Ezekiel

CHAPTER 27

The Ship Tyre. 1The word of the LORD came to me: 2You, son of man, raise a lament over Tyre, 3and say to Tyre, who sits at the entrance to the sea, trader to peoples on many coastlands, Thus says the Lord GOD:

Tyre, you said, “I am a ship,

perfect in beauty”;a

4In the heart of the sea was your territory;

your builders perfected your beauty.b

5With juniper wood from Senir*

they built all your decks;

A cedar from Lebanon they took

to make you a mast.

6With oaks of Bashan*

they fashioned your oars,

Your bridge, of ivory-inlaid cypress wood

from the coasts of Kittim.

7Fine embroidered linen from Egypt

became your sail;

Your awnings were made of purple and scarlet

from the coasts of Elishah.* c

8Inhabitants of Sidon* and Arvad

were your oarsmen;

Your own sages, Tyre, were on board,

serving as your sailors.d

9The elders and sages of Gebal

were with you to caulk your seams.

Every ship and sailor on the sea

came to you to carry on trade.e

10Persia and Lud and Put

were warriors in your army;

Shield and helmet they hung on you

to enhance your splendor.

11The men of Arvad and Helech*

were on your walls all around

And Gamadites on your towers;

they hung their shields around your walls,

they made your beauty perfect.

12Tarshish traded with you,

so great was your wealth,

Exchanging for your wares

silver, iron, tin, and lead.

13Javan, Tubal, and Meshech

also traded with you,

Exchanging slaves and bronze vessels

for your merchandise.f

14Horses, steeds, and mules from Beth-togarmah

were exchanged for your wares.

15Men of Rhodes trafficked with you;

many coastlands were your agents;

Ivory tusks and ebony wood

they brought back as your payment.

16Edom traded with you for your many wares:

garnets, purple dye, embroidered cloth,

Fine linen, coral, and rubies

they gave you as merchandise.

17Judah and the land of Israel

trafficked with you:

Minnith wheat, grain,* honey, oil, and balmg

they gave you as merchandise.

18Damascus traded with you for your many wares,

so great was your wealth,

exchanging Helbon wine and Zahar wool.

19Javan exchanged wrought iron, cassia, and aromatic cane

from Uzal for your wares.

20Dedan traded with you for riding gear.h

21Arabia and the sheikhs of Kedar were your agents,

dealing in lambs, rams, and goats.i

22The merchants of Sheba and Raamah also traded with you,

exchanging for your wares the very best spices,

all kinds of precious stones, and gold.

23Haran, Canneh, and Eden,

the merchants of Sheba, Asshur, and Chilmad,

24Traded with you, marketing rich garments,

purple cloth, embroidered fabric,

varicolored carpets, and braided cords.

25The ships of Tarshish sailed for you with your goods;

You were full and heavily laden

in the heart of the sea.

26Out into deep waters

your oarsmen brought you;

The east wind shattered you

in the heart of the sea.j

27Your wealth, your goods, your wares,

your sailors, your crew,

The caulkers of your seams,

those who traded for your goods,

All the warriors with you,

the whole crowd with you

Sank into the heart of the sea

on the day of your downfall.k

28At the sound of your sailors’ shouts

the waves shudder,l

29Down from their ships

come all who ply the oars;

Sailors, all the seafaring crew,

stand on the shore.

30They raise their voices over you

and shout their bitter cries;

They pour dust on their heads

and cover themselves with ashes.

31For you they shave their heads bald

and put on sackcloth;

For you they weep bitterly,

in anguished lament.m

32They raise a lament for you;

they wail over you:

“Who was ever destroyed like Tyre

in the midst of the sea?”n

33By exporting your goods by sea

you satisfied many peoples,

With your great wealth and merchandise

you enriched the kings of the earth.o

34Now you are wrecked in the sea,

in the watery depths;

Your wares and all your crew

have fallen down with you.

35All who dwell on the coastlands

are aghast over you;

Their kings are terrified,

their faces distorted.

36The traders among the peoples

now hiss at you;

You have become a horror,

you shall be no more.

* [27:5] Senir: another name for Mount Hermon; cf. Dt 3:9.

* [27:6] Bashan: an area in northern Transjordan, noted for its lush growth and great forests (cf. Is 2:13). Kittim: here, probably Cyprus.

* [27:7] Elishah: perhaps another term for Cyprus.

* [27:89] Sidon…Gebal: Phoenician cities in Tyre’s orbit of influence; Gebal is classical Byblos.

* [27:11] Helech: perhaps in Asia Minor; otherwise unknown.

* [27:17] Grain: most commentators have read “figs,” but Hebrew panag more properly describes milled grains or prepared meal.

a. [27:3] Is 23:9.

b. [27:4] cf. Ez 28:1.

c. [27:7] Is 19:910.

d. [27:8] cf. Ez 28:2023.

e. [27:9] Ps 104:26.

f. [27:13] cf. Ez 38:2; 39:1.

g. [27:17] 1 Kgs 5:9.

h. [27:20] Is 21:13.

i. [27:21] Is 21:17; Jer 49:28.

j. [27:26] Ps 48:7; Jer 18:17.

k. [27:27] cf. Ez 28:8.

l. [27:28] Jer 49:21.

m. [27:31] Is 15:2; Jer 48:37.

n. [27:32] Is 23:16.

o. [27:33] cf. Ez 28:45.

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