Grief over Tyre

27 Moreover, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “And you, son of man, (A)take up a song of mourning over Tyre; and say to Tyre, (B)who sits at the [a]entrance to the sea, (C)merchant of the peoples to many coastlands, ‘This is what the Lord [b]God says:

“Tyre, you have said, ‘I am perfect in beauty.’
Your borders are in the heart of the seas;
Your builders have perfected your beauty.
They have [c]made all your planks of juniper trees from (D)Senir;
They have taken a cedar from Lebanon to make a mast for you.
Of (E)oaks from (F)Bashan they have made your rudders;
With ivory they have [d]inlaid your deck of boxwood from the coastlands of (G)Cyprus.
Your sail was of colorfully embroidered linen from Egypt
So that it became your flag;
Your [e]awning was (H)violet and purple from the coastlands of (I)Elishah.
The inhabitants of Sidon and (J)Arvad were your rowers;
Your (K)wise men, Tyre, were [f]aboard; they were your sailors.
The elders of (L)Gebal and her wise men were with you repairing your leaks;
All the ships of the sea and their sailors were with you in order to deal in your merchandise.

10 (M)Persia, (N)Lud, and (O)Put were in your army, your men of war. They hung up shield and helmet on you; they presented your splendor. 11 The sons of Arvad and your army were on your walls, all around, and the [g]Gammadim were in your towers. They hung their shields on your walls all around; they perfected your beauty.

12 “Tarshish was your customer because of the abundance of all kinds of wealth; with silver, iron, tin, and lead they paid for your merchandise. 13 (P)Javan, (Q)Tubal, and (R)Meshech, they were your traders; with human (S)lives and vessels of bronze they paid for your merchandise. 14 Those from (T)Beth-togarmah gave horses, war horses, and mules for your merchandise. 15 The sons of (U)Dedan were your traders. Many coastlands were [h]your market; they brought (V)ivory tusks and ebony as your payment. 16 (W)Aram was your customer because of the abundance of your [i]goods; they paid for your merchandise with [j](X)emeralds, purple, (Y)colorfully woven cloth, fine linen, coral, and rubies. 17 Judah and the land of Israel, they were your traders; with the wheat of (Z)Minnith, [k]cakes, honey, oil, and balsam they paid for your merchandise. 18 (AA)Damascus was your customer because of the abundance of your [l]goods, because of the abundance of all kinds of wealth, because of the wine of Helbon and white wool. 19 Vedan and Javan paid for your merchandise from Uzal; wrought iron, cassia, and spice reed were among your merchandise. 20 (AB)Dedan traded with you in saddlecloths for riding. 21 (AC)Arabia and all the princes of Kedar, they were [m]your customers for (AD)lambs, rams, and goats; for these they were your customers. 22 The traders of (AE)Sheba and Raamah, they traded with you; they paid for your merchandise with the best of all (AF)balsam oil, and with all kinds of precious stones, and gold. 23 Haran, Canneh, (AG)Eden, the traders of Sheba, Asshur, and Chilmad traded with you. 24 They traded with you in choice garments, in clothes of violet and colorfully woven cloth, and in blankets of two colors, and tightly wound cords, which were among your merchandise. 25 The (AH)ships of Tarshish were [n]the carriers for your merchandise.

And you were filled and were very [o]glorious
In the heart of the seas.

26 “Your rowers have brought you
Into (AI)great waters;
The (AJ)east wind has broken you
In the heart of the seas.
27 Your wealth, your wares, your merchandise,
Your seamen and your sailors,
Your repairers of leaks, your dealers in merchandise,
And all your men of war who are in you,
With all your contingent that is in your midst,
Will fall into the heart of the seas
On the day of your overthrow.
28 At the sound of the cry of your sailors,
The pasture lands will (AK)shake.
29 All who handle the oar,
The (AL)seamen and all the sailors of the sea
Will come down from their ships;
They will stand on the land,
30 And they will (AM)make their voice heard over you
And cry out bitterly.
They will (AN)throw dust on their heads,
They will (AO)wallow in ashes.
31 Also they will shave themselves (AP)bald for you
And (AQ)put on sackcloth;
And they will (AR)weep for you in bitterness of soul
With bitter mourning.
32 Moreover, in their wailing they will take up a (AS)song of mourning for you
And sing a song of mourning over you:
‘Who is like Tyre,
Like her who is silent in the midst of the sea?
33 When your merchandise went out from the seas,
You satisfied many peoples;
With the (AT)abundance of your wealth and your merchandise
You enriched the kings of the earth.
34 [p]Now that you are (AU)broken by the seas
In the depths of the waters,
Your (AV)merchandise and all your company
Have fallen in the midst of you.
35 All the (AW)inhabitants of the coastlands
Are appalled at you,
And their kings are horribly afraid;
They [q]have a troubled look.
36 The merchants among the peoples (AX)hiss at you;
You have become [r]terrified
And you (AY)will cease to be forever.’”’”

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Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 27:3 Lit entrances
  2. Ezekiel 27:3 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord, and so throughout the ch
  3. Ezekiel 27:5 Lit built
  4. Ezekiel 27:6 Lit made
  5. Ezekiel 27:7 Lit covering
  6. Ezekiel 27:8 Lit in you
  7. Ezekiel 27:11 Or guardians
  8. Ezekiel 27:15 Lit the market of your hand
  9. Ezekiel 27:16 Lit works
  10. Ezekiel 27:16 Uncertain, perhaps malachite
  11. Ezekiel 27:17 Heb pannag
  12. Ezekiel 27:18 Lit works
  13. Ezekiel 27:21 Lit customers of your hand
  14. Ezekiel 27:25 Lit your travelers
  15. Ezekiel 27:25 Lit honored
  16. Ezekiel 27:34 Lit The time
  17. Ezekiel 27:35 Lit are troubled in face
  18. Ezekiel 27:36 Lit terrors

Tyre, the ship of state

27 The Lord’s word came to me: You, human one, sing a lament for Tyre. Say this about Tyre, who sits enthroned at the entrance to the sea, the people’s agent for trade throughout the coastlands. The Lord God proclaims:

Tyre, you say,
“I’m perfectly beautiful!”
    But your territory is in the depths of the sea,
    and it’s your builders who made you beautiful.
For you they made your deck of cypress from Senir.
    To make your mast, they took cedar from Lebanon.
For your oars, they used the oaks of Bashan.
    They made your hull, inlaid with ivory, of boxwood from the coasts of Cyprus.
Fine embroidered linen from Egypt was your sail;
    it became your emblem.
    Your awning was made of blue and purple cloth from the coasts of Elishah.

The princes of Sidon and Arvad were your oarsmen. Your own wise men were in you as your helmsmen. The elders and wise men of Gebal were in you, patching up your leaks. Every seagoing ship and its sailors came to do business with you. 10 Paras, Lud, and Put were the warriors in your army. By hanging their shields and helmets on you, they made you radiant. 11 The men of Arvad and Helech were stationed on your walls all around; the men of Gamad were in your towers. They hung their weapons on your walls all around. They were the ones who completed your beauty.

12 Tarshish was your procurer of great wealth. For your wares, they exchanged silver, iron, tin, and lead. 13 Javan, Tubal, and Meshech were your agents in human trafficking. They gave you bronze vessels for these wares of yours. 14 Beth-togarmah traded horses, warhorses, and mules for your wares. 15 Islanders from Rhodes[a] were your agents. By contract they procured ebony and ivory for you from many coastlands. 16 Aram was your agent for many products. They traded turquoise, purple cloth, colorful brocades, linen, coral, and rubies for your wares. 17 Judah and the land of Israel were your agents, trading the finest wheat,[b] millet,[c] honey, oil, and balm for your wares. 18 For many of your finished products, Damascus traded out of its great wealth the wine of Helbon and white wool. 19 Vedan and Javan from the region of Uzal traded with you. They exchanged wrought iron, cinnamon, and spices for your wares. 20 Dedan was your agent for saddle blankets. 21 Arabia and all the princes of Kedar traded for you. They procured lambs, rams, and goats for you. 22 They were your agents in Sheba and Raamah. For your wares they exchanged the finest spices, every kind of precious stone, and gold. 23 Haran, Canneh, and Eden were your agents,[d] and also Assyria and Chilmad. 24 They procured fine finished goods for you, garments of purple and brocade, and plush carpets rolled up and securely tied with ropes, among your acquisitions. 25 The ships of Tarshish carried your goods.

You were filled to capacity and heavily laden in the middle of the sea.
26 Your oarsmen brought you out onto the high seas;
    an east wind sank you into the sea’s depths.
27 Your goods, your wares, your wealth,
    your sailors, your helmsmen, those patching your leaks,
    your merchants, all your warriors in you,
    and all the company that is with you—
        they also sank into the sea’s depth
        on the day of your demise.
28 At your helmsmen’s cries for help,
    the troubled waters seethe.
29 Those entrusted with the oars desert their posts.
    All sailors and helmsmen seek footing on the shore.
30 Loudly they cry,
    bitterly they wail,
    and they put dust on their heads
    and cover themselves with ashes.
31 They cut off all their hair
    and put on mourning clothes.
In despair they weep for you,
    and bitterly perform the mourning rites.
32 In their lamentation they raise a lament for you;
    they sing lamentions over you:
        “Who was like Tyre, silenced in the middle of the sea?”

33 When your wares came out from the seas,
    you satisfied many people.
Your abundant wealth and merchandise
    enriched the kings of the earth.
34 Now you are shattered by the seas;
    your cargoes, as well as everyone in your company,
    are sunk into the water’s depths.
35 Now the inhabitants of the coastlands
    shudder on account of you.
And as for their kings, their hair stands on end;
    their faces betray their horror.
36 The merchants for the peoples hiss because of you.
    You have become a terror;
        from now on you are nothing.

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Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 27:15 Heb Dedan
  2. Ezekiel 27:17 Or wheat from Minnith
  3. Ezekiel 27:17 Heb uncertain
  4. Ezekiel 27:23 LXX; MT adds Sheba.