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A Lament for Doomed Tyre

27 And the word of Yahweh came[a] to me, saying,[b] “And you, son of man,[c] raise a lament against Tyre. And you must say to Tyre, the one who sits at the entrance of the sea as the merchant of the peoples to the many coastlands, ‘Thus says the Lord Yahweh:

Tyre, you yourself said[d]
    “I am perfect in beauty!”[e]
In the heart of the seas are your boundaries;
    your builders perfected your beauty.
They built with pine trees from Senir
    all of your boards for you;
they took cedars from Lebanon
    to make a sailing mast for you.[f]
They made your oars
    with oaks from Bashan;
your deck they made with inlaid ivory,
    with cypress trees from the coastlands of Cyprus.[g]
Your sail was fine linen with colorful weaving from Egypt
    to serve as a banner for you;[h]
blue and purple cloth from the coastlands of Cyprus[i]
    was your awning.
The inhabitants of Sidon and Arvan
    were your rowers;
your skilled men,[j] O Tyre, were from your own people,[k]
    and they were your seamen.
The elders of Gebal and its skilled men[l] were among you[m]
    as the repairers of the seam of your boat;
all of the ships of the sea and their mariners were among you[n]
    to barter your wares.
10 Persia and Lud and Put
    were among your soldiers;[o]
small shield and helmet hung among you[p]
    and gave to you your adornment.
11 The people[q] of Arvan and Helech
    were on your walls all around,
and Gammadites
    were in your towers.
They hung their quivers[r] on your walls all around;
    they perfected your beauty.

12 “‘Tarshish was your trader; from the abundance of all of their wealth, with silver, iron, tin, and lead they exchanged for your merchandise. 13 Javan, Tubal, and Meshech were your traders; in exchange for people[s] and an object of bronze they gave you your wares. 14 From Beth Togarmah they exchanged horses and war horses and mules for your wares. 15 The people[t] of Dedan were trading with you, many coastlands composed the region of your influence;[u] they brought back horns of ivory and ebony as your payment. 16 Edom[v] was trading with you because of the abundance of your products, trading with malachite, purple wool yarn and colorful weaving, and fine white fabric and black corals and rubies; all these they exchange for your merchandise. 17 Judah and the land of Israel were trading with you with wheat from Minnith and millet and honey and olive oil and balm; all these they gave for your wares. 18 Damascus was trading with you because of[w] the abundance of your products, because of the abundance of all of your wealth, trading with the wine of Helbon and white wool. 19 Vedan and Javan from Uzal, they exchanged wrought iron, cinnamon,[x] and reed spice for your merchandise; all this was for your wares. 20 Dedan was trading with you, with garments of woven material for riding. 21 Arabia and all of the leaders of Kedar were your customers;[y] with young rams and adult rams and goats they were trading with them with you. 22 The traders of Sheba and Raamah were trading with you, with the finest of every spice and with every precious stone and gold; they exchanged all these for your merchandise. 23 Haran and Canneh and Eden, the traders of Sheba, Assyria, and Kilmad were trading with you. 24 They were trading with you in finery, in mantles of blue cloth and colorful embroidered work and with rugs of variegated cloth in twisted cords and knotted tightly; these were among your merchandise.[z] 25 The ships of Tarshish were carrying for you your wares, and you were filled, and you became very heavy in the heart of the seas.

26 “‘Into many waters
    the rowers brought you;
but the east wind[aa] wrecked you
    in the heart of the seas.
27 Your wealth and your merchandise, your wares,
    your mariners, and your seamen,
your shipwrights[ab] and the barterers of your wares
    and all of your soldiers[ac] who are in you,
along[ad] with all of your crew who are in the midst of you,
    they will fall in the heart of the seas on the day of your downfall.
28 At the sound of the shout[ae] of your seamen,
    the pasturelands will shake.
29 And they will go down from their ships,
    all of those holding an oar,
mariners, all of the seamen of the sea
    will stand on the land,
30 and they will lament[af] over you with their voice,
    and they will cry out[ag] bitterly,
and they will throw[ah] dust on their heads,
    and they will roll[ai] in the dust.
31 They will shave themselves bald for your sake,[aj]
    and they will dress[ak] themselves in sackcloth,
and they will weep[al] over you with a bitterness of soul[am]
    and with bitter wailing.
32 And they will raise[an] over you with their wailing a lament,
    and they will chant[ao] a lament over you:
‘Who is like Tyre,
    like this destruction in the midst of the sea?’
33 When your merchandise went out from the seas,
    you satisfied many peoples with the abundance of your wealth,
and by your wares
    you made rich the kings of the world.
34 Now you are broken by seas
    in the depths of waters;
your wares and all of your crew
    in the midst of you have sunk.
35 All of the inhabitants of the coastlands
    are appalled over you,
and their kings shudder[ap] in horror;
    they distort their faces![aq]
36 The traders among the peoples hiss over you;
    you have become a horror,
    and you shall be no more forever!’”[ar]

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Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 27:1 Literally “was”
  2. Ezekiel 27:1 Literally “to say”
  3. Ezekiel 27:2 Or “mortal,” or “son of humankind”
  4. Ezekiel 27:3 Literally “you you said”
  5. Ezekiel 27:3 Literally “of beauty”
  6. Ezekiel 27:5 Literally “on you”
  7. Ezekiel 27:6 According to the reading tradition (Qere)
  8. Ezekiel 27:7 Literally “to be for you as a banner”
  9. Ezekiel 27:7 Or “Elishah”
  10. Ezekiel 27:8 Literally “wise men”
  11. Ezekiel 27:8 Literally “in you”
  12. Ezekiel 27:9 Literally “wise men”
  13. Ezekiel 27:9 Literally “in you”
  14. Ezekiel 27:9 Literally “in you”
  15. Ezekiel 27:10 Literally “in your army as the men of war your”
  16. Ezekiel 27:10 Literally “in you”
  17. Ezekiel 27:11 Or “children,” or “sons”
  18. Ezekiel 27:11 Or “shields” (cf. NJPS; NIV)
  19. Ezekiel 27:13 Or “for a human person/soul”
  20. Ezekiel 27:15 Or “children”
  21. Ezekiel 27:15 Literally “hand”
  22. Ezekiel 27:16 Reading Edom for Aram
  23. Ezekiel 27:18 Literally “for”
  24. Ezekiel 27:19 Or “cassia”
  25. Ezekiel 27:21 Literally “traders of your hand”
  26. Ezekiel 27:24 Literally “in your trading/marketplace” (cf. NET)
  27. Ezekiel 27:26 Literally “the wind of the east”
  28. Ezekiel 27:27 Literally “the repairers/strengtheners of your seams”
  29. Ezekiel 27:27 Literally “the men of your war”
  30. Ezekiel 27:27 Hebrew “and”
  31. Ezekiel 27:28 Or “cry”
  32. Ezekiel 27:30 Hebrew “lamented”
  33. Ezekiel 27:30 Hebrew “cried out”
  34. Ezekiel 27:30 Hebrew “threw”
  35. Ezekiel 27:30 Hebrew “rolled”
  36. Ezekiel 27:31 Literally “And they made bald for you with baldness”
  37. Ezekiel 27:31 Hebrew “dressed”
  38. Ezekiel 27:31 Hebrew “wept”
  39. Ezekiel 27:31 Or “of their inner self”
  40. Ezekiel 27:32 Hebrew “raised”
  41. Ezekiel 27:32 Hebrew “chanted”
  42. Ezekiel 27:35 Literally “they have bristling hair”
  43. Ezekiel 27:35 Literally “they are distorted as to faces”
  44. Ezekiel 27:36 Literally “there is not you until eternity/endless ages” (cf. NRSV)

Grief over Tyre

27 Moreover, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “And you, son of man, (A)take up a song of mourning over Tyre; and say to Tyre, (B)who sits at the [a]entrance to the sea, (C)merchant of the peoples to many coastlands, ‘This is what the Lord [b]God says:

“Tyre, you have said, ‘I am perfect in beauty.’
Your borders are in the heart of the seas;
Your builders have perfected your beauty.
They have [c]made all your planks of juniper trees from (D)Senir;
They have taken a cedar from Lebanon to make a mast for you.
Of (E)oaks from (F)Bashan they have made your rudders;
With ivory they have [d]inlaid your deck of boxwood from the coastlands of (G)Cyprus.
Your sail was of colorfully embroidered linen from Egypt
So that it became your flag;
Your [e]awning was (H)violet and purple from the coastlands of (I)Elishah.
The inhabitants of Sidon and (J)Arvad were your rowers;
Your (K)wise men, Tyre, were [f]aboard; they were your sailors.
The elders of (L)Gebal and her wise men were with you repairing your leaks;
All the ships of the sea and their sailors were with you in order to deal in your merchandise.

10 (M)Persia, (N)Lud, and (O)Put were in your army, your men of war. They hung up shield and helmet on you; they presented your splendor. 11 The sons of Arvad and your army were on your walls, all around, and the [g]Gammadim were in your towers. They hung their shields on your walls all around; they perfected your beauty.

12 “Tarshish was your customer because of the abundance of all kinds of wealth; with silver, iron, tin, and lead they paid for your merchandise. 13 (P)Javan, (Q)Tubal, and (R)Meshech, they were your traders; with human (S)lives and vessels of bronze they paid for your merchandise. 14 Those from (T)Beth-togarmah gave horses, war horses, and mules for your merchandise. 15 The sons of (U)Dedan were your traders. Many coastlands were [h]your market; they brought (V)ivory tusks and ebony as your payment. 16 (W)Aram was your customer because of the abundance of your [i]goods; they paid for your merchandise with [j](X)emeralds, purple, (Y)colorfully woven cloth, fine linen, coral, and rubies. 17 Judah and the land of Israel, they were your traders; with the wheat of (Z)Minnith, [k]cakes, honey, oil, and balsam they paid for your merchandise. 18 (AA)Damascus was your customer because of the abundance of your [l]goods, because of the abundance of all kinds of wealth, because of the wine of Helbon and white wool. 19 Vedan and Javan paid for your merchandise from Uzal; wrought iron, cassia, and spice reed were among your merchandise. 20 (AB)Dedan traded with you in saddlecloths for riding. 21 (AC)Arabia and all the princes of Kedar, they were [m]your customers for (AD)lambs, rams, and goats; for these they were your customers. 22 The traders of (AE)Sheba and Raamah, they traded with you; they paid for your merchandise with the best of all (AF)balsam oil, and with all kinds of precious stones, and gold. 23 Haran, Canneh, (AG)Eden, the traders of Sheba, Asshur, and Chilmad traded with you. 24 They traded with you in choice garments, in clothes of violet and colorfully woven cloth, and in blankets of two colors, and tightly wound cords, which were among your merchandise. 25 The (AH)ships of Tarshish were [n]the carriers for your merchandise.

And you were filled and were very [o]glorious
In the heart of the seas.

26 “Your rowers have brought you
Into (AI)great waters;
The (AJ)east wind has broken you
In the heart of the seas.
27 Your wealth, your wares, your merchandise,
Your seamen and your sailors,
Your repairers of leaks, your dealers in merchandise,
And all your men of war who are in you,
With all your contingent that is in your midst,
Will fall into the heart of the seas
On the day of your overthrow.
28 At the sound of the cry of your sailors,
The pasture lands will (AK)shake.
29 All who handle the oar,
The (AL)seamen and all the sailors of the sea
Will come down from their ships;
They will stand on the land,
30 And they will (AM)make their voice heard over you
And cry out bitterly.
They will (AN)throw dust on their heads,
They will (AO)wallow in ashes.
31 Also they will shave themselves (AP)bald for you
And (AQ)put on sackcloth;
And they will (AR)weep for you in bitterness of soul
With bitter mourning.
32 Moreover, in their wailing they will take up a (AS)song of mourning for you
And sing a song of mourning over you:
‘Who is like Tyre,
Like her who is silent in the midst of the sea?
33 When your merchandise went out from the seas,
You satisfied many peoples;
With the (AT)abundance of your wealth and your merchandise
You enriched the kings of the earth.
34 [p]Now that you are (AU)broken by the seas
In the depths of the waters,
Your (AV)merchandise and all your company
Have fallen in the midst of you.
35 All the (AW)inhabitants of the coastlands
Are appalled at you,
And their kings are horribly afraid;
They [q]have a troubled look.
36 The merchants among the peoples (AX)hiss at you;
You have become [r]terrified
And you (AY)will cease to be forever.’”’”

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Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 27:3 Lit entrances
  2. Ezekiel 27:3 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord, and so throughout the ch
  3. Ezekiel 27:5 Lit built
  4. Ezekiel 27:6 Lit made
  5. Ezekiel 27:7 Lit covering
  6. Ezekiel 27:8 Lit in you
  7. Ezekiel 27:11 Or guardians
  8. Ezekiel 27:15 Lit the market of your hand
  9. Ezekiel 27:16 Lit works
  10. Ezekiel 27:16 Uncertain, perhaps malachite
  11. Ezekiel 27:17 Heb pannag
  12. Ezekiel 27:18 Lit works
  13. Ezekiel 27:21 Lit customers of your hand
  14. Ezekiel 27:25 Lit your travelers
  15. Ezekiel 27:25 Lit honored
  16. Ezekiel 27:34 Lit The time
  17. Ezekiel 27:35 Lit are troubled in face
  18. Ezekiel 27:36 Lit terrors