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A Funeral Song for Tyre
27 The Lord said:
2 Ezekiel, son of man, sing a funeral song for Tyre,[a] 3 the city that is built along the sea and that trades with nations along the coast. Tell the people of Tyre that the following message is from me:
Tyre, you brag about
your perfect beauty,
4 and your control of the sea.[b]
You are a ship
built to perfection.
5 Builders used cypress trees
from Mount Hermon
to make your planks
and a cedar tree from Lebanon
for your tall mast.
6 Oak trees from Bashan
were shaped into oars;
pine trees from Cyprus[c]
were cut for your deck,
which was then decorated
with strips of ivory.
7 The builders used fancy linen
from Egypt for your sails,
so everyone could see you.
Blue and purple cloth
from Cyprus was used
to shade your deck.
8 Men from Sidon and Arvad
did the rowing,
and your own skilled workers
were the captains.
9 Experienced men from Byblos
repaired any damages.
Sailors from all over
shopped at the stores
in your port.
10 Brave soldiers from Persia,
Lydia, and Libya
served in your navy,
protecting you with shields
and helmets,
and making you famous.
11 Your guards came from
Arvad and Cilicia,
and men from Gamad
stood watch in your towers.
With their weapons
hung on your walls,
your beauty was complete.
12 Merchants from southern Spain[d] traded silver, iron, tin, and lead for your products. 13 The people of Greece, Tubal, and Meshech traded slaves and things made of bronze, 14 and those from Beth-Togarmah traded work horses, war horses, and mules. 15 You also did business with people from Rhodes,[e] and people from nations along the coast gave you ivory and ebony[f] in exchange for your goods. 16 Edom[g] traded emeralds, purple cloth, embroidery, fine linen, coral, and rubies. 17 Judah and Israel gave you their finest wheat, fancy figs,[h] honey, olive oil, and spices in exchange for your merchandise. 18 The people of Damascus saw what you had to offer and brought you wine from Helbon and wool from Zahar. 19 Vedan and Javan near Uzal[i] traded you iron and spices. 20 The people of Dedan supplied you with saddle blankets, 21 while people from Arabia and the rulers of Kedar traded lambs, sheep, and goats. 22 Merchants from Sheba and Raamah gave you excellent spices, precious stones, and gold in exchange for your products. 23 You also did business with merchants from the cities of Haran, Canneh, Eden, Sheba, Asshur, and Chilmad, 24 and they gave you expensive clothing, purple and embroidered cloth, brightly colored rugs, and strong rope. 25 (A) Large, seagoing ships[j] carried your goods wherever they needed to go.
You were like a ship
loaded with heavy cargo
26 and sailing across the sea,
but you were wrecked
by strong eastern winds.
27 Everything on board was lost—
your valuable cargo,
your sailors and carpenters,
merchants and soldiers.
28 The shouts of your drowning crew
were heard on the shore.
29 Every ship is deserted;
rowers and sailors and captains
all stand on shore,
30 mourning for you.
They show their sorrow
by putting dust on their heads
and rolling in ashes;
31 they shave their heads
and dress in sackcloth[k]
as they cry in despair.
32 In their grief they sing
a funeral song for you:
“Tyre, you were greater
than all other cities.
But now you lie in silence
at the bottom of the sea.[l]
33 “Nations that received
your merchandise
were always pleased;
kings everywhere got rich
from your costly goods.
34 But now you are wrecked
in the deep sea,
with your cargo and crew
scattered everywhere.
35 People living along the coast
are shocked at the news.
Their rulers are horrified,
and terror is written
across their faces.
36 The merchants of the world
can't believe what happened.
Your death was gruesome,
and you are gone forever.”
Judgment on the King of Tyre
28 The Lord God said:
2 Ezekiel, son of man, tell the king of Tyre[m] that I am saying:
You are so arrogant that you think you're a god and that the city of Tyre is your throne. You may claim to be a god, though you're nothing but a mere human. 3 You think you're wiser than Daniel[n] and know everything.[o]
4 Your wisdom has certainly made you rich, because you have storehouses filled with gold and silver. 5 You're a clever businessman and are extremely wealthy, but your wealth has led to arrogance!
6 You compared yourself to a god, so now I, the Lord God, 7 will make you the victim of cruel enemies. They will destroy all the possessions you've worked so hard to get. 8 Your enemies will brutally kill you, and the sea will be your only grave.
9 When you face your enemies, will you still claim to be a god? They will attack, and you will suffer like any other human. 10 Foreigners will kill you, and you will die the death of those who don't worship me. I, the Lord, have spoken.
A Funeral Song for the King of Tyre
11 The Lord said:
12 Ezekiel, son of man, sing a funeral song for the king of Tyre[p] and tell him I am saying:
At one time, you were perfect,[q] intelligent, and good-looking. 13 You lived in the garden of Eden and wore jewelry made of brightly colored gems and precious stones. They were all set in gold[r] and were ready for you on the day you were born. 14 I appointed a winged creature to guard your home[s] on my holy mountain, where you walked among gems that dazzled like fire.
15 You were truly good from the time of your birth, but later you started doing wicked things. 16 You traded with other nations and became more and more cruel and evil. So I forced you to leave my mountain, and the creature that had been your protector now chased you away from the jewels.
17 It was your good looks that made you arrogant, and you were so famous that you started acting like a fool. That's why I threw you to the ground and let other kings sneer at you. 18 You have cheated so many other merchants that your places of worship are corrupt. So I set your city on fire and burned it down. Now everyone sees only ashes where your city once stood, 19 and the people of other nations are shocked. Your punishment was horrible, and you are gone forever.
Judgment on Sidon and Peace for Israel
20 (B) The Lord said:
21 Ezekiel, son of man, condemn the city of Sidon[t] 22 and tell its people:
I, the Lord God, am your enemy! People will praise me when I punish you, and they will see that I am holy. 23 I will send deadly diseases to wipe you out, and I will send enemies to invade and surround you. Your people will be killed, and you will know that I am the Lord.
24 When that happens, the people of Israel will no longer have cruel neighbors that abuse them and make them feel as though they are in a field of thorns and briers. And the Israelites will know that I, the Lord God, have done these things.
A Blessing for Israel
25 The Lord God said:
Someday I will gather the people of Israel from the nations where they are now scattered, and every nation will see that I am holy. The Israelites will once again live in the land I gave to my servant Jacob. 26 They will be safe and will build houses and plant vineyards. They will no longer be in danger, because I will punish their hateful neighbors. Israel will know that I am the Lord their God.
17-18 (A)(B) Abraham had been promised that Isaac, his only son,[a] would continue his family. But when Abraham was tested, he had faith and was willing to sacrifice Isaac, 19 because he was sure that God could raise people to life. This was just like getting Isaac back from death.
20 (C) Isaac had faith, and he promised blessings to Jacob and Esau. 21 (D) Later, when Jacob was about to die, he leaned on his walking stick and worshiped. Then because of his faith he blessed each of Joseph's sons. 22 (E) And right before Joseph died, he had faith that God would lead the people of Israel out of Egypt. So he told them to take his bones with them.
23 (F) Because Moses' parents had faith, they kept him hidden until he was three months old. They saw that he was a beautiful child, and they were not afraid to disobey the king's orders.[b] 24 (G) Then after Moses grew up, his faith made him refuse to be called the king's grandson. 25 (H) He chose to be mistreated with God's people instead of having the good time that sin could bring for a little while. 26 Moses knew that the treasures of Egypt were not as wonderful as what he would receive from suffering for the Messiah,[c] and he looked forward to his reward.
27 Because of his faith, Moses left Egypt. Moses had seen the invisible God and wasn't afraid of the king's anger. 28 (I) His faith also made him celebrate Passover. He sprinkled the blood of animals on the doorposts, so that the first-born sons of the people of Israel would not be killed by the destroying angel.
29 (J) Because of their faith, the people walked through the Red Sea[d] on dry land. But when the Egyptians tried to do it, they were drowned.
30 (K) God's people had faith, and when they had walked around the city of Jericho for seven days, its walls fell down.
31 (L) Rahab had been a prostitute, but she had faith and welcomed the spies. So she wasn't killed with the people who disobeyed.
Praise the Lord for All He Has Done
1 Shout praises to the Lord!
With all my heart
I will thank the Lord
when his people meet.
2 The Lord has done
many wonderful things!
Everyone who is pleased
with God's marvelous deeds
will keep them in mind.
3 Everything the Lord does
is glorious and majestic,
and his power to bring justice
will never end.
4 The Lord God is famous
for his wonderful deeds,
and he is kind and merciful.
5 He gives food to his worshipers
and always keeps his agreement
with them.
6 He has shown his mighty power
to his people
and has given them the lands
of other nations.
7 God is always honest and fair,
and his laws can be trusted.
8 They are true and right
and will stand forever.
9 God rescued his people,
and he will never break
his agreement with them.
He is fearsome and holy.
15 The steady dripping of rain
and the nagging of a wife
are one and the same.
16 It's easier to catch the wind
or hold olive oil in your hand
than to stop a nagging wife.
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