Ezekiel 27-28

New International Version - UK

‘“You say, Tyre,
    ‘I am perfect in beauty.’
⁴ Your domain was on the high seas;
    your builders brought your beauty to perfection.
⁵ They made all your timbers
    of juniper from Senir;^[a]
they took a cedar from Lebanon
    to make a mast for you.
⁶ Of oaks from Bashan
    they made your oars;
of cypress wood^[b] from the coasts of Cyprus
    they made your deck, adorned with ivory.
⁷ Fine embroidered linen from Egypt was your sail
    and served as your banner;
your awnings were of blue and purple
    from the coasts of Elishah.
⁸ Men of Sidon and Arvad were your oarsmen;
    your skilled men, Tyre, were aboard as your sailors.
⁹ Veteran craftsmen of Byblos were on board
    as shipwrights to caulk your seams.
All the ships of the sea and their sailors
    came alongside to trade for your wares.

¹⁰ ‘“Men of Persia, Lydia and Put
    served as soldiers in your army.
They hung their shields and helmets on your walls,
    bringing you splendour.
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.

²⁵ ‘“The ships of Tarshish serve
    as carriers for your wares.
You are filled with heavy cargo
    as you sail the sea.
²⁶ Your oarsmen take you
    out to the high seas.
But the east wind will break you to pieces
    far out at sea.
²⁷ Your wealth, merchandise and wares,
    your mariners, sailors and shipwrights,
your merchants and all your soldiers,
    and everyone else on board
will sink into the heart of the sea
    on the day of your shipwreck.
²⁸ The shorelands will quake
    when your sailors cry out.
²⁹ All who handle the oars
    will abandon their ships;
the mariners and all the sailors
    will stand on the shore.
³⁰ They will raise their voice
    and cry bitterly over you;
they will sprinkle dust on their heads
    and roll in ashes.
³¹ They will shave their heads because of you
    and will put on sackcloth.
They will weep over you with anguish of soul
    and with bitter mourning.
³² As they wail and mourn over you,
    they will take up a lament concerning you:
‘Who was ever silenced like Tyre,
    surrounded by the sea?’
³³ When your merchandise went out on the seas,
    you satisfied many nations;
with your great wealth and your wares
    you enriched the kings of the earth.
³⁴ Now you are shattered by the sea
    in the depths of the waters;
your wares and all your company
    have gone down with you.
³⁵ All who live in the coastlands
    are appalled at you;
their kings shudder with horror
    and their faces are distorted with fear.
³⁶ The merchants among the nations scoff at you;
    you have come to a horrible end
    and will be no more.”’

‘“In the pride of your heart
    you say, ‘I am a god;
I sit on the throne of a god
    in the heart of the seas.’
But you are a mere mortal and not a god,
    though you think you are as wise as a god.
³ Are you wiser than Daniel?^[f]
    Is no secret hidden from you?
⁴ By your wisdom and understanding
    you have gained wealth for yourself
and amassed gold and silver
    in your treasuries.
⁵ By your great skill in trading
    you have increased your wealth,
and because of your wealth
    your heart has grown proud.

‘“Because you think you are wise,
    as wise as a god,
⁷ I am going to bring foreigners against you,
    the most ruthless of nations;
they will draw their swords against your beauty and wisdom
    and pierce your shining splendour.
⁸ They will bring you down to the pit,
    and you will die a violent death
    in the heart of the seas.
⁹ Will you then say, ‘I am a god,’
    in the presence of those who kill you?
You will be but a mortal, not a god,
    in the hands of those who slay you.
¹⁰ You will die the death of the uncircumcised
    at the hands of foreigners.

‘“You were the seal of perfection,
    full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
¹³ You were in Eden,
    the garden of God;
every precious stone adorned you:
    carnelian, chrysolite and emerald,
    topaz, onyx and jasper,
    lapis lazuli, turquoise and beryl.^[g]
Your settings and mountings^[h] were made of gold;
    on the day you were created they were prepared.
¹⁴ You were anointed as a guardian cherub,
    for so I ordained you.
You were on the holy mount of God;
    you walked among the fiery stones.
¹⁵ You were blameless in your ways
    from the day you were created
    till wickedness was found in you.
¹⁶ Through your widespread trade
    you were filled with violence,
    and you sinned.
So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God,
    and I expelled you, guardian cherub,
    from among the fiery stones.
¹⁷ Your heart became proud
    on account of your beauty,
and you corrupted your wisdom
    because of your splendour.
So I threw you to the earth;
    I made a spectacle of you before kings.
¹⁸ By your many sins and dishonest trade
    you have desecrated your sanctuaries.
So I made a fire come out from you,
    and it consumed you,
and I reduced you to ashes on the ground
    in the sight of all who were watching.
¹⁹ All the nations who knew you
    are appalled at you;
you have come to a horrible end
    and will be no more.”’

‘“I am against you, Sidon,
    and among you I will display my glory.
You will know that I am the Lord,
    when I inflict punishment on you
    and within you am proved to be holy.
²³ I will send a plague upon you
    and make blood flow in your streets.
The slain will fall within you,
    with the sword against you on every side.
Then you will know that I am the Lord.