September 15
Ezekiel 26:1 — 28:26

26 And it came about in the eleventh year, on the first [day] of the month, that the word of Jehovah occurred to me, saying: 2 “Son of man, for the reason that Tyre has said against Jerusalem, ‘Aha! She has been broken, the doors of the peoples! The trend will certainly be to me. I shall be filled—she has been devastated,’ 3 therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said, ‘Here I am against you, O Tyre, and I will bring up against you many nations, just as the sea brings up its waves. 4 And they will certainly bring the walls of Tyre to ruin and tear down her towers, and I will scrape her dust away from her and make her a shining, bare surface of a crag. 5 A drying yard for dragnets is what she will become in the midst of the sea.’

“‘For I myself have spoken,’ is the utterance of the Sovereign Lord Jehovah, ‘and she must become an object of plunder for the nations. 6 And her dependent towns that are in the field—by the sword they will be killed, and people will have to know that I am Jehovah.’

7 “For this is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said, ‘Here I am bringing against Tyre Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon from the north, a king of kings, with horses and war chariots and cavalrymen and a congregation, even a multitudinous people. 8 Your dependent towns in the field he will kill even with the sword, and he must make against you a siege wall and throw up against you a siege rampart and raise up against you a large shield; 9 and the strike of his attack engine he will direct against your walls, and your towers he will pull down, with his swords. 10 Owing to the heaving mass of his horses their dust will cover you. Owing to the sound of cavalryman and wheel and war chariot your walls will rock, when he comes in through your gates, as in the cases of entering into a city opened by breaches. 11 With the hoofs of his horses he will trample down all your streets. Your people he will kill even with the sword, and to the earth your own pillars of strength will go down. 12 And they will certainly spoil your resources and plunder your sales goods, and tear down your walls, and your desirable houses they will pull down. And your stones and your woodwork and your dust they will place in the very midst of the water.’

13 “‘And I will cause the turmoil of your singing to cease, and the very sound of your harps will be heard no more. 14 And I will make you a shining, bare surface of a crag. A drying yard for dragnets is what you will become. Never will you be rebuilt; for I myself, Jehovah, have spoken,’ is the utterance of the Sovereign Lord Jehovah.

15 “This is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said to Tyre, ‘At the sound of your downfall, when the fatally wounded one groans, when there is a killing with slaughter in the midst of you, will not the islands rock? 16 And down from their thrones all the chieftains of the sea will certainly come and remove their sleeveless coats, and they will strip off their own embroidered garments. They will put on trembling spells. Upon the earth they will sit down, and they will certainly tremble every moment and stare in amazement at you. 17 And they must raise up over you a dirge and say to you:

“‘“How you have perished, that used to be inhabited from the seas, O praised city, who became a strong one in the sea, she and those inhabiting her, those who gave their terror to all the inhabitants [of the earth]! 18 Now the islands will tremble in the day of your downfall. And the islands that are in the sea must be disturbed owing to your going out.”’

19 “For this is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said, ‘When I make you a devastated city, like the cities that are actually not inhabited, when [I] bring up over you the watery deep, and the vast waters will have covered you, 20 I will also bring you down with those going down into the pit to the people of long ago, and I will cause you to dwell in the lowest land, like places devastated for a long time, with those going down into the pit, in order that you may not be inhabited; and I will put decoration in the land of those alive.

21 “‘Sudden terrors are what I shall make you, and you will not be; and you will be sought for, but you will no more be found to time indefinite,’ is the utterance of the Sovereign Lord Jehovah.”

27 And the word of Jehovah continued to occur to me, saying: 2 “And as for you, O son of man, raise up concerning Tyre a dirge, 3 and you must say to Tyre,

“‘O you who are dwelling at the entrances of [the] sea, the tradeswoman of the peoples for many islands, this is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said: “O Tyre, you yourself have said, ‘I am perfect in prettiness.’ 4 In the heart of [the] seas are your territories. Your own builders have perfected your prettiness. 5 Out of juniper timbers from Senir they built for you all the planks. A cedar from Lebanon they took to make a mast upon you. 6 Out of massive trees from Bashan they made your oars. Your prow they made with ivory in cypress wood, from the islands of Kittim. 7 Linen in various colors from Egypt your cloth expanse happened to be, in order for [it] to serve as your sail. Blue thread and wool dyed reddish purple from the islands of Elishah are what your deck covering proved to be.

8 “‘“The inhabitants of Sidon and of Arvad themselves became rowers for you. Your skilled ones, O Tyre, happened to be in you; they were your sailors. 9 Even old men of Gebal and her skilled ones happened to be in you as caulkers for your seams. All the ships of the sea and their mariners themselves proved to be in you, in order to exchange articles of merchandise. 10 Persians and Ludim and men of Put—they happened to be in your military force, your men of war. Shield and helmet they hung up in you. They were the ones that caused your splendor. 11 The sons of Arvad, even your military force, were upon your walls all around, and valorous men were the ones that happened to be in your own towers. Their circular shields they hung up on your walls all around. They themselves perfected your prettiness.

12 “‘“Tarshish was your merchant because of the abundance of all sorts of valuable things. For [its] silver, iron, tin and lead, your stores were given. 13 Javan, Tubal and Meshech themselves were your traders. For the souls of mankind and articles of copper your articles of exchange were given. 14 From the house of Togarmah there were horses and steeds and mules, [for which] your stores were given. 15 The sons of Dedan were your traders; many islands were merchants in your employ; horns of ivory and ebony they have paid back as gift to you. 16 Edom was your merchant because of the abundance of your works. For turquoise, wool dyed reddish purple and material of various colors and fine fabric and corals and rubies, your stores were given in exchange.

17 “‘“Judah and the land of Israel themselves were your traders. For the wheat of Minnith and special foodstuff and honey and oil and balsam, your articles of exchange were given.

18 “‘“Damascus was your merchant in the abundance of your works, because of the abundance of all your valuable things, with the wine of Helbon and the wool of reddish gray. 19 Vedan and Javan from Uzal—for your stores they gave. Iron in wrought works, cassia and cane—for your articles of exchange they proved to be. 20 Dedan was your trader in garments of woven material for riding. 21 The Arabs and all the chieftains of Kedar themselves were merchants in your employ. In male lambs and rams and he-goats—in them they were your merchants. 22 The traders of Sheba and Raamah themselves were your traders; for the finest of all sorts of perfumes and for all sorts of precious stones and gold, your stores were given. 23 Haran and Canneh and Eden, the traders of Sheba, Asshur [and] Chilmad were your traders. 24 They were your traders in gorgeous garments, in wraps of blue material and material of various colors and in carpets of two-colored stuff, in ropes twined and solidly made, in your trading center.

25 “‘“The ships of Tarshish were your caravans for your articles of exchange, so that you get filled and become very glorious in the heart of the open sea.

26 “‘“Into vast waters those rowing you have brought you. The east wind itself has broken you in the heart of the open sea. 27 Your valuable things and your stores, your articles of exchange, your mariners and your sailors, the caulkers of your seams and those exchanging your articles of merchandise and all your men of war, who are in you and in all your congregation, who are in the midst of you,—they will fall in the heart of the open sea in the day of your downfall.

28 “‘“At the sound of the outcry of your sailors the open country will rock. 29 And all those handling an oar, mariners, all the sailors of the sea, will certainly go down from their ships; upon the land they will stand. 30 And over you they will certainly let themselves be heard with their voice and will cry out bitterly. And they will bring up dust upon their heads. In the ashes they will wallow. 31 And they will have to make [themselves] bald with a baldness for you, and gird on sackcloth and weep over you in bitterness of soul, with bitter wailing. 32 And for you in their lamentation they will certainly lift up a dirge and chant over you,

“‘“‘Who is like Tyre, like her that has been brought to silence in the midst of the sea? 33 When your stores went forth from the open sea, you satisfied many peoples. With the abundance of your valuable things and your articles of exchange you made earth’s kings rich. 34 Now you have been broken by the open sea, in the depths of the waters. As for your articles of exchange and all your congregation, in the midst of you they have fallen. 35 All the inhabitants of the islands—in amazement they will certainly stare at you, and their kings themselves will have to shudder in horror. Faces must become perturbed. 36 As for merchants among the peoples, they will certainly whistle over you. Sudden terrors are what you must become, and you will be no more to time indefinite.’”’”

28 And the word of Jehovah continued to occur to me, saying: 2 “Son of man, say to the leader of Tyre, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said:

“‘“For the reason that your heart has become haughty, and you keep saying, ‘I am a god. In the seat of god I have seated myself, in the heart of the open sea,’ whereas an earthling man is what you are, and not a god, and you keep making your heart like the heart of god— 3 look! you are wiser than Daniel. There are no secrets that have proved a match for you. 4 By your wisdom and by your discernment you have made wealth for your own self, and you keep getting gold and silver in your storehouses. 5 By the abundance of your wisdom, by your sales goods, you have made your wealth abound, and your heart began to be haughty because of your wealth.”’

6 “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said: “For the reason that you make your heart like the heart of god, 7 therefore here I am bringing upon you strangers, the tyrants of [the] nations, and they will certainly draw their swords against the beauty of your wisdom and profane your beaming splendor. 8 Down to the pit they will bring you, and you must die the death of someone slain in the heart of the open sea. 9 Will you without fail say, ‘I am god,’ before the one killing you, whereas you are a mere earthling man, and not a god, in the hand of those profaning you?”’

10 “‘The deaths of uncircumcised ones you will die by the hand of strangers, for I myself have spoken,’ is the utterance of the Sovereign Lord Jehovah.”

11 And the word of Jehovah continued to occur to me, saying: 12 “Son of man, lift up a dirge concerning the king of Tyre, and you must say to him, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said:

“‘“You are sealing up a pattern, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. 13 In Eden, the garden of God, you proved to be. Every precious stone was your covering, ruby, topaz and jasper; chrysolite, onyx and jade; sapphire, turquoise and emerald; and of gold was the workmanship of your settings and your sockets in you. In the day of your being created they were made ready. 14 You are the anointed cherub that is covering, and I have set you. On the holy mountain of God you proved to be. In the midst of fiery stones you walked about. 15 You were faultless in your ways from the day of your being created until unrighteousness was found in you.

16 “‘“Because of the abundance of your sales goods they filled the midst of you with violence, and you began to sin. And I shall put you as profane out of the mountain of God, and I shall destroy you, O cherub that is covering, from the midst of the fiery stones.

17 “‘“Your heart became haughty because of your beauty. You brought your wisdom to ruin on account of your beaming splendor. Onto the earth I will throw you. Before kings I will set you, [for them] to look upon you.

18 “‘“Owing to the abundance of your errors, because of the injustice of your sales goods, you have profaned your sanctuaries. And I shall bring forth a fire from the midst of you. It is what must devour you. And I shall make you ashes upon the earth before the eyes of all those seeing you. 19 As for all those knowing you among the peoples, they will certainly stare in amazement at you. Sudden terrors are what you must become, and you will be no more to time indefinite.”’”

20 And the word of Jehovah continued to occur to me, saying: 21 “Son of man, set your face toward Sidon, and prophesy against her. 22 And you must say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said: “Here I am against you, O Sidon, and I shall certainly be glorified in the midst of you; and people will have to know that I am Jehovah when I execute acts of judgment in her and I am actually sanctified in her. 23 And I will send pestilence into her and blood into her streets. And the slain one must fall in the midst of her by the sword against her on every side; and people will have to know that I am Jehovah. 24 And no more will there prove to be to the house of Israel a malignant prickle or a painful thorn out of all those round about them, those who are treating them with scorn; and people will have to know that I am the Sovereign Lord Jehovah.”’

25 “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said: “When I collect together the house of Israel out from the peoples among whom they have been scattered, I will also be sanctified among them in the eyes of the nations. And they will certainly dwell upon their soil that I gave to my servant, to Jacob. 26 And they will actually dwell upon it in security and build houses and plant vineyards, and they must dwell in security when I execute acts of judgment upon all those treating them with scorn all round about them; and they will have to know that I am Jehovah their God.”’”