Ezekiel 27
World English Bible
27 Yahweh’s word came again to me, saying, 2 “You, son of man, take up a lamentation over Tyre; 3 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.’
4 Your borders are in the heart of the seas.
Your builders have perfected your beauty.
5 They have made all your planks of cypress trees from Senir.
They have taken a cedar from Lebanon to make a mast for you.
6 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.
7 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.
8 The inhabitants of Sidon and Arvad were your rowers.
Your wise men, Tyre, were in you.
They were your pilots.
9 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.”’”
Ezekiel 27
International Standard Version
A Message Condemning Tyre
27 This message came to me from the Lord: 2 “Son of Man, compose a mourning song for Tyre. 3 Tell Tyre, who lives at the gateway to the Mediterranean[a] Sea, who serves as the international merchant to many coastal districts: ‘This is what the Lord God says:
“Tyre, you’ve been claiming,
“I am beauty perfected.’
4 You’ve set your national boundary in international waters.
Your builders made you downright beautiful!”’”[b]
Tyre’s Luxurious Sailing Vessels
5 ‘They brought in a ship
made with pine planking from Senir,
configured with a mast carved from a cedar from Lebanon,
6 equipped with oars
made from oaks from Bashan,
with ivory-inlaid cypress wood[c] decking
imported from the coastlands of Cypress,
7 with sails made with embroidered Egyptian linen,
festooned with blue banners,
and with your sun shades made
with purple cloth from Cypress.
8 Your sailors were conscripted
from Sidon and Arvad,
and your officers served aboard
as pilots.
9 The wise men and elders from Gebal accompanied you,
serving as ship’s carpenters.
All the maritime navies and their seaman also accompanied you
to assist you in doing business internationally.”
Tyre’s International Makeup
10 “Soldiers from Persia,[d] Lud,[e] and Libya,[f]
served in your army.
They were your mighty soldiers.
Their helmets and shields adorned your barracks walls,
and they won battle decorations for you.
11 Mercenaries from Arvad and Helech
stood guard duty on your walls,
while brave men manned your towers.
They hung their shields all around your walls—
just the right touch to perfect your interior decorating!”[g]
Tyre’s Trading Partners
12 ‘Tarshish was your business partner because of your phenomenal wealth. They traded silver, iron, tin, and lead for your merchandise. 13 Greece, Tubal,[h] and Meshech[i] bartered with you, exchanging slaves and bronze vessels for your wares. 14 Beth-togarmah traded horses, war horses, and mules in exchange for what you had to sell. 15 Men from the low country south of Edom[j] and many of the coastlands were your markets for ivory tusks and ebony that they brought to trade with you.
16 “Aram was one of your customers because you had so much merchandise. They paid by trading turquoise, purple yarn, embroidered goods, Egyptian linen,[k] coral, and rubies. 17 The territories of Judah and Israel were your clients, too. They traded wheat from their distribution centers,[l] baked goods, honey, oil, and ointments for your merchandise.
18 “Because you have so much to sell and are so rich, Damascus has been your trading partner, exchanging wine from Helbon, unbleached wool, 19 and casks of wine from Izal[m] for your wrought iron, cassia wood, and aromatic reeds.
20 “Dedan traded with you, exchanging riding blankets. 21 Arabia, including all the princes of Kedar, came to you, shopping for lambs, rams, and goats. 22 Traders from Sheba and Raamah paid for the best of what you had to offer with all types of spices, precious stones, and gold. 23 Haran, Canneh, Eden,[n] merchants from Sheba, Asshur, and Chilmad did business with you, 24 trading garments made into the finest blue and embroidered mantels, and also multi-colored carpets, ropes, and other merchandise. 25 Ocean-going fleets[o] carried your merchandise.”
Tyre’s Coming Storm
“How filled you were!
How glorious you were,
at home in the heart of the sea!
26 But your rowers have brought you
into dangerous waters.
The east wind has broken you
in the heart of the ocean!
27 Your wealth, your products, your merchandise
your sailors, your pilots,
your tailors, your salesmen,
all your mercenaries with you—
your entire company with you—
will fall into the midst of the sea
on the day when you’re overthrown!
28 When your ships’ captains cry out,
the pasturelands along the coast will cry out!
29 Everyone who handles an oar will abandon ship,
they’ll head straight for dry land,
30 and they will cry so loud
you won’t be able to make yourself heard!
How bitterly they’ll cry!
They’ll throw dust on their heads
and wallow in ashes.
31 They’ll shave their heads bald because of you.
They’ll dress themselves in sackcloth
and weep for you with deep bitterness of heart,
with the most pitiful of mourning.
32 In the depth of their despair
they’ll compose a lament for you.
This is what they’ll say:
‘Who is like Tyre?
Who is so silent in the midst of the sea?’
33 Your merchandise went out over the oceans
to satisfy many nations;
with the abundance of your wealth
you enriched the kings of the earth.
34 “But now it’s your time to be wrecked
at the bottom of the sea!
Your products and your workers have sunk,
and so have you!
35 Everyone who lives by the sea
is appalled at your destruction.
Their leaders are terrified—
their faces reflect their fears!
36 Traders circulate among the people, hissing at you.
What a horror you’ve become!
Now you will cease to exist
forever and ever!”
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 27:3 The Heb. lacks Mediterranean
- Ezekiel 27:4 Or you perfectly beautiful
- Ezekiel 27:6 Lit. daughter of Assyria
- Ezekiel 27:10 I.e. modern Iran
- Ezekiel 27:10 I.e., fourth son of Shem, progenitor of the Lydians. The Heb. name Lud means strife.
- Ezekiel 27:10 Lit. Put; i.e. the third son of Ham (cf. Gen 10:6); the Heb. name means bow
- Ezekiel 27:11 Lit. your beauty
- Ezekiel 27:13 I.e. a son of Noah’s son Japheth; this people resided in what is now modern eastern Turkey
- Ezekiel 27:13 I.e. a son of Noah’s son Japheth; this people resided in what is now modern Armenia
- Ezekiel 27:15 Lit. The descendants of Dedan; i.e., a son of Cush (cf. Gen 10:7) or a grandson of Abraham through Keturah (Gen 25:3)
- Ezekiel 27:16 Lit. byssus; i.e. a white cotton cloth
- Ezekiel 27:17 Lit. from Minnith; perhaps a site in Ammon, east of the Jordan River
- Ezekiel 27:19 Or Uzal, i.e., a city located in a wine growing region between Haran and the Tigris River
- Ezekiel 27:23 These cities are thought to have been located in ancient Mesopotamia
- Ezekiel 27:25 Lit. Ships of Tarshish; i.e., a class of vessel capable of travelling the oceans
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