Sidon and prophesy against it. ²²Tell it, ‘This is what the Almighty Lord says:

I’m against you, Sidon.
I will show my greatness through you.
Then people will know that I am the Lord,
because I will punish you and show you how holy I am.
²³I will send a plague against you
and make blood flow in your streets.
Your people will fall dead.
People with swords will attack you from every side.
Then they will know that I am the Lord.
²⁴The nation of Israel will no longer be hurt
by prickly thorns or sharp briars from everyone around them.
Then they will know that I am the Almighty Lord.

²⁵“ ‘This is what the Almighty Lord says: When I gather the people of Israel from the nations where they were scattered, I will show that I am holy as the nations watch. The people of Israel will live in their own land, the land I gave to my servant Jacob. ²⁶They will live there in safety. They will build homes and plant vineyards. They will live in safety when I punish all the surrounding people who treat them with scorn. Then they will know that I am the Lord their God.’ ”