Ezekiel’s Wife Dies

15 The word of the Lord came to me: 16 “Son of man, with one blow(A) I am about to take away from you the delight of your eyes.(B) Yet do not lament or weep or shed any tears.(C) 17 Groan quietly;(D) do not mourn for the dead. Keep your turban(E) fastened and your sandals(F) on your feet; do not cover your mustache and beard(G) or eat the customary food of mourners.(H)

18 So I spoke to the people in the morning, and in the evening my wife died. The next morning I did as I had been commanded.(I)

19 Then the people asked me, “Won’t you tell us what these things have to do with us?(J) Why are you acting like this?”

20 So I said to them, “The word of the Lord came to me: 21 Say to the people of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am about to desecrate my sanctuary(K)—the stronghold in which you take pride,(L) the delight of your eyes,(M) the object of your affection. The sons and daughters(N) you left behind will fall by the sword.(O) 22 And you will do as I have done. You will not cover your mustache and beard(P) or eat the customary food of mourners.(Q) 23 You will keep your turbans(R) on your heads and your sandals(S) on your feet. You will not mourn(T) or weep but will waste away(U) because of[a] your sins and groan among yourselves.(V) 24 Ezekiel(W) will be a sign(X) to you; you will do just as he has done. When this happens, you will know that I am the Sovereign Lord.’

25 “And you, son of man, on the day I take away their stronghold, their joy and glory, the delight of their eyes,(Y) their heart’s desire,(Z) and their sons and daughters(AA) as well— 26 on that day a fugitive will come to tell you(AB) the news. 27 At that time your mouth will be opened; you will speak with him and will no longer be silent.(AC) So you will be a sign to them, and they will know that I am the Lord.(AD)

A Prophecy Against Ammon

25 The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, set your face against(AE) the Ammonites(AF) and prophesy against them.(AG) Say to them, ‘Hear the word of the Sovereign Lord. This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because you said “Aha!(AH)” over my sanctuary when it was desecrated(AI) and over the land of Israel when it was laid waste and over the people of Judah when they went into exile,(AJ) therefore I am going to give you to the people of the East(AK) as a possession. They will set up their camps(AL) and pitch their tents among you; they will eat your fruit and drink your milk.(AM) I will turn Rabbah(AN) into a pasture for camels and Ammon into a resting place for sheep.(AO) Then you will know that I am the Lord. For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because you have clapped your hands(AP) and stamped your feet, rejoicing with all the malice of your heart against the land of Israel,(AQ) therefore I will stretch out my hand(AR) against you and give you as plunder(AS) to the nations. I will wipe you out from among the nations and exterminate you from the countries. I will destroy(AT) you, and you will know that I am the Lord.(AU)’”

A Prophecy Against Moab

“This is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘Because Moab(AV) and Seir(AW) said, “Look, Judah has become like all the other nations,” therefore I will expose the flank of Moab, beginning at its frontier towns—Beth Jeshimoth(AX), Baal Meon(AY) and Kiriathaim(AZ)—the glory of that land. 10 I will give Moab along with the Ammonites to the people of the East as a possession, so that the Ammonites will not be remembered(BA) among the nations; 11 and I will inflict punishment on Moab. Then they will know that I am the Lord.’”(BB)

A Prophecy Against Edom

12 “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘Because Edom(BC) took revenge on Judah and became very guilty by doing so, 13 therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will stretch out my hand(BD) against Edom and kill both man and beast.(BE) I will lay it waste, and from Teman(BF) to Dedan(BG) they will fall by the sword.(BH) 14 I will take vengeance on Edom by the hand of my people Israel, and they will deal with Edom in accordance with my anger(BI) and my wrath; they will know my vengeance, declares the Sovereign Lord.’”(BJ)

A Prophecy Against Philistia

15 “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘Because the Philistines(BK) acted in vengeance and took revenge with malice(BL) in their hearts, and with ancient hostility sought to destroy Judah, 16 therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am about to stretch out my hand against the Philistines,(BM) and I will wipe out the Kerethites(BN) and destroy those remaining along the coast.(BO) 17 I will carry out great vengeance(BP) on them and punish(BQ) them in my wrath. Then they will know that I am the Lord,(BR) when I take vengeance on them.(BS)’”

A Prophecy Against Tyre

26 In the eleventh month of the twelfth[b] year, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me:(BT) “Son of man, because Tyre(BU) has said of Jerusalem, ‘Aha!(BV) The gate to the nations is broken, and its doors have swung open to me; now that she lies in ruins I will prosper,’ therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against you, Tyre, and I will bring many nations against you, like the sea(BW) casting up its waves. They will destroy(BX) the walls of Tyre(BY) and pull down her towers; I will scrape away her rubble and make her a bare rock. Out in the sea(BZ) she will become a place to spread fishnets,(CA) for I have spoken, declares the Sovereign Lord. She will become plunder(CB) for the nations,(CC) and her settlements on the mainland will be ravaged by the sword. Then they will know that I am the Lord.

“For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: From the north I am going to bring against Tyre Nebuchadnezzar[c](CD) king of Babylon, king of kings,(CE) with horses and chariots,(CF) with horsemen and a great army. He will ravage your settlements on the mainland with the sword; he will set up siege works(CG) against you, build a ramp(CH) up to your walls and raise his shields against you. He will direct the blows of his battering rams against your walls and demolish your towers with his weapons.(CI) 10 His horses will be so many that they will cover you with dust. Your walls will tremble at the noise of the warhorses, wagons and chariots(CJ) when he enters your gates as men enter a city whose walls have been broken through. 11 The hooves(CK) of his horses will trample all your streets; he will kill your people with the sword, and your strong pillars(CL) will fall to the ground.(CM) 12 They will plunder your wealth and loot your merchandise; they will break down your walls and demolish your fine houses and throw your stones, timber and rubble into the sea.(CN) 13 I will put an end(CO) to your noisy songs,(CP) and the music of your harps(CQ) will be heard no more.(CR) 14 I will make you a bare rock, and you will become a place to spread fishnets. You will never be rebuilt,(CS) for I the Lord have spoken, declares the Sovereign Lord.

15 “This is what the Sovereign Lord says to Tyre: Will not the coastlands(CT) tremble(CU) at the sound of your fall, when the wounded groan(CV) and the slaughter takes place in you? 16 Then all the princes of the coast will step down from their thrones and lay aside their robes and take off their embroidered(CW) garments. Clothed(CX) with terror, they will sit on the ground,(CY) trembling(CZ) every moment, appalled(DA) at you. 17 Then they will take up a lament(DB) concerning you and say to you:

“‘How you are destroyed, city of renown,
    peopled by men of the sea!
You were a power on the seas,
    you and your citizens;
you put your terror
    on all who lived there.(DC)
18 Now the coastlands tremble(DD)
    on the day of your fall;
the islands in the sea
    are terrified at your collapse.’(DE)

19 “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: When I make you a desolate city, like cities no longer inhabited, and when I bring the ocean depths(DF) over you and its vast waters cover you,(DG) 20 then I will bring you down with those who go down to the pit,(DH) to the people of long ago. I will make you dwell in the earth below, as in ancient ruins, with those who go down to the pit, and you will not return or take your place[d] in the land of the living.(DI) 21 I will bring you to a horrible end and you will be no more.(DJ) You will be sought, but you will never again be found, declares the Sovereign Lord.”(DK)

A Lament Over Tyre

27 The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, take up a lament(DL) concerning Tyre. Say to Tyre,(DM) situated at the gateway to the sea,(DN) merchant of peoples on many coasts, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“‘You say, Tyre,
    “I am perfect in beauty.(DO)
Your domain was on the high seas;
    your builders brought your beauty to perfection.(DP)
They made all your timbers
    of juniper from Senir[e];(DQ)
they took a cedar from Lebanon(DR)
    to make a mast for you.
Of oaks(DS) from Bashan
    they made your oars;
of cypress wood[f] from the coasts of Cyprus(DT)
    they made your deck, adorned with ivory.
Fine embroidered linen(DU) from Egypt was your sail
    and served as your banner;
your awnings were of blue and purple(DV)
    from the coasts of Elishah.(DW)
Men of Sidon and Arvad(DX) were your oarsmen;
    your skilled men, Tyre, were aboard as your sailors.(DY)
Veteran craftsmen of Byblos(DZ) were on board
    as shipwrights to caulk your seams.
All the ships of the sea(EA) and their sailors
    came alongside to trade for your wares.

10 “‘Men of Persia,(EB) Lydia(EC) and Put(ED)
    served as soldiers in your army.
They hung their shields(EE) and helmets on your walls,
    bringing you splendor.
11 Men of Arvad and Helek
    guarded your walls on every side;
men of Gammad
    were in your towers.
They hung their shields around your walls;
    they brought your beauty to perfection.(EF)

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 24:23 Or away in
  2. Ezekiel 26:1 Probable reading of the original Hebrew text; Masoretic Text does not have month of the twelfth.
  3. Ezekiel 26:7 Hebrew Nebuchadrezzar, of which Nebuchadnezzar is a variant; here and often in Ezekiel and Jeremiah
  4. Ezekiel 26:20 Septuagint; Hebrew return, and I will give glory
  5. Ezekiel 27:5 That is, Mount Hermon
  6. Ezekiel 27:6 Targum; the Masoretic Text has a different division of the consonants.

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