A Lament for Tyre

27 The word of the Lord came to me: “Now you, (A)son of man, (B)raise a lamentation over Tyre, and say to Tyre, who dwells at (C)the entrances to the sea, (D)merchant of the peoples to many coastlands, thus says the Lord God:

“O Tyre, you have said,
    ‘I am (E)perfect in beauty.’
Your borders are (F)in the heart of the seas;
    your builders made perfect your beauty.
They made all your planks
    of fir trees from (G)Senir;
they took (H)a cedar from Lebanon
    to make a mast for you.
Of (I)oaks of Bashan
    they made your oars;
they made your deck of pines
    from (J)the coasts of Cyprus,
    inlaid with ivory.
(K)Of fine embroidered linen from Egypt
    was your sail,
    serving as your banner;
blue and purple from (L)the coasts of Elishah
    was your awning.
The inhabitants of Sidon and (M)Arvad
    were your rowers;
your skilled men, O Tyre, were in you;
    they were (N)your pilots.
The elders of (O)Gebal and her skilled men were in you,
    (P)caulking your seams;
all the ships of the sea with their mariners were in you
    to barter for your wares.

10 (Q)“Persia and (R)Lud and (S)Put were in your army as your men of war. (T)They hung the shield and helmet in you; they gave you splendor. 11 Men of (U)Arvad and Helech were on your walls all around, and men of Gamad were in your towers. They hung their shields on your walls all around; they made (V)perfect your beauty.

12 (W)“Tarshish did (X)business with you because of your great wealth of every kind; silver, iron, tin, and lead they exchanged for your (Y)wares. 13 (Z)Javan, (AA)Tubal, and (AB)Meshech traded with you; they exchanged human beings and vessels of bronze for your merchandise. 14 From (AC)Beth-togarmah they exchanged horses, war horses, and mules (AD)for your wares. 15 The men of (AE)Dedan[a] traded with you. Many coastlands were your own special markets; they brought you in payment ivory tusks and ebony. 16 Syria (AF)did business with you because of your abundant goods; they exchanged for your wares (AG)emeralds, (AH)purple, (AI)embroidered work, (AJ)fine linen, coral, and (AK)ruby. 17 Judah and the land of Israel traded with you; they exchanged for your merchandise (AL)wheat of (AM)Minnith, meal,[b] honey, oil, and (AN)balm. 18 (AO)Damascus did business with you for your abundant goods, because of your great wealth of every kind; wine of Helbon and (AP)wool of Sahar 19 and casks of wine[c] from Uzal they exchanged for your wares; wrought iron, (AQ)cassia, and (AR)calamus were bartered for your merchandise. 20 Dedan traded with you in saddlecloths for riding. 21 Arabia and all the princes of (AS)Kedar were your favored dealers (AT)in lambs, rams, and goats; in these they did business with you. 22 The traders of (AU)Sheba and (AV)Raamah traded with you; they exchanged (AW)for your wares (AX)the best of all kinds of spices and all precious stones and gold. 23 (AY)Haran, Canneh, (AZ)Eden, traders of Sheba, (BA)Asshur, and Chilmad traded with you. 24 In your market these traded with you in choice garments, in clothes of (BB)blue and (BC)embroidered work, and in carpets of colored material, bound with cords and made secure. 25 (BD)The ships of (BE)Tarshish traveled for you with your merchandise. So you were filled and heavily laden (BF)in the heart of the seas.

26 “Your rowers have brought you out
    into the high seas.
(BG)The east wind has wrecked you
    in the heart of the seas.
27 Your riches, your wares, your merchandise,
    your mariners and (BH)your pilots,
(BI)your caulkers, your dealers in merchandise,
    and all your men of war who are in you,
with all your crew
    that is in your midst,
sink into the heart of the seas
    (BJ)on the day of your fall.
28 At the sound of the cry of your pilots
    (BK)the countryside shakes,
29 and down from their ships
    (BL)come all who handle the oar.
The mariners and all the pilots of the sea
    stand on the land
30 (BM)and shout aloud over you
    and cry out bitterly.
(BN)They cast dust on their heads
    (BO)and wallow in ashes;
31 they (BP)make themselves bald for you
    and put sackcloth on their waist,
and they weep over you in bitterness of soul,
    with bitter mourning.
32 In their wailing they (BQ)raise a lamentation for you
    and lament over you:
(BR)‘Who is like Tyre,
    like one destroyed in the midst of the sea?
33 When your wares came from the seas,
    (BS)you satisfied many peoples;
with your abundant wealth and merchandise
    (BT)you enriched the kings of the earth.
34 Now (BU)you are wrecked by the seas,
    in the depths of the waters;
your merchandise and all your crew in your midst
    have sunk with you.
35 (BV)All the inhabitants of the coastlands
    are appalled at you,
and (BW)the hair of their kings bristles with horror;
    their faces are convulsed.
36 (BX)The merchants among the peoples (BY)hiss at you;
    (BZ)you have come to a dreadful end
    and shall be no more forever.’”

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Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 27:15 Hebrew; Septuagint Rhodes
  2. Ezekiel 27:17 The meaning of the Hebrew word is unknown
  3. Ezekiel 27:19 Probable reading; Hebrew wool of Sahar 19and Dan and Javan

The End of Tyre’s Glory

27 Then this message came to me from the Lord: “Son of man, sing a funeral song for Tyre, 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!’
You extended your boundaries into the sea.
    Your builders made your beauty perfect.
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.
They carved your oars
    from the oaks of Bashan.
Your deck of pine from the coasts of Cyprus[b]
    was inlaid with ivory.
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.
Your oarsmen came from Sidon and Arvad;
    your helmsmen were skilled men from Tyre itself.
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.’”

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Footnotes

  1. 27:5 Or Hermon.
  2. 27:6 Hebrew Kittim.
  3. 27:10 Hebrew Paras, Lud, and Put.
  4. 27:13 Hebrew Javan.
  5. 27:15 Greek version reads Rhodes.
  6. 27:16 Hebrew Aram; some manuscripts read Edom.
  7. 27:17 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
  8. 27:19 Hebrew Vedan and Javan from Uzal. The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
  9. 27:36 Hebrew hiss at you.