Ezekiel 27
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 27
The Ship Tyre. 1 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 You, son of man, raise a lament over Tyre, 3 and 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)
4 In the heart of the sea was your territory;
your builders perfected your beauty.(B)
5 With juniper wood from Senir[a]
they built all your decks;
A cedar from Lebanon they took
to make you a mast.
6 With oaks of Bashan[b]
they fashioned your oars,
Your bridge, of ivory-inlaid cypress wood
from the coasts of Kittim.
7 Fine embroidered linen from Egypt
became your sail;
Your awnings were made of purple and scarlet
from the coasts of Elishah.[c](C)
8 Inhabitants of Sidon[d] and Arvad
were your oarsmen;
Your own sages, Tyre, were on board,
serving as your sailors.(D)
9 The 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)
10 Persia and Lud and Put
were warriors in your army;
Shield and helmet they hung on you
to enhance your splendor.
11 The men of Arvad and Helech[e]
were on your walls all around
And Gamadites on your towers;
they hung their shields around your walls,
they made your beauty perfect.
12 Tarshish traded with you,
so great was your wealth,
Exchanging for your wares
silver, iron, tin, and lead.
13 Javan, Tubal, and Meshech
also traded with you,
Exchanging slaves and bronze vessels
for your merchandise.(F)
14 Horses, steeds, and mules from Beth-togarmah
were exchanged for your wares.
15 Men of Rhodes trafficked with you;
many coastlands were your agents;
Ivory tusks and ebony wood
they brought back as your payment.
16 Edom traded with you for your many wares:
garnets, purple dye, embroidered cloth,
Fine linen, coral, and rubies
they gave you as merchandise.
17 Judah and the land of Israel
trafficked with you:
Minnith wheat, grain,[f] honey, oil, and balm(G)
they gave you as merchandise.
18 Damascus traded with you for your many wares,
so great was your wealth,
exchanging Helbon wine and Zahar wool.
19 Javan exchanged wrought iron, cassia, and aromatic cane
from Uzal for your wares.
20 Dedan traded with you for riding gear.(H)
21 Arabia and the sheikhs of Kedar were your agents,
dealing in lambs, rams, and goats.(I)
22 The merchants of Sheba and Raamah also traded with you,
exchanging for your wares the very best spices,
all kinds of precious stones, and gold.
23 Haran, Canneh, and Eden,
the merchants of Sheba, Asshur, and Chilmad,
24 Traded with you, marketing rich garments,
purple cloth, embroidered fabric,
varicolored carpets, and braided cords.
25 The ships of Tarshish sailed for you with your goods;
You were full and heavily laden
in the heart of the sea.
26 Out into deep waters
your oarsmen brought you;
The east wind shattered you
in the heart of the sea.(J)
27 Your 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)
28 At the sound of your sailors’ shouts
the waves shudder,(L)
29 Down from their ships
come all who ply the oars;
Sailors, all the seafaring crew,
stand on the shore.
30 They raise their voices over you
and shout their bitter cries;
They pour dust on their heads
and cover themselves with ashes.
31 For you they shave their heads bald
and put on sackcloth;
For you they weep bitterly,
in anguished lament.(M)
32 They raise a lament for you;
they wail over you:
“Who was ever destroyed like Tyre
in the midst of the sea?”(N)
33 By exporting your goods by sea
you satisfied many peoples,
With your great wealth and merchandise
you enriched the kings of the earth.(O)
34 Now you are wrecked in the sea,
in the watery depths;
Your wares and all your crew
have fallen down with you.
35 All who dwell on the coastlands
are aghast over you;
Their kings are terrified,
their faces distorted.
36 The traders among the peoples
now hiss at you;
You have become a horror,
you shall be no more.
Footnotes
- 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.
- 27:8–9 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.
Ezekiel 27
New International Version
A Lament Over Tyre
27 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, take up a lament(A) concerning Tyre. 3 Say to Tyre,(B) situated at the gateway to the sea,(C) merchant of peoples on many coasts, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“‘You say, Tyre,
“I am perfect in beauty.(D)”
4 Your domain was on the high seas;
your builders brought your beauty to perfection.(E)
5 They made all your timbers
of juniper from Senir[a];(F)
they took a cedar from Lebanon(G)
to make a mast for you.
6 Of oaks(H) from Bashan
they made your oars;
of cypress wood[b] from the coasts of Cyprus(I)
they made your deck, adorned with ivory.
7 Fine embroidered linen(J) from Egypt was your sail
and served as your banner;
your awnings were of blue and purple(K)
from the coasts of Elishah.(L)
8 Men of Sidon and Arvad(M) were your oarsmen;
your skilled men, Tyre, were aboard as your sailors.(N)
9 Veteran craftsmen of Byblos(O) were on board
as shipwrights to caulk your seams.
All the ships of the sea(P) and their sailors
came alongside to trade for your wares.
10 “‘Men of Persia,(Q) Lydia(R) and Put(S)
served as soldiers in your army.
They hung their shields(T) 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.(U)
12 “‘Tarshish(V) did business with you because of your great wealth of goods;(W) they exchanged silver, iron, tin and lead for your merchandise.
13 “‘Greece,(X) Tubal and Meshek(Y) did business with you; they traded human beings(Z) and articles of bronze for your wares.
14 “‘Men of Beth Togarmah(AA) exchanged chariot horses, cavalry horses and mules for your merchandise.
15 “‘The men of Rhodes[c](AB) traded with you, and many coastlands(AC) were your customers; they paid you with ivory(AD) tusks and ebony.
16 “‘Aram[d](AE) did business with you because of your many products; they exchanged turquoise,(AF) purple fabric, embroidered work, fine linen,(AG) coral(AH) and rubies for your merchandise.
17 “‘Judah and Israel traded with you; they exchanged wheat(AI) from Minnith(AJ) and confections,[e] honey, olive oil and balm(AK) for your wares.(AL)
18 “‘Damascus(AM) did business with you because of your many products and great wealth of goods.(AN) They offered wine from Helbon, wool from Zahar 19 and casks of wine from Izal(AO) in exchange for your wares: wrought iron, cassia(AP) and calamus.
20 “‘Dedan(AQ) traded in saddle blankets with you.
21 “‘Arabia(AR) and all the princes of Kedar(AS) were your customers; they did business with you in lambs, rams and goats.
22 “‘The merchants of Sheba(AT) and Raamah traded with you; for your merchandise they exchanged the finest of all kinds of spices(AU) and precious stones, and gold.(AV)
23 “‘Harran,(AW) Kanneh and Eden(AX) and merchants of Sheba, Ashur(AY) and Kilmad traded with you. 24 In your marketplace they traded with you beautiful garments, blue fabric, embroidered work and multicolored rugs with cords twisted and tightly knotted.
25 “‘The ships of Tarshish(AZ) serve
as carriers for your wares.
You are filled with heavy cargo
as you sail the sea.(BA)
26 Your oarsmen take you
out to the high seas.
But the east wind(BB) will break you to pieces
far out at sea.
27 Your wealth,(BC) 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(BD)
on the day of your shipwreck.
28 The shorelands will quake(BE)
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(BF) on their heads
and roll(BG) in ashes.(BH)
31 They will shave their heads(BI) because of you
and will put on sackcloth.
They will weep(BJ) over you with anguish of soul
and with bitter mourning.(BK)
32 As they wail and mourn over you,
they will take up a lament(BL) concerning you:
“Who was ever silenced like Tyre,
surrounded by the sea?(BM)”
33 When your merchandise went out on the seas,(BN)
you satisfied many nations;
with your great wealth(BO) 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.(BP)
35 All who live in the coastlands(BQ)
are appalled(BR) at you;
their kings shudder with horror
and their faces are distorted with fear.(BS)
36 The merchants among the nations scoff at you;(BT)
you have come to a horrible end
and will be no more.(BU)’”
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 27:5 That is, Mount Hermon
- Ezekiel 27:6 Targum; the Masoretic Text has a different division of the consonants.
- Ezekiel 27:15 Septuagint; Hebrew Dedan
- Ezekiel 27:16 Most Hebrew manuscripts; some Hebrew manuscripts and Syriac Edom
- Ezekiel 27:17 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
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