Add parallel Print Page Options

Chapter 27

The Ship Tyre. The word of the Lord came to me: You, son of man, raise a lament over Tyre, 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)
In the heart of the sea was your territory;
    your builders perfected your beauty.(B)
With juniper wood from Senir[a]
    they built all your decks;
A cedar from Lebanon they took
    to make you a mast.
With oaks of Bashan[b]
    they fashioned your oars,
Your bridge, of ivory-inlaid cypress wood
    from the coasts of Kittim.
Fine embroidered linen from Egypt
    became your sail;
Your awnings were made of purple and scarlet
    from the coasts of Elishah.[c](C)
Inhabitants of Sidon[d] and Arvad
    were your oarsmen;
Your own sages, Tyre, were on board,
    serving as your sailors.(D)
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

  1. 27:5 Senir: another name for Mount Hermon; cf. Dt 3:9.
  2. 27:6 Bashan: an area in northern Transjordan, noted for its lush growth and great forests (cf. Is 2:13). Kittim: here, probably Cyprus.
  3. 27:7 Elishah: perhaps another term for Cyprus.
  4. 27:8–9 Sidon…Gebal: Phoenician cities in Tyre’s orbit of influence; Gebal is classical Byblos.
  5. 27:11 Helech: perhaps in Asia Minor; otherwise unknown.
  6. 27:17 Grain: most commentators have read “figs,” but Hebrew panag more properly describes milled grains or prepared meal.