Ezekiel 28
English Standard Version
Prophecy Against the Prince of Tyre
28 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 (A)“Son of man, say to (B)the prince of Tyre, Thus says the Lord God:
(C)“Because your heart is proud,
and (D)you have said, ‘I am a god,
I sit in the seat of the gods,
in the heart of the seas,’
yet (E)you are but a man, and no god,
(F)though you make your heart like the heart of a god—
3 (G)you are indeed wiser (H)than (I)Daniel;
no secret is hidden from you;
4 by your wisdom and your understanding
(J)you have made wealth for yourself,
and have gathered gold and silver
into your treasuries;
5 by your great wisdom in your trade
you have increased your wealth,
and (K)your heart has become proud in your wealth—
6 therefore thus says the Lord God:
(L)Because you make your heart
like the heart of a god,
7 therefore, behold, I will bring (M)foreigners upon you,
the most ruthless of the nations;
and they shall draw their swords against (N)the beauty of your wisdom
and defile (O)your splendor.
8 (P)They shall thrust you down into the pit,
(Q)and you shall die the death of the slain
in the heart of the seas.
9 (R)Will you still say, ‘I am a god,’
in the presence of those who kill you,
though (S)you are but a man, and no god,
in the hands of those who slay you?
10 (T)You shall die the death of the uncircumcised
by the hand of foreigners;
(U)for I have spoken, declares the Lord God.”
A Lament over the King of Tyre
11 Moreover, the word of the Lord came to me: 12 (V)“Son of man, (W)raise a lamentation over (X)the king of Tyre, and say to him, Thus says the Lord God:
“You were the signet of perfection,[a]
(Y)full of wisdom and (Z)perfect in beauty.
13 You were in (AA)Eden, the garden of God;
(AB)every precious stone was your covering,
(AC)sardius, topaz, and diamond,
beryl, onyx, and jasper,
sapphire,[b] (AD)emerald, and carbuncle;
and crafted in gold were your settings
and your engravings.[c]
(AE)On the day that you were created
they were prepared.
14 You were an anointed (AF)guardian cherub.
I placed you;[d] you were on (AG)the holy mountain of God;
in the midst of the stones of fire you walked.
15 You were blameless in your ways
(AH)from the day you were created,
till unrighteousness was found in you.
16 In the abundance of (AI)your trade
you were filled with violence in your midst, and you sinned;
so I cast you as a profane thing from (AJ)the mountain of God,
and I destroyed you,[e] (AK)O guardian cherub,
from the midst of the stones of fire.
17 (AL)Your heart was proud because of (AM)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.
18 By the multitude of your iniquities,
in the unrighteousness of your trade
you profaned your sanctuaries;
so (AN)I brought fire out from your midst;
it consumed you,
and I turned you to ashes on the earth
(AO)in the sight of all who saw you.
19 All who know you among the peoples
are appalled at you;
(AP)you have come to a dreadful end
and shall be no more forever.”
Prophecy Against Sidon
20 The word of the Lord came to me: 21 (AQ)“Son of man, (AR)set your face toward (AS)Sidon, and (AT)prophesy against her 22 and say, Thus says the Lord God:
“Behold, (AU)I am against you, O Sidon,
and (AV)I will manifest my glory in your midst.
And (AW)they shall know that I am the Lord
(AX)when I execute judgments in her
and (AY)manifest my holiness in her;
23 for I will send (AZ)pestilence into her,
and blood into her streets;
and the slain shall fall in her midst,
by the sword that is against her on every side.
Then they will know that I am the Lord.
24 “And for the house of Israel (BA)there shall be no more a brier to prick or (BB)a thorn to hurt them among all their neighbors (BC)who have treated them with contempt. Then they will know that I am the Lord God.
Israel Gathered in Security
25 “Thus says the Lord God: (BD)When I gather the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they are scattered, and (BE)manifest my holiness in them in the sight of the nations, (BF)then they shall dwell in their own land that I gave to my servant Jacob. 26 (BG)And they shall dwell securely in it, and they shall build houses and plant vineyards. They shall dwell securely, (BH)when I execute judgments upon all their neighbors (BI)who have treated them with contempt. (BJ)Then they will know that I am the Lord their God.”
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 28:12 The meaning of the Hebrew phrase is uncertain
- Ezekiel 28:13 Or lapis lazuli
- Ezekiel 28:13 The meaning of the Hebrew phrase is uncertain
- Ezekiel 28:14 The meaning of the Hebrew phrase is uncertain
- Ezekiel 28:16 Or banished you
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.”
Ezekiel 28
New International Version
A Prophecy Against the King of Tyre
28 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man(A), say to the ruler of Tyre, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“‘In the pride of your heart
you say, “I am a god;
I sit on the throne(B) of a god
in the heart of the seas.”(C)
But you are a mere mortal and not a god,
though you think you are as wise as a god.(D)
3 Are you wiser than Daniel[a]?(E)
Is no secret hidden from you?
4 By your wisdom and understanding
you have gained wealth for yourself
and amassed gold and silver
in your treasuries.(F)
5 By your great skill in trading(G)
you have increased your wealth,(H)
and because of your wealth
your heart has grown proud.(I)
6 “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“‘Because you think you are wise,
as wise as a god,
7 I am going to bring foreigners against you,
the most ruthless of nations;(J)
they will draw their swords against your beauty and wisdom(K)
and pierce your shining splendor.(L)
8 They will bring you down to the pit,(M)
and you will die a violent death(N)
in the heart of the seas.(O)
9 Will you then say, “I am a god,”
in the presence of those who kill you?
You will be but a mortal, not a god,(P)
in the hands of those who slay you.(Q)
10 You will die the death of the uncircumcised(R)
at the hands of foreigners.
I have spoken, declares the Sovereign Lord.’”
11 The word of the Lord came to me: 12 “Son of man, take up a lament(S) concerning the king of Tyre and say to him: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“‘You were the seal of perfection,
full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.(T)
13 You were in Eden,(U)
the garden of God;(V)
every precious stone(W) adorned you:
carnelian, chrysolite and emerald,
topaz, onyx and jasper,
lapis lazuli, turquoise(X) and beryl.[b]
Your settings and mountings[c] were made of gold;
on the day you were created they were prepared.(Y)
14 You were anointed(Z) as a guardian cherub,(AA)
for so I ordained you.
You were on the holy mount of God;
you walked among the fiery stones.
15 You were blameless in your ways
from the day you were created
till wickedness was found in you.
16 Through your widespread trade
you were filled with violence,(AB)
and you sinned.
So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God,
and I expelled you, guardian cherub,(AC)
from among the fiery stones.
17 Your heart became proud(AD)
on account of your beauty,
and you corrupted your wisdom
because of your splendor.
So I threw you to the earth;
I made a spectacle of you before kings.(AE)
18 By your many sins and dishonest trade
you have desecrated your sanctuaries.
So I made a fire(AF) come out from you,
and it consumed you,
and I reduced you to ashes(AG) on the ground
in the sight of all who were watching.(AH)
19 All the nations who knew you
are appalled(AI) at you;
you have come to a horrible end
and will be no more.(AJ)’”
A Prophecy Against Sidon
20 The word of the Lord came to me: 21 “Son of man, set your face against(AK) Sidon;(AL) prophesy against her 22 and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“‘I am against you, Sidon,
and among you I will display my glory.(AM)
You will know that I am the Lord,
when I inflict punishment(AN) on you
and within you am proved to be holy.(AO)
23 I will send a plague upon you
and make blood flow in your streets.
The slain will fall within you,
with the sword against you on every side.
Then you will know that I am the Lord.(AP)
24 “‘No longer will the people of Israel have malicious neighbors who are painful briers and sharp thorns.(AQ) Then they will know that I am the Sovereign Lord.
25 “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: When I gather(AR) the people of Israel from the nations where they have been scattered,(AS) I will be proved holy(AT) through them in the sight of the nations. Then they will live in their own land, which I gave to my servant Jacob.(AU) 26 They will live there in safety(AV) and will build houses and plant(AW) vineyards; they will live in safety when I inflict punishment(AX) on all their neighbors who maligned them. Then they will know that I am the Lord their God.(AY)’”
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 28:3 Or Danel, a man of renown in ancient literature
- Ezekiel 28:13 The precise identification of some of these precious stones is uncertain.
- Ezekiel 28:13 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson
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