A Lament for Tyre’s King

11 The word of the Lord came to me: 12 “Son of man, lament(A) for the king of Tyre and say to him: This is what the Lord God says:

You were the seal[a] of perfection,[b]
full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.(B)
13 You were in Eden,(C) the garden of God.
Every kind of precious stone covered you:
carnelian, topaz, and diamond,[c]
beryl, onyx, and jasper,
sapphire,[d] turquoise[e] and emerald.[f]
Your mountings and settings were crafted in gold;(D)
they were prepared on the day you were created.
14 You were an anointed guardian cherub,(E)
for[g] I had appointed you.
You were on the holy mountain of God;
you walked among the fiery stones.
15 From the day you were created
you were blameless in your ways
until wickedness was found in you.
16 Through the abundance of your trade,
you were filled with violence, and you sinned.
So I expelled you in disgrace
from the mountain of God,
and banished you, guardian cherub,[h]
from among the fiery stones.
17 Your heart became proud because of your beauty;(F)
For the sake of your splendor
you corrupted your wisdom.
So I threw you down to the earth;
I made you a spectacle before kings.
18 You profaned your sanctuaries
by the magnitude of your iniquities
in your dishonest trade.
So I made fire come from within you,
and it consumed you.(G)
I reduced you to ashes on the ground
in the sight of everyone watching you.
19 All those who know you among the nations
are appalled at you.
You have become an object of horror
and will never exist again.”(H)

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Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 28:12 Or sealer
  2. Ezekiel 28:12 Hb obscure
  3. Ezekiel 28:13 Hb obscure
  4. Ezekiel 28:13 Or lapis lazuli
  5. Ezekiel 28:13 Or malachite, or garnet
  6. Ezekiel 28:13 Or beryl
  7. Ezekiel 28:14 Or With an anointed guardian cherub
  8. Ezekiel 28:16 Or and the guardian cherub banished you

11 The Lord’s word came to me: 12 Human one, sing a lament for the king of Tyre. Say to him, The Lord God proclaims: You were full of wisdom and beauty, the image of perfection. 13 You were in Eden, God’s garden. You were covered with gold and every precious stone: carnelian, topaz, and moonstone; beryl, onyx, and jasper; lapis lazuli, turquoise, and emerald. On the day that you were created, finely crafted pendants and engravings were prepared. 14 You, a winged creature, were installed as a guardian. I placed you in God’s holy mountain where you walked among the stones of fire. 15 From the day you were created until injustice was found in you, your ways were assured. 16 But because of your trade, your oppressive business practices piled up, and you became impure. So I expelled you from God’s mountain. I removed you, winged creature, guardian, from among the stones of fire. 17 You exalted yourself because of your beauty and corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. I will cast you down to the earth in the sight of kings, and I will make a spectacle of you. 18 Because of your corrupt trade, which surpassed your many other sins, you made your sanctuaries impure. Therefore, I will bring fire from your midst. When it has consumed you, I will turn you into dust on the earth in the sight of all who see you. 19 Everyone among the peoples who knows you will be appalled because of you. You will become a terror. From that time on, you will be nothing.

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