Judgment on Tyre

26 Now in the eleventh year, on the first of the month, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Son of man, because (A)Tyre has said in regard to Jerusalem, ‘Aha! The (B)gateway of the peoples is broken; it has [a](C)opened to me. I shall be filled, now that she is laid waste,’ therefore this is what the Lord [b]God says: ‘Behold, I am against you, Tyre, and I will bring up (D)many nations against you, as the (E)sea brings up its waves. They will (F)destroy the walls of Tyre and tear down her towers; and I will sweep her debris away from her and make her a bare rock. She will become a dry place for the spreading of nets in the midst of the sea, for I have spoken,’ declares the Lord God; ‘and she will become (G)plunder for the nations. Also her (H)daughters who are [c]on the mainland will be killed by the sword, and they will know that I am the Lord.’”

For the Lord God says this: “Behold, I am going to bring upon Tyre from the north Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, (I)king of kings, with horses, (J)chariots, cavalry, and [d]a great army. He will kill your daughters [e]on the mainland with the sword; and he will make (K)siege walls against you, pile up an (L)assault ramp against you, and raise up a large shield against you. And he will direct the blow of his battering rams against your walls, and he will tear down your towers with his [f]axes. 10 Because of the multitude of his (M)horses, the dust raised by them will cover you; your walls will (N)shake from the noise of cavalry, [g]wagons, and chariots when he (O)enters your gates as warriors enter a city that is breached. 11 With the hoofs of his (P)horses he will trample all your streets. He will kill your people with the sword, and your strong [h]pillars will (Q)go down to the ground. 12 Also they will take your riches as spoils and plunder your (R)merchandise, (S)tear down your walls and destroy your (T)delightful houses, and [i]throw your stones, your timbers, and your debris (U)into the water. 13 So I will put an end to the sound of your (V)songs, and the sound of your (W)harps will no longer be heard. 14 I will turn you into a bare rock; you will become a dry place for the spreading of nets. You will not be (X)rebuilt, for I the (Y)Lord have spoken,” declares the Lord God.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 26:2 Lit turned
  2. Ezekiel 26:3 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord, and so throughout the ch
  3. Ezekiel 26:6 Lit in the field
  4. Ezekiel 26:7 Lit an assembly, even many people
  5. Ezekiel 26:8 Lit in the field
  6. Ezekiel 26:9 Or crowbars
  7. Ezekiel 26:10 Lit wheel
  8. Ezekiel 26:11 Or memorial stones (in Tyre’s temple)
  9. Ezekiel 26:12 Lit put

A Message for Tyre

26 On February 3, during the twelfth year of King Jehoiachin’s captivity,[a] this message came to me from the Lord: “Son of man, Tyre has rejoiced over the fall of Jerusalem, saying, ‘Ha! She who was the gateway to the rich trade routes to the east has been broken, and I am the heir! Because she has been made desolate, I will become wealthy!’

“Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am your enemy, O Tyre, and I will bring many nations against you, like the waves of the sea crashing against your shoreline. They will destroy the walls of Tyre and tear down its towers. I will scrape away its soil and make it a bare rock! It will be just a rock in the sea, a place for fishermen to spread their nets, for I have spoken, says the Sovereign Lord. Tyre will become the prey of many nations, and its mainland villages will be destroyed by the sword. Then they will know that I am the Lord.

“This is what the Sovereign Lord says: From the north I will bring King Nebuchadnezzar[b] of Babylon against Tyre. He is king of kings and brings his horses, chariots, charioteers, and great army. First he will destroy your mainland villages. Then he will attack you by building a siege wall, constructing a ramp, and raising a roof of shields against you. He will pound your walls with battering rams and demolish your towers with sledgehammers. 10 The hooves of his horses will choke the city with dust, and the noise of the charioteers and chariot wheels will shake your walls as they storm through your broken gates. 11 His horsemen will trample through every street in the city. They will butcher your people, and your strong pillars will topple.

12 “They will plunder all your riches and merchandise and break down your walls. They will destroy your lovely homes and dump your stones and timbers and even your dust into the sea. 13 I will stop the music of your songs. No more will the sound of harps be heard among your people. 14 I will make your island a bare rock, a place for fishermen to spread their nets. You will never be rebuilt, for I, the Lord, have spoken. Yes, the Sovereign Lord has spoken!

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 26:1 Hebrew In the eleventh year, on the first day of the month, of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar year. Since an element is missing in the date formula here, scholars have reconstructed this probable reading: In the eleventh [month of the twelfth] year, on the first day of the month. This reading would put this message on February 3, 585 B.c.; also see note on 1:1.
  2. 26:7 Hebrew Nebuchadrezzar, a variant spelling of Nebuchadnezzar.