Then this message came to me from the Lord: ²“Son of man, sing a funeral song for Tyre, ³that mighty gateway to the sea, the trading center of the world. Give Tyre this message from the Sovereign Lord:

“You boasted, O Tyre,

‘My beauty is perfect!’

⁴You extended your boundaries into the sea.

Your builders made your beauty perfect.

⁵You were like a great ship

built of the finest cypress from Senir.

They took a cedar from Lebanon

to make a mast for you.

⁶They carved your oars

from the oaks of Bashan.

Your deck of pine from the coasts of Cyprus

was inlaid with ivory.

⁷Your sails were made of Egypt’s finest linen,

and they flew as a banner above you.

You stood beneath blue and purple awnings

made bright with dyes from the coasts of Elishah.

⁸Your oarsmen came from Sidon and Arvad;

your helmsmen were skilled men from Tyre itself.

⁹Wise old craftsmen from Gebal did the caulking.

Ships from every land came with goods to barter for your trade.

¹⁰“Men from distant Persia, Lydia, and Libya served in your great army. They hung their shields and helmets on your walls, giving you great honor. ¹¹Men from Arvad and Helech stood on your walls. Your towers were manned by men from Gammad. Their shields hung on your walls, completing your beauty.

¹²“Tarshish sent merchants to buy your wares in exchange for silver, iron, tin, and lead. ¹³Merchants from Greece, Tubal, and Meshech brought slaves and articles of bronze to trade with you.

¹⁴“From Beth-togarmah came riding horses, chariot horses, and mules, all in exchange for your goods. ¹⁵Merchants came to you from Dedan. Numerous coastlands were your captive markets; they brought payment in ivory tusks and ebony wood.

¹⁶“Syria sent merchants to buy your rich variety of goods. They traded turquoise, purple dyes, embroidery, fine linen, and jewelry of coral and rubies. ¹⁷Judah and Israel traded for your wares, offering wheat from Minnith, figs, honey, olive oil, and balm.

¹⁸“Damascus sent merchants to buy your rich variety of goods, bringing wine from Helbon and white wool from Zahar. ¹⁹Greeks from Uzal came to trade for your merchandise. Wrought iron, cassia, and fragrant calamus were bartered for your wares.

²⁰“Dedan sent merchants to trade their expensive saddle blankets with you. ²¹The Arabians and the princes of Kedar sent merchants to trade lambs and rams and male goats in exchange for your goods. ²²The merchants of Sheba and Raamah came with all kinds of spices, jewels, and gold in exchange for your wares.

²³“Haran, Canneh, Eden, Sheba, Asshur, and Kilmad came with their merchandise, too. ²⁴They brought choice fabrics to trade—blue cloth, embroidery, and multicolored carpets rolled up and bound with cords. ²⁵The ships of Tarshish were your ocean caravans. Your island warehouse was filled to the brim!

The Destruction of Tyre

²⁶“But look! Your oarsmen

have taken you into stormy seas!

A mighty eastern gale

has wrecked you in the heart of the sea!

²⁷Everything is lost—

your riches and wares,

your sailors and pilots,

your ship builders, merchants, and warriors.

On the day of your ruin,

everyone on board sinks into the depths of the sea.

²⁸Your cities by the sea tremble

as your pilots cry out in terror.

²⁹All the oarsmen abandon their ships;

the sailors and pilots stand on the shore.

³⁰They cry aloud over you

and weep bitterly.

They throw dust on their heads

and roll in ashes.

³¹They shave their heads in grief for you

and dress themselves in burlap.

They weep for you with bitter anguish

and deep mourning.

³²As they wail and mourn over you,

they sing this sad funeral song:

‘Was there ever such a city as Tyre,

now silent at the bottom of the sea?

³³The merchandise you traded

satisfied the desires of many nations.

Kings at the ends of the earth

were enriched by your trade.

³⁴Now you are a wrecked ship,

broken at the bottom of the sea.

All your merchandise and crew

have gone down with you.

³⁵All who live along the coastlands

are appalled at your terrible fate.

Their kings are filled with horror

and look on with twisted faces.

³⁶The merchants among the nations

shake their heads at the sight of you,

for you have come to a horrible end

and will exist no more.’ ”

Chapter 28 A Message for Tyre’s King

Then this message came to me from the Lord: ²“Son of man, give the prince of Tyre this message from the Sovereign Lord:

“In your great pride you claim, ‘I am a god!

I sit on a divine throne in the heart of the sea.’

But you are only a man and not a god,

though you boast that you are a god.

³You regard yourself as wiser than Daniel

and think no secret is hidden from you.

⁴With your wisdom and understanding you have amassed great wealth—

gold and silver for your treasuries.

⁵Yes, your wisdom has made you very rich,

and your riches have made you very proud.

⁶“Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says:

Because you think you are as wise as a god,

⁷I will now bring against you a foreign army,

the terror of the nations.

They will draw their swords against your marvelous wisdom

and defile your splendor!

⁸They will bring you down to the pit,

and you will die in the heart of the sea,

pierced with many wounds.

⁹Will you then boast, ‘I am a god!’

to those who kill you?

To them you will be no god

but merely a man!

¹⁰You will die like an outcast

at the hands of foreigners.

I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!”

¹¹Then this further message came to me from the Lord: ¹²“Son of man, sing this funeral song for the king of Tyre. Give him this message from the Sovereign Lord:

“You were the model of perfection,

full of wisdom and exquisite in beauty.

¹³You were in Eden,

the garden of God.

Your clothing was adorned with every precious stone—

red carnelian, pale-green peridot, white moonstone,

blue-green beryl, onyx, green jasper,

blue lapis lazuli, turquoise, and emerald—

all beautifully crafted for you

and set in the finest gold.

They were given to you

on the day you were created.

¹⁴I ordained and anointed you

as the mighty angelic guardian.

You had access to the holy mountain of God

and walked among the stones of fire.

¹⁵“You were blameless in all you did

from the day you were created

until the day evil was found in you.

¹⁶Your rich commerce led you to violence,

and you sinned.

So I banished you in disgrace

from the mountain of God.

I expelled you, O mighty guardian,

from your place among the stones of fire.

¹⁷Your heart was filled with pride

because of all your beauty.

Your wisdom was corrupted

by your love of splendor.

So I threw you to the ground

and exposed you to the curious gaze of kings.

¹⁸You defiled your sanctuaries

with your many sins and your dishonest trade.

So I brought fire out from within you,

and it consumed you.

I reduced you to ashes on the ground

in the sight of all who were watching.

¹⁹All who knew you are appalled at your fate.

You have come to a terrible end,

and you will exist no more.”

A Message for Sidon

²⁰Then another message came to me from the Lord: ²¹“Son of man, turn and face the city of Sidon and prophesy against it. ²²Give the people of Sidon this message from the Sovereign Lord:

“I am your enemy, O Sidon,

and I will reveal my glory by what I do to you.

When I bring judgment against you

and reveal my holiness among you,

everyone watching will know

that I am the Lord.

²³I will send a plague against you,

and blood will be spilled in your streets.

The attack will come from every direction,

and your people will lie slaughtered within your walls.

Then everyone will know

that I am the Lord.

²⁴No longer will Israel’s scornful neighbors

prick and tear at her like briers and thorns.

For then they will know

that I am the Sovereign Lord.

Restoration for Israel

²⁵“This is what the Sovereign Lord says: The people of Israel will again live in their own land, the land I gave my servant Jacob. For I will gather them from the distant lands where I have scattered them. I will reveal to the nations of the world my holiness among my people. ²⁶They will live safely in Israel and build homes and plant vineyards. And when I punish the neighboring nations that treated them with contempt, they will know that I am the Lord their God.”

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