Beginning
25 Then the Lord’s message came to me again. He said:
2 “Son of dust, look toward the land of Ammon and prophesy against its people. 3 Tell them: ‘Listen to what the Lord God says. Because you scoffed when my Temple was destroyed, and mocked Israel in her anguish, and laughed at Judah when she was marched away captive, 4 therefore I will let the Bedouins from the desert to the east of you overrun your land. They will set up their encampments among you. They will harvest all your fruit and steal your dairy cattle. 5 And I will turn the city of Rabbah into a pasture for camels and all the country of the Ammonites into a wasteland where flocks of sheep can graze. Then you will know I am the Lord.’”
6 For the Lord God says: “Because you clapped and stamped and cheered with glee at the destruction of my people, 7 therefore I will lay my hand heavily upon you, delivering you to many nations for devastation. I will cut you off from being a nation anymore. I will destroy you; then you shall know I am the Lord.”
8 And the Lord God says: “Because the Moabites have said that Judah is no better off than any other nation, 9-10 therefore I will open up the eastern flank of Moab, wiping out her frontier cities, the glory of the nation—Beth-jeshimoth, Baal-meon and Kiriathaim. And Bedouin tribes from the desert to the east will pour in upon her, just as they will upon Ammon. And Moab will no longer be counted among the nations. 11 Thus I will bring down my judgment upon the Moabites, and they shall know I am the Lord.”
12 And the Lord God says: “Because the people of Edom have sinned so greatly by avenging themselves upon the people of Judah, 13 I will smash Edom with my fist and wipe out her people, her cattle, and her flocks. The sword will destroy everything from Teman to Dedan. 14 By the hand of my people, Israel, this shall be done. They will carry out my furious vengeance.”
15 And the Lord God says: “Because the Philistines have acted against Judah out of revenge and long-standing hatred, 16 I will shake my fist over the land of the Philistines, and I will wipe out the Cherethites and utterly destroy those along the seacoast. 17 I will execute terrible vengeance upon them to rebuke them for what they have done. And when all this happens, then they shall know I am the Lord.”
26 Another message came to me from the Lord on the first day of the month, in the eleventh year (after King Jehoiachin was taken away to captivity).
2 “Son of dust, Tyre has rejoiced over the fall of Jerusalem, saying, ‘Ha! She who controlled the lucrative north-south trade routes along the coast and along the course of the Jordan River[a] has been broken, and I have fallen heir! Because she has been laid waste, I shall become wealthy!’”
3 Therefore the Lord God says: “I stand against you, Tyre, and I will bring nations against you like ocean waves. 4 They will destroy the walls of Tyre and tear down her towers. I will scrape away her soil and make her a bare rock! 5 Her island shall become uninhabited, a place for fishermen to spread their nets, for I have spoken it,” says the Lord God. “Tyre shall become the prey of many nations, 6 and her mainland city shall perish by the sword. Then they shall know I am the Lord.”
7 For the Lord God says: “I will bring Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon—the king of kings from the north—against Tyre with a great army and cavalry and chariots. 8 First he will destroy your suburbs; then he will attack your mainland city by building a siege wall and raising a roof of shields against it. 9 He will set up battering rams against your walls and with sledgehammers demolish your forts. 10 The hoofs of his cavalry will choke the city with dust, and your walls will shake as the horses gallop through your broken gates, pulling chariots behind them. 11 Horsemen will occupy every street in the city; they will butcher your people, and your famous, huge 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 timber and even your dust into the sea. 13 I will stop the music of your songs. No more will there be the sound of harps among you. 14 I will make your island a bare rock,[b] a place for fishermen to spread their nets. You will never be rebuilt, for I, the Lord, have spoken it.” So says the Lord. 15 “The whole country will shake with your fall; the wounded will scream as the slaughter goes on.
16 “Then all the seaport rulers shall come down from their thrones and lay aside their robes and beautiful garments and sit on the ground shaking with fear at what they have seen. 17 And they shall wail for you, singing this dirge: ‘O mighty island city, with your naval power that terrorized the mainland, how you have vanished from the seas! 18 How the islands tremble at your fall! They watch dismayed.’”
19 For the Lord God says: “I will destroy Tyre to the ground. You will sink beneath the terrible waves of enemy attack. Great seas shall swallow you. 20 I will send you to the pit of hell to lie there with those of long ago. Your city will lie in ruins, dead, like the bodies of those in the underworld who entered long ago the nether world of the dead. Never again will you be inhabited or be given beauty here in the land of those who live. 21 I will bring you to a dreadful end; no search will be enough to find you,” says the Lord.
27 Then this message came to me from the Lord. He said:
2 “Son of dust, sing this sad dirge for Tyre:
3 “‘O mighty seaport city, merchant center of the world, the Lord God speaks. You say, “I am the most beautiful city in all the world.” 4 You have extended your boundaries out into the sea; your architects have made you glorious. 5 You are like a ship built of finest fir from Senir. They took a cedar from Lebanon to make a mast for you. 6 They made your oars from oaks of Bashan. The walls of your cabin are of cypress from the southern coast of Cyprus. 7 Your sails are made of Egypt’s finest linens; you stand beneath awnings bright with purple and scarlet dyes from eastern Cyprus.
8 “‘Your sailors come from Sidon and Arvad; your helmsmen are skilled men from Zemer. 9 Wise old craftsmen from Gebal do the calking. Ships come from every land with all their goods to barter for your trade.
10 “‘Your army includes men from far-off Paras, Lud, and Put.[c] They serve you—it is a feather in your cap to have their shields hang upon your walls; it is the ultimate of honor. 11 Men from Arvad and from Helech[d] are the sentinels upon your walls; your towers are manned by men from Gamad. Their shields hang row on row upon the walls, perfecting your glory.
12 “‘From Tarshish come all kinds of riches to your markets—silver, iron, tin, and lead. 13 Merchants from Javan, Tubal, and Meshech[e] bring slaves and bronze dishes, 14 while from Togarmah come chariot horses, steeds, and mules.
15 “‘Merchants come to you from Rhodes, and many coastlands are your captive markets, giving payment in ebony and ivory. 16 Edom sends her traders to buy your many wares. They bring emeralds, purple dyes, embroidery, fine linen, and jewelry of coral and agate. 17 Judah and the cities in what was once the kingdom of Israel send merchants with wheat from Minnith and Pannag,[f] and with honey, oil, and balm. 18 Damascus comes. She brings wines from Helbon and white Syrian wool to trade for all the rich variety of goods you make. 19 Vedan and Javan bring Arabian yarn,[g] wrought iron, cassia, and calamus, 20 while Dedan brings expensive saddlecloths for riding.
21 “‘The Arabians and Kedar’s wealthy merchant princes bring you lambs and rams and goats. 22 The merchants of Sheba and Raamah come with all kinds of spices, jewels, and gold. 23 Haran, Canneh, Eden, Asshur, and Chilmad all send their wares. 24 They bring choice fabrics to trade—blue cloth, embroidery, and many-colored carpets bound with cords and made secure. 25 The ships of Tarshish are your ocean caravans; your island warehouse is filled to the brim!
26 “‘But now your statesmen bring your ship of state into a hurricane! Your mighty vessel flounders in the heavy eastern gale,[h] and you are wrecked in the heart of the seas! 27 Everything is lost. Your riches and wares, your sailors and pilots, your shipwrights, merchants, and soldiers; and all the people sink into the sea on the day of your vast ruin.
28 “‘The surrounding cities quake at the sound as your pilots scream with fright. 29 All your sailors out at sea come to land and watch upon the mainland shore, 30 weeping bitterly and casting dust upon their heads and wallowing in ashes. 31 They shave their heads in grief, put on sackcloth, and weep for you with bitterness of heart and deep mourning.
32 “‘And this is the song of their sorrow: “Where in all the world was there ever such a wondrous city as Tyre, destroyed in the midst of the sea? 33 Your merchandise satisfied the desires of many nations. Kings at the ends of the earth rejoiced in the riches you sent them. 34 Now you lie broken beneath the sea; all your merchandise and all your crew have perished with you. 35 All who live along the coastlands watch, incredulous. Their kings are horribly afraid and look on with twisted faces. 36 The merchants of the nations shake their heads, for your fate is dreadful; you have forever perished.”’”
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.