Gottes Botschaft an den Fürsten von Tyrus

28 Noch einmal empfing ich eine Botschaft vom Herrn. Er sprach zu mir: »Du Mensch, geh zum Fürsten von Tyrus und richte ihm meine Worte aus:

Du bist hochmütig und behauptest voller Stolz: ›Ich bin ein Gott und throne wie ein Gott auf meiner Insel mitten im Meer!‹ Doch auch wenn du dich selbst für einen Gott hältst, bist und bleibst du nur ein Mensch! Zwar bist du weiser als Daniel, kein Geheimnis ist zu dunkel für dich. Weisheit und Verstand haben dich sehr reich gemacht, deine Schatzkammern sind voll mit Silber und Gold. Durch kluge Geschäfte hast du deinen Besitz immer weiter vergrößert. Doch all dies hat dich stolz und überheblich gemacht, und nun glaubst du, selbst göttlich zu sein. Darum sage ich, Gott, der Herr:

Du wirst schon sehen, was du davon hast: Ein grausames Heer aus vielen Völkern lasse ich über dich herfallen. Mit ihren Schwertern werden sie deine ganze Pracht zerstören und alles Schöne in den Schmutz treten, das du mit deiner Weisheit erworben hast. Sie werden dich in den Tod stoßen, und das Meer wird dein Grab sein. Wenn du dem Tod ins Auge blickst, wirst du dann immer noch behaupten, ein Gott zu sein? Du bist ja doch nur ein vergänglicher Mensch und kannst nichts gegen deine Mörder ausrichten! 10 Durch die Hand von Fremden wirst du sterben wie ein unbeschnittener Heide, denn so habe ich es beschlossen. Ja, darauf gebe ich, Gott, der Herr, dir mein Wort.«

11 Weiter sprach der Herr zu mir: 12 »Du Mensch, stimm ein Klagelied an über das Unglück, das den König von Tyrus erwartet! Richte ihm aus, was ich, Gott, der Herr, ihm zu sagen habe:

Du warst der Inbegriff[a] der Vollkommenheit, voll Weisheit und vollendeter Schönheit. 13 Du lebtest in Eden, dem Garten Gottes, und trugst Edelsteine jeder Art: Karneol, Topas und Jaspis, Türkis, Onyx und Nephrit, Saphir, Rubin und Smaragd. Sie waren kunstvoll verarbeitet und in feinstes Gold eingefasst.[b] Ich schmückte dich mit ihnen an dem Tag, als ich dich schuf.

14 Auf meinem heiligen Berg ließ ich dich wohnen, ein Kerub schützte dich mit ausgebreiteten Flügeln,[c] und zwischen feurigen Steinen gingst du umher.

15 Als ich dich schuf, warst du untadelig und vollkommen, doch dann fingst du an, Unrecht zu tun. 16 Dein Handel blühte, und der Erfolg verführte dich zu üblen Machenschaften und Gewalttaten.

Darum vertrieb ich dich von meinem Berg, und der Kerub stieß dich[d] von den feurigen Steinen fort in den Untergang. 17 Deine Schönheit ist dir zu Kopf gestiegen, deine prachtvolle Erscheinung ließ dich handeln wie ein Narr. Darum habe ich dich zu Boden geworfen, ich habe dich erniedrigt vor den Augen anderer Könige; voller Verachtung blicken sie nun auf dich herab. 18 Durch betrügerischen Handel hast du große Schuld auf dich geladen und deine Heiligtümer entweiht. Darum ließ ich mitten in deiner Stadt ein Feuer ausbrechen, das sie vollkommen niederbrannte. Wer sie jetzt sucht, findet nur noch einen Haufen Asche. 19 Alle Völker, die dich kannten, sind entsetzt. Ein Bild des Schreckens bist du geworden, es ist aus mit dir für alle Zeit!«

Gott straft die Stadt Sidon

20 Da gab der Herr mir eine weitere Botschaft. Er forderte mich auf: 21 »Du Mensch, blick in die Richtung, wo die Stadt Sidon liegt, und kündige ihr mein Gericht an! 22 Ich, Gott, der Herr, sage: Sidon, jetzt bekommst du es mit mir zu tun! Wenn ich Gericht über dich halte, werden alle sehen, dass ich ein heiliger Gott bin. Ja, ich werde mein Urteil an dir vollstrecken und dadurch meine Macht und Herrlichkeit zeigen. Jeder soll erkennen, dass ich der Herr bin. 23 In deinen Häusern wird die Pest ausbrechen, und in deinen Straßen wird Blut fließen. Von allen Seiten bedrängen dich deine Feinde, und viele deiner Einwohner werden dem Schwert zum Opfer fallen. Dann erkennst du, dass ich der Herr bin.«

Israel wird zurückkehren und Frieden haben

24 »Jetzt noch verachten die feindlichen Nachbarvölker die Israeliten und fügen ihnen Schmerzen zu wie Dornen und Stacheln. In Zukunft aber werden die Israeliten vor ihnen Ruhe haben. Dann werden sie erkennen, dass ich Gott, der Herr, bin. 25 Ich verspreche, sie aus allen Völkern zurückzubringen, unter die sie jetzt noch zerstreut sind. Dann werden auch ihre Feinde sehen, dass ich der heilige Gott bin. Mein Volk wird wieder in dem Land wohnen, das ich vor langer Zeit meinem Diener Jakob gegeben habe. 26 Dann können sie in Ruhe und Sicherheit leben, Häuser bauen und Weinberge anlegen. Doch ihre Nachbarvölker, die nur Verachtung für sie übrig hatten, werde ich richten. So wird mein Volk erkennen, dass ich, der Herr, ihr Gott bin.«

Footnotes

  1. 28,12 Wörtlich: das Siegel.
  2. 28,13 Der hebräische Text ist nicht sicher zu deuten.
  3. 28,14 Oder: du warst ein Kerub mit ausgebreiteten Flügeln.
  4. 28,16 Oder: und ich stieß dich, du Kerub.

Proclamation Against the King of Tyre

28 The word of the Lord came to me again, saying, “Son of man, say to the prince of Tyre, ‘Thus says the Lord God:

“Because your heart is (A)lifted[a] up,
And (B)you say, ‘I am a god,
I sit in the seat of gods,
(C)In the midst of the seas,’
(D)Yet you are a man, and not a god,
Though you set your heart as the heart of a god
(Behold, (E)you are wiser than Daniel!
There is no secret that can be hidden from you!
With your wisdom and your understanding
You have gained (F)riches for yourself,
And gathered gold and silver into your treasuries;
(G)By your great wisdom in trade you have increased your riches,
And your heart is lifted up because of your riches),”

‘Therefore thus says the Lord God:

“Because you have set your heart as the heart of a god,
Behold, therefore, I will bring (H)strangers against you,
(I)The most terrible of the nations;
And they shall draw their swords against the beauty of your wisdom,
And defile your splendor.
They shall throw you down into the (J)Pit,
And you shall die the death of the slain
In the midst of the seas.

“Will you still (K)say before him who slays you,
‘I am a god’?
But you shall be a man, and not a god,
In the hand of him who slays you.
10 You shall die the death of (L)the uncircumcised
By the hand of aliens;
For I have spoken,” says the Lord God.’ ”

Lamentation for the King of Tyre

11 Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 12 “Son of man, (M)take up a lamentation for the king of Tyre, and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord God:

(N)“You were the seal of perfection,
Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
13 You were in (O)Eden, the garden of God;
Every precious stone was your covering:
The sardius, topaz, and diamond,
Beryl, onyx, and jasper,
Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold.
The workmanship of (P)your timbrels and pipes
Was prepared for you on the day you were created.

14 “You were the anointed (Q)cherub who covers;
I established you;
You were on (R)the holy mountain of God;
You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones.
15 You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created,
Till (S)iniquity was found in you.

16 “By the abundance of your trading
You became filled with violence within,
And you sinned;
Therefore I cast you as a profane thing
Out of the mountain of God;
And I destroyed you, (T)O covering cherub,
From the midst of the fiery stones.

17 “Your (U)heart was [b]lifted up because of your beauty;
You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor;
I cast you to the ground,
I laid you before kings,
That they might gaze at you.

18 “You defiled your sanctuaries
By the multitude of your iniquities,
By the iniquity of your trading;
Therefore I brought fire from your midst;
It devoured you,
And I turned you to ashes upon the earth
In the sight of all who saw you.
19 All who knew you among the peoples are astonished at you;
(V)You have become a horror,
And shall be no (W)more forever.” ’ ”

Proclamation Against Sidon

20 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 21 “Son of man, (X)set your face (Y)toward Sidon, and prophesy against her, 22 and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God:

(Z)“Behold, I am against you, O Sidon;
I will be glorified in your midst;
And (AA)they shall know that I am the Lord,
When I execute judgments in her and am (AB)hallowed in her.
23 (AC)For I will send pestilence upon her,
And blood in her streets;
The wounded shall be judged in her midst
By the sword against her on every side;
Then they shall know that I am the Lord.

24 “And there shall no longer be a pricking brier or (AD)a painful thorn for the house of Israel from among all who are around them, who (AE)despise them. Then they shall know that I am the Lord God.”

Israel’s Future Blessing

25 ‘Thus says the Lord God: “When I have (AF)gathered the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they are scattered, and am (AG)hallowed in them in the sight of the Gentiles, then they will dwell in their own land which I gave to My servant Jacob. 26 And they will (AH)dwell [c]safely there, (AI)build houses, and (AJ)plant vineyards; yes, they will dwell securely, when I execute judgments on all those around them who despise them. Then they shall know that I am the Lord their God.” ’ ”

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 28:2 Proud
  2. Ezekiel 28:17 Proud
  3. Ezekiel 28:26 securely

A Prophecy Against the King of Tyre

28 The word of the Lord came to me: “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)
Are you wiser than Daniel[a]?(E)
    Is no secret hidden from you?
By your wisdom and understanding
    you have gained wealth for yourself
and amassed gold and silver
    in your treasuries.(F)
By your great skill in trading(G)
    you have increased your wealth,(H)
and because of your wealth
    your heart has grown proud.(I)

“‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“‘Because you think you are wise,
    as wise as a god,
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)
They will bring you down to the pit,(M)
    and you will die a violent death(N)
    in the heart of the seas.(O)
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

  1. Ezekiel 28:3 Or Danel, a man of renown in ancient literature
  2. Ezekiel 28:13 The precise identification of some of these precious stones is uncertain.
  3. Ezekiel 28:13 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.

Prophecy Against the Prince of Tyre

28 The word of the Lord came to me: (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—
(G)you are indeed wiser (H)than (I)Daniel;
    no secret is hidden from you;
by your wisdom and your understanding
    (J)you have made wealth for yourself,
and have gathered gold and silver
    into your treasuries;
by your great wisdom in your trade
    you have increased your wealth,
    and (K)your heart has become proud in your wealth—
therefore thus says the Lord God:
(L)Because you make your heart
    like the heart of a god,
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.
(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.
(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

  1. Ezekiel 28:12 The meaning of the Hebrew phrase is uncertain
  2. Ezekiel 28:13 Or lapis lazuli
  3. Ezekiel 28:13 The meaning of the Hebrew phrase is uncertain
  4. Ezekiel 28:14 The meaning of the Hebrew phrase is uncertain
  5. Ezekiel 28:16 Or banished you