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Chapter 23

Tyre and Sidon

    [a]Oracle on Tyre:
Wail, ships of Tarshish,
    for your port is destroyed;
From the land of the Kittim[b]
    the news reaches them.(A)
Silence! you who dwell on the coast,
    you merchants of Sidon,
Whose messengers crossed the sea
    over the deep waters,
Whose revenue was the grain of Shihor,[c] the harvest of the Nile,
    you who were the merchant among the nations.(B)
Be ashamed, Sidon, fortress on the sea,
    for the sea[d] has spoken,
“I have not been in labor, nor given birth,
    nor raised young men,
    nor reared young women.”
When the report reaches Egypt
    they shall be in anguish at the report about Tyre.
Pass over to Tarshish,[e]
    wail, you who dwell on the coast!
Is this your exultant city,
    whose origin is from old,
Whose feet have taken her
    to dwell in distant lands?
Who has planned such a thing
    against Tyre, the bestower of crowns,
Whose merchants are princes,
    whose traders are the earth’s honored men?
The Lord of hosts has planned it,
    to disgrace the height of all beauty,
    to degrade all the honored of the earth.(C)
10 Cross to your own land,
    ship of Tarshish;
    the harbor is no more.
11 His hand he stretches out over the sea,
    he shakes kingdoms;
The Lord commanded the destruction
    of Canaan’s strongholds:[f](D)
12 Crushed, you shall exult no more,
    virgin daughter Sidon.
Arise, pass over to the Kittim,
    even there you shall find no rest.(E)
13 [g]Look at the land of the Chaldeans,
    the people that has ceased to be.
Assyria founded it for ships,
    raised its towers,
Only to tear down its palaces,
    and turn it into a ruin.(F)
14 Lament, ships of Tarshish,
    for your stronghold is destroyed.

15 On that day, Tyre shall be forgotten for seventy years,[h] the lifetime of one king. At the end of seventy years, the song about the prostitute will be Tyre’s song:

16 Take a harp, go about the city,
    forgotten prostitute;
Pluck the strings skillfully, sing many songs,
    that you may be remembered.

17 At the end of the seventy years the Lord shall visit Tyre. She shall return to her hire and serve as prostitute[i] with all the world’s kingdoms on the face of the earth.(G) 18 But her merchandise and her hire shall be sacred to the Lord. It shall not be stored up or laid away; instead, her merchandise shall belong to those who dwell before the Lord, to eat their fill and clothe themselves in choice attire.

Footnotes

  1. 23:1–17 This oracle, a satire directed against the Phoenician cities of Tyre and Sidon, is perhaps to be situated at the time of Sennacherib’s campaign against the Phoenican cities in 701 B.C, following his subjugation of their Babylonian allies in 703 B.C.
  2. 23:1 Kittim: Cyprus. The Hebrew word is derived from the term for the well-known city of Cyprus, Kition. In later centuries the term Kittim is used for the Greeks, the Romans, and other distant peoples.
  3. 23:3 Shihor: a synonym for the Nile.
  4. 23:4 The sea: here personified, it brings to distant coasts the news that Sidon must disown her children; her people are dispersed.
  5. 23:6–7 Tarshish: perhaps Tartessus in Spain. Distant lands: the reference is to the far-flung colonies established by the Phoenicians throughout the Mediterranean, including North Africa, Spain, and Sardinia. Oceangoing vessels were therefore called Tarshish ships.
  6. 23:11 Canaan’s strongholds: the fortresses of Phoenicia.
  7. 23:13 The reference here seems to be to Assyria’s subjugation of Babylon in 703 B.C., which left the coastal cities of Phoenicia as well as Judah open to Sennacherib’s invasion in 701 B.C. Founded it…its palaces…turn it: the city of Babylon.
  8. 23:15 Seventy years: a conventional expression for a long period of time; cf. Jer 25:11 and 29:10.
  9. 23:17–18 Her hire…prostitute: the international trade engaged in by Tyre will become a source of wealth to God’s people (cf. 45:14; 60:4–14; Zec 14:14).

A Prophecy Against Tyre

23 A prophecy against Tyre:(A)

Wail,(B) you ships(C) of Tarshish!(D)
    For Tyre is destroyed(E)
    and left without house or harbor.
From the land of Cyprus
    word has come to them.

Be silent,(F) you people of the island
    and you merchants(G) of Sidon,(H)
    whom the seafarers have enriched.
On the great waters
    came the grain of the Shihor;(I)
the harvest of the Nile[a](J) was the revenue of Tyre,(K)
    and she became the marketplace of the nations.

Be ashamed, Sidon,(L) and you fortress of the sea,
    for the sea has spoken:
“I have neither been in labor nor given birth;(M)
    I have neither reared sons nor brought up daughters.”
When word comes to Egypt,
    they will be in anguish(N) at the report from Tyre.(O)

Cross over to Tarshish;(P)
    wail, you people of the island.
Is this your city of revelry,(Q)
    the old, old city,
whose feet have taken her
    to settle in far-off lands?
Who planned this against Tyre,
    the bestower of crowns,
whose merchants(R) are princes,
    whose traders(S) are renowned in the earth?
The Lord Almighty planned(T) it,
    to bring down(U) her pride in all her splendor
    and to humble(V) all who are renowned(W) on the earth.

10 Till[b] your land as they do along the Nile,
    Daughter Tarshish,
    for you no longer have a harbor.
11 The Lord has stretched out his hand(X) over the sea
    and made its kingdoms tremble.(Y)
He has given an order concerning Phoenicia
    that her fortresses be destroyed.(Z)
12 He said, “No more of your reveling,(AA)
    Virgin Daughter(AB) Sidon, now crushed!

“Up, cross over to Cyprus;(AC)
    even there you will find no rest.”
13 Look at the land of the Babylonians,[c](AD)
    this people that is now of no account!
The Assyrians(AE) have made it
    a place for desert creatures;(AF)
they raised up their siege towers,(AG)
    they stripped its fortresses bare
    and turned it into a ruin.(AH)

14 Wail, you ships(AI) of Tarshish;(AJ)
    your fortress is destroyed!(AK)

15 At that time Tyre(AL) will be forgotten for seventy years,(AM) the span of a king’s life. But at the end of these seventy years, it will happen to Tyre as in the song of the prostitute:

16 “Take up a harp, walk through the city,
    you forgotten prostitute;(AN)
play the harp well, sing many a song,
    so that you will be remembered.”

17 At the end of seventy years,(AO) the Lord will deal with Tyre. She will return to her lucrative prostitution(AP) and will ply her trade with all the kingdoms on the face of the earth.(AQ) 18 Yet her profit and her earnings will be set apart for the Lord;(AR) they will not be stored up or hoarded. Her profits will go to those who live before the Lord,(AS) for abundant food and fine clothes.(AT)

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 23:3 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scrolls Sidon, / who cross over the sea; / your envoys are on the great waters. / The grain of the Shihor, / the harvest of the Nile,
  2. Isaiah 23:10 Dead Sea Scrolls and some Septuagint manuscripts; Masoretic Text Go through
  3. Isaiah 23:13 Or Chaldeans

Chapter 26

Against the City of Tyre. [a]On the first day of the eleventh month of the eleventh year, the word of the Lord came to me:

[b]Son of man, because Tyre said of Jerusalem:
“Aha! The gateway of the peoples is smashed!
    It has been turned over to me;
    I will be enriched by its ruin!”(A)
    therefore thus says the Lord God:
See! I am coming against you, Tyre;
    I will churn up against you many nations,
    just as the sea churns up its waves.
They will destroy the walls of Tyre
    and tear down its towers;
I will scrape off its debris
    and leave it a bare rock.[c]
It will become a place for drying nets
    in the midst of the sea.
For I have spoken—oracle of the Lord God:
    she will become plunder for the nations.
Her daughter cities[d] on the mainland
    will be slaughtered by the sword;
    then they shall know that I am the Lord.
Indeed thus says the Lord God:
I am bringing up against Tyre
    from the north, Nebuchadnezzar,
King of Babylon, king of kings,
    with horses and chariots, with cavalry,
    and a mighty horde of troops.(B)
Your daughter cities on the mainland
    he shall slay with the sword.
He shall build a siege wall around you,
    throw up a ramp against you,
    and raise his shields about you.
He shall pound your walls with battering-rams
    and break down your towers with his axes.
10 From the surging of his horses
    he will cover you with dust;
    from the noise of warhorses,
    wheels and chariots.
Your walls will shake
    when he enters your gates,
    even as one enters a city that is breached.
11 With the hooves of his horses
    he will trample all your streets;
Your people he will slay by the sword;
    your mighty pillars will collapse.(C)
12 They shall plunder your wealth
    and pillage your goods;
They will tear down your walls
    and demolish your splendid houses.
Your stones, timbers, and debris
    they will cast into the sea.
13 I will bring an end to the noise of your songs;
    the music of your lyres will be heard no more.
14 I will turn you into bare rock,
    you will become a place for drying nets.
You shall never be rebuilt,
    for I the Lord have spoken—
    oracle of the Lord God.
15 Thus says the Lord God to Tyre:
At the sound of your downfall,
    at the groaning of the wounded,
When victims are slain within you,
    will the islands not quake?
16 All the princes of the sea[e]
    will step down from their thrones,
Lay aside their robes,
    and strip off their embroidered garments.
Clothed in mourning,
    they will sit on the ground
And tremble, horror-struck
    and appalled at you.(D)
17 They will raise lament[f] over you
    and say to you:
How you have perished,
    gone from the seas,
    Renowned City!
Once she was mighty on the sea,
    she and her inhabitants,
Those who spread their terror
    to all who dwelt nearby.(E)
18 On this, the day of your fall,
    the islands quake!
The islands in the sea
    are terrified at your passing.
19 Indeed thus says the Lord God:
When I make you a ruined city
    like cities no longer inhabited,
When I churn up the deep
    and its mighty waters cover you,
20 Then I will thrust you down
    with those who go down to the pit,[g]
    to those of the bygone age;
I will make you dwell in the netherworld,
    in the everlasting ruins,
    with those who have gone down to the pit,
So you will never return
    or have a place in the land of the living.(F)
21 I will make you a horror,
    and you shall be no more;
You shall be sought for,
    but never found again—
    oracle of the Lord God.

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”;(G)
In the heart of the sea was your territory;
    your builders perfected your beauty.(H)
With juniper wood from Senir[h]
    they built all your decks;
A cedar from Lebanon they took
    to make you a mast.
With oaks of Bashan[i]
    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.[j](I)
Inhabitants of Sidon[k] and Arvad
    were your oarsmen;
Your own sages, Tyre, were on board,
    serving as your sailors.(J)
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.(K)
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[l]
    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.(L)
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,[m] honey, oil, and balm(M)
    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.(N)
21 Arabia and the sheikhs of Kedar were your agents,
    dealing in lambs, rams, and goats.(O)
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.(P)
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.(Q)
28 At the sound of your sailors’ shouts
    the waves shudder,(R)
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.(S)
32 They raise a lament for you;
    they wail over you:
“Who was ever destroyed like Tyre
    in the midst of the sea?”(T)
33 By exporting your goods by sea
    you satisfied many peoples,
With your great wealth and merchandise
    you enriched the kings of the earth.(U)
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.

Chapter 28

The Prince of Tyre. [n]The word of the Lord came to me: Son of man, say to the prince of Tyre: Thus says the Lord God:

Because you are haughty of heart,
    you say, “I am a god!
I sit on a god’s throne
    in the heart of the sea!”
But you are a man, not a god;
    yet you pretend
    you are a god at heart!
Oh yes, you are wiser than Daniel,[o]
    nothing secret is too obscure for you!(V)
By your wisdom and intelligence
    you made yourself rich,
    filling your treasuries with gold and silver.
Through your great wisdom in trading
    you heaped up riches for yourself—
    your heart is haughty because of your riches.
    Therefore thus says the Lord God:
Because you pretend you are a god at heart,
Therefore, I will bring against you
    strangers, the most bloodthirsty of nations.
They shall draw their swords
    against your splendid wisdom,
    and violate your radiance.(W)
They shall thrust you down into the pit:
    you shall die a violent death
    in the heart of the sea.
Then, face to face with your killers,
    will you still say, “I am a god”?
No, you are a man, not a god,
    handed over to those who slay you.
10 You shall die the death of the uncircumcised
    handed over to strangers,
    for I have spoken—oracle of the Lord God.(X)

11 The word of the Lord came to me: 12 Son of man, raise a lament over the king of Tyre, and say to him: Thus says the Lord God:

[p] You were a seal of perfection,
    full of wisdom, perfect in beauty.(Y)
13 In Eden, the garden of God, you lived;
    precious stones of every kind were your covering:
Carnelian, topaz, and beryl,
    chrysolite, onyx, and jasper,
    sapphire, garnet, and emerald.
Their mounts and settings
    were wrought in gold,
    fashioned for you the day you were created.(Z)
14 With a cherub I placed you;
    I put you on the holy mountain of God,[q]
    where you walked among fiery stones.
15 Blameless were you in your ways
    from the day you were created,
Until evil was found in you.
16     Your commerce was full of lawlessness, and you sinned.
Therefore I banished you from the mountain of God;
    the cherub drove you out
    from among the fiery stones.(AA)
17 Your heart had grown haughty
    because of your beauty;
You corrupted your wisdom
    because of your splendor.
I cast you to the ground,
    I made you a spectacle
    in the sight of kings.(AB)
18 Because of the enormity of your guilt,
    and the perversity of your trade,
    you defiled your sanctuary.
I brought fire out of you;
    it devoured you;
I made you ashes on the ground
    in the eyes of all who see you.(AC)
19 All the nations who knew you
    are appalled on account of you;
You have become a horror,
    never to be again.(AD)

Against Sidon. 20 The word of the Lord came to me: 21 Son of man, turn your face toward Sidon and prophesy against it. 22 Thus says the Lord God:

Watch out! I am against you, Sidon;
    I will win glory for myself in your midst.
They shall know that I am the Lord,
    when I deliver judgment upon it
    and manifest my holiness in it.
23 I will send disease into it;
    blood will fill its streets,
Within it shall fall
    those slain by the sword
    raised against it on every side.
Then they shall know that I am the Lord.
24 No longer will there be a thorn that tears
    or a brier that scratches for the house of Israel
From the surrounding neighbors
    who despise them;
    thus they shall know that I am the Lord.(AE)

25 Thus says the Lord God: When I gather the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they are scattered, and I manifest my holiness through them in the sight of the nations, then they shall live on the land I gave my servant Jacob.(AF) 26 They shall dwell on it securely, building houses and planting vineyards. They shall dwell securely while I execute judgment on all their neighbors who treated them with contempt; then they shall know that I, the Lord, am their God.(AG)

Footnotes

  1. 26:1 The Hebrew text does not give a number with the month. This translation assumes a scribal error, the omission of the second occurrence of the number eleven.
  2. 26:2 Tyre is pictured rejoicing over Jerusalem’s fall to Babylon because now the wealth from caravans and other trade will go to Tyrian merchants.
  3. 26:4–5 A bare rock: the Tyre of Ezekiel’s time was situated on a rocky island just off the Phoenician coast. During the time of Alexander the Great a causeway was built to connect it to the mainland.
  4. 26:6 Daughter cities: tributary towns and villages on the mainland.
  5. 26:16 The princes of the sea: the rulers of the islands and coastal cities leagued commercially with Tyre.
  6. 26:17 Lament: the princes sing a funeral dirge at the burial of the personified Tyre; cf. the similar lamentation over Egypt in 32:3–8.
  7. 26:20 Those who go down to the pit: the dead, pictured as dwelling in Sheol, a place or cave of darkness. Cf. 32:17–32; Is 14:4–21 for other examples.
  8. 27:5 Senir: another name for Mount Hermon; cf. Dt 3:9.
  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.
  10. 27:7 Elishah: perhaps another term for Cyprus.
  11. 27:8–9 Sidon…Gebal: Phoenician cities in Tyre’s orbit of influence; Gebal is classical Byblos.
  12. 27:11 Helech: perhaps in Asia Minor; otherwise unknown.
  13. 27:17 Grain: most commentators have read “figs,” but Hebrew panag more properly describes milled grains or prepared meal.
  14. 28:1–10 Ezekiel mocks the arrogance of Tyre’s leader, who mistakes the city’s commercial success for evidence of his divinity. At the hands of a foreign army, commissioned by the only God worthy of the name, this leader dies a humiliating, unceremonious death.
  15. 28:3 Wiser than Daniel: see note on 14:14.
  16. 28:12–19 Ezekiel describes the leader of Tyre in language that recalls the imagery of Gn 2–3.
  17. 28:14 The holy mountain of God: the residence of gods in Israelite and non-Israelite myth; cf. Is 14:13. Fiery stones: associated with the divine presence; cf. Ez 1:13; Ps 18:13.

A Prophecy Against Tyre

26 In the eleventh month of the twelfth[a] year, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me:(A) “Son of man, because Tyre(B) has said of Jerusalem, ‘Aha!(C) The gate to the nations is broken, and its doors have swung open to me; now that she lies in ruins I will prosper,’ therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against you, Tyre, and I will bring many nations against you, like the sea(D) casting up its waves. They will destroy(E) the walls of Tyre(F) and pull down her towers; I will scrape away her rubble and make her a bare rock. Out in the sea(G) she will become a place to spread fishnets,(H) for I have spoken, declares the Sovereign Lord. She will become plunder(I) for the nations,(J) and her settlements on the mainland will be ravaged by the sword. Then they will know that I am the Lord.

“For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: From the north I am going to bring against Tyre Nebuchadnezzar[b](K) king of Babylon, king of kings,(L) with horses and chariots,(M) with horsemen and a great army. He will ravage your settlements on the mainland with the sword; he will set up siege works(N) against you, build a ramp(O) up to your walls and raise his shields against you. He will direct the blows of his battering rams against your walls and demolish your towers with his weapons.(P) 10 His horses will be so many that they will cover you with dust. Your walls will tremble at the noise of the warhorses, wagons and chariots(Q) when he enters your gates as men enter a city whose walls have been broken through. 11 The hooves(R) of his horses will trample all your streets; he will kill your people with the sword, and your strong pillars(S) will fall to the ground.(T) 12 They will plunder your wealth and loot your merchandise; they will break down your walls and demolish your fine houses and throw your stones, timber and rubble into the sea.(U) 13 I will put an end(V) to your noisy songs,(W) and the music of your harps(X) will be heard no more.(Y) 14 I will make you a bare rock, and you will become a place to spread fishnets. You will never be rebuilt,(Z) for I the Lord have spoken, declares the Sovereign Lord.

15 “This is what the Sovereign Lord says to Tyre: Will not the coastlands(AA) tremble(AB) at the sound of your fall, when the wounded groan(AC) and the slaughter takes place in you? 16 Then all the princes of the coast will step down from their thrones and lay aside their robes and take off their embroidered(AD) garments. Clothed(AE) with terror, they will sit on the ground,(AF) trembling(AG) every moment, appalled(AH) at you. 17 Then they will take up a lament(AI) concerning you and say to you:

“‘How you are destroyed, city of renown,
    peopled by men of the sea!
You were a power on the seas,
    you and your citizens;
you put your terror
    on all who lived there.(AJ)
18 Now the coastlands tremble(AK)
    on the day of your fall;
the islands in the sea
    are terrified at your collapse.’(AL)

19 “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: When I make you a desolate city, like cities no longer inhabited, and when I bring the ocean depths(AM) over you and its vast waters cover you,(AN) 20 then I will bring you down with those who go down to the pit,(AO) to the people of long ago. I will make you dwell in the earth below, as in ancient ruins, with those who go down to the pit, and you will not return or take your place[c] in the land of the living.(AP) 21 I will bring you to a horrible end and you will be no more.(AQ) You will be sought, but you will never again be found, declares the Sovereign Lord.”(AR)

A Lament Over Tyre

27 The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, take up a lament(AS) concerning Tyre. Say to Tyre,(AT) situated at the gateway to the sea,(AU) merchant of peoples on many coasts, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“‘You say, Tyre,
    “I am perfect in beauty.(AV)
Your domain was on the high seas;
    your builders brought your beauty to perfection.(AW)
They made all your timbers
    of juniper from Senir[d];(AX)
they took a cedar from Lebanon(AY)
    to make a mast for you.
Of oaks(AZ) from Bashan
    they made your oars;
of cypress wood[e] from the coasts of Cyprus(BA)
    they made your deck, adorned with ivory.
Fine embroidered linen(BB) from Egypt was your sail
    and served as your banner;
your awnings were of blue and purple(BC)
    from the coasts of Elishah.(BD)
Men of Sidon and Arvad(BE) were your oarsmen;
    your skilled men, Tyre, were aboard as your sailors.(BF)
Veteran craftsmen of Byblos(BG) were on board
    as shipwrights to caulk your seams.
All the ships of the sea(BH) and their sailors
    came alongside to trade for your wares.

10 “‘Men of Persia,(BI) Lydia(BJ) and Put(BK)
    served as soldiers in your army.
They hung their shields(BL) 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.(BM)

12 “‘Tarshish(BN) did business with you because of your great wealth of goods;(BO) they exchanged silver, iron, tin and lead for your merchandise.

13 “‘Greece,(BP) Tubal and Meshek(BQ) did business with you; they traded human beings(BR) and articles of bronze for your wares.

14 “‘Men of Beth Togarmah(BS) exchanged chariot horses, cavalry horses and mules for your merchandise.

15 “‘The men of Rhodes[f](BT) traded with you, and many coastlands(BU) were your customers; they paid you with ivory(BV) tusks and ebony.

16 “‘Aram[g](BW) did business with you because of your many products; they exchanged turquoise,(BX) purple fabric, embroidered work, fine linen,(BY) coral(BZ) and rubies for your merchandise.

17 “‘Judah and Israel traded with you; they exchanged wheat(CA) from Minnith(CB) and confections,[h] honey, olive oil and balm(CC) for your wares.(CD)

18 “‘Damascus(CE) did business with you because of your many products and great wealth of goods.(CF) They offered wine from Helbon, wool from Zahar 19 and casks of wine from Izal(CG) in exchange for your wares: wrought iron, cassia(CH) and calamus.

20 “‘Dedan(CI) traded in saddle blankets with you.

21 “‘Arabia(CJ) and all the princes of Kedar(CK) were your customers; they did business with you in lambs, rams and goats.

22 “‘The merchants of Sheba(CL) and Raamah traded with you; for your merchandise they exchanged the finest of all kinds of spices(CM) and precious stones, and gold.(CN)

23 “‘Harran,(CO) Kanneh and Eden(CP) and merchants of Sheba, Ashur(CQ) 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(CR) serve
    as carriers for your wares.
You are filled with heavy cargo
    as you sail the sea.(CS)
26 Your oarsmen take you
    out to the high seas.
But the east wind(CT) will break you to pieces
    far out at sea.
27 Your wealth,(CU) 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(CV)
    on the day of your shipwreck.
28 The shorelands will quake(CW)
    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(CX) on their heads
    and roll(CY) in ashes.(CZ)
31 They will shave their heads(DA) because of you
    and will put on sackcloth.
They will weep(DB) over you with anguish of soul
    and with bitter mourning.(DC)
32 As they wail and mourn over you,
    they will take up a lament(DD) concerning you:
“Who was ever silenced like Tyre,
    surrounded by the sea?(DE)
33 When your merchandise went out on the seas,(DF)
    you satisfied many nations;
with your great wealth(DG) 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.(DH)
35 All who live in the coastlands(DI)
    are appalled(DJ) at you;
their kings shudder with horror
    and their faces are distorted with fear.(DK)
36 The merchants among the nations scoff at you;(DL)
    you have come to a horrible end
    and will be no more.(DM)’”

A Prophecy Against the King of Tyre

28 The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man(DN), say to the ruler of Tyre, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“‘In the pride of your heart
    you say, “I am a god;
I sit on the throne(DO) of a god
    in the heart of the seas.”(DP)
But you are a mere mortal and not a god,
    though you think you are as wise as a god.(DQ)
Are you wiser than Daniel[i]?(DR)
    Is no secret hidden from you?
By your wisdom and understanding
    you have gained wealth for yourself
and amassed gold and silver
    in your treasuries.(DS)
By your great skill in trading(DT)
    you have increased your wealth,(DU)
and because of your wealth
    your heart has grown proud.(DV)

“‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“‘Because you think you are wise,
    as wise as a god,
I am going to bring foreigners against you,
    the most ruthless of nations;(DW)
they will draw their swords against your beauty and wisdom(DX)
    and pierce your shining splendor.(DY)
They will bring you down to the pit,(DZ)
    and you will die a violent death(EA)
    in the heart of the seas.(EB)
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,(EC)
    in the hands of those who slay you.(ED)
10 You will die the death of the uncircumcised(EE)
    at the hands of foreigners.

I have spoken, declares the Sovereign Lord.’”

11 The word of the Lord came to me: 12 “Son of man, take up a lament(EF) concerning the king of Tyre and say to him: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“‘You were the seal of perfection,
    full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.(EG)
13 You were in Eden,(EH)
    the garden of God;(EI)
every precious stone(EJ) adorned you:
    carnelian, chrysolite and emerald,
    topaz, onyx and jasper,
    lapis lazuli, turquoise(EK) and beryl.[j]
Your settings and mountings[k] were made of gold;
    on the day you were created they were prepared.(EL)
14 You were anointed(EM) as a guardian cherub,(EN)
    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,(EO)
    and you sinned.
So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God,
    and I expelled you, guardian cherub,(EP)
    from among the fiery stones.
17 Your heart became proud(EQ)
    on account of your beauty,
and you corrupted your wisdom
    because of your splendor.
So I threw you to the earth;
    I made a spectacle of you before kings.(ER)
18 By your many sins and dishonest trade
    you have desecrated your sanctuaries.
So I made a fire(ES) come out from you,
    and it consumed you,
and I reduced you to ashes(ET) on the ground
    in the sight of all who were watching.(EU)
19 All the nations who knew you
    are appalled(EV) at you;
you have come to a horrible end
    and will be no more.(EW)’”

A Prophecy Against Sidon

20 The word of the Lord came to me: 21 “Son of man, set your face against(EX) Sidon;(EY) prophesy against her 22 and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“‘I am against you, Sidon,
    and among you I will display my glory.(EZ)
You will know that I am the Lord,
    when I inflict punishment(FA) on you
    and within you am proved to be holy.(FB)
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.(FC)

24 “‘No longer will the people of Israel have malicious neighbors who are painful briers and sharp thorns.(FD) Then they will know that I am the Sovereign Lord.

25 “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: When I gather(FE) the people of Israel from the nations where they have been scattered,(FF) I will be proved holy(FG) through them in the sight of the nations. Then they will live in their own land, which I gave to my servant Jacob.(FH) 26 They will live there in safety(FI) and will build houses and plant(FJ) vineyards; they will live in safety when I inflict punishment(FK) on all their neighbors who maligned them. Then they will know that I am the Lord their God.(FL)’”

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 26:1 Probable reading of the original Hebrew text; Masoretic Text does not have month of the twelfth.
  2. Ezekiel 26:7 Hebrew Nebuchadrezzar, of which Nebuchadnezzar is a variant; here and often in Ezekiel and Jeremiah
  3. Ezekiel 26:20 Septuagint; Hebrew return, and I will give glory
  4. Ezekiel 27:5 That is, Mount Hermon
  5. Ezekiel 27:6 Targum; the Masoretic Text has a different division of the consonants.
  6. Ezekiel 27:15 Septuagint; Hebrew Dedan
  7. Ezekiel 27:16 Most Hebrew manuscripts; some Hebrew manuscripts and Syriac Edom
  8. Ezekiel 27:17 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
  9. Ezekiel 28:3 Or Danel, a man of renown in ancient literature
  10. Ezekiel 28:13 The precise identification of some of these precious stones is uncertain.
  11. Ezekiel 28:13 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.

The sun will darken,
    the moon turn blood-red,
Before the day of the Lord arrives,
    that great and terrible day.(A)
Then everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord
    will escape harm.
For on Mount Zion there will be a remnant,
    as the Lord has said,
And in Jerusalem survivors
    whom the Lord will summon.(B)

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“Now what have you against me, Tyre and Sidon(A) and all you regions of Philistia?(B) Are you repaying me for something I have done? If you are paying me back, I will swiftly and speedily return on your own heads what you have done.(C) For you took my silver and my gold and carried off my finest treasures to your temples.[a](D)

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Footnotes

  1. Joel 3:5 Or palaces

I. Editorial Introduction

Chapter 1

The words of Amos, who was one of the sheepbreeders from Tekoa,(A) which he received in a vision concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah, king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam, son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.[a] He said:

The Lord roars from Zion,[b]
    and raises his voice from Jerusalem;
The pastures of the shepherds languish,
    and the summit of Carmel withers.(B)

II. Oracles Against the Nations[c]

Aram

Thus says the Lord:

For three crimes of Damascus, and now four—[d]
    I will not take it back—
Because they threshed Gilead
    with sledges of iron,
I will send fire upon the house of Hazael,
    and it will devour the strongholds of Ben-hadad.[e](C)
I will break the barred gate of Damascus;
    From the Valley of Aven[f] I will cut off the one enthroned,
And the sceptered ruler from Beth-eden;
    the people of Aram shall be exiled to Kir,(D) says the Lord.

Philistia

Thus says the Lord:

For three crimes of Gaza, and now four—
    I will not take it back—
Because they exiled an entire population,
    handing them over to Edom,
I will send fire upon the wall of Gaza,
    and it will devour its strongholds;
From Ashdod I will cut off the one enthroned
    and the sceptered ruler from Ashkelon;
I will turn my hand against Ekron,
    and the last of the Philistines shall perish,
    says the Lord God.

Tyre

Thus says the Lord:

For three crimes of Tyre, and now four—
    I will not take it back—
Because they handed over an entire population to Edom,
    and did not remember their covenant of brotherhood,[g]
10 I will send fire upon the wall of Tyre,
    and it will devour its strongholds.

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Footnotes

  1. 1:1 The earthquake: a major earthquake during the reign of Uzziah (ca. 783–742 B.C.), so devastating that it was remembered long afterwards (cf. Zec 14:5). See the description of an earthquake in Amos’s final vision (9:1).
  2. 1:2 Significantly, the roar comes to the Northern Kingdom from Jerusalem. This verse, perhaps an editorial remark, sets the tone of Amos’s message.
  3. 1:3–2:16 All the nations mentioned here may have been part of the ideal empire of David-Solomon (cf. 1 Kgs 5:1; 2 Kgs 14:25). Certain standards of conduct were expected not only in their relations with Israel but also with one another.
  4. 1:3 For three crimes…and now four: this formula (n, n + 1) is frequent in poetry (e.g., Prv 6:16–19; 30:18–19). The progression “three” followed by “four” here suggests a climax. The fourth crime is one too many and exhausts the Lord’s forbearance.
  5. 1:4 Hazael…Ben-hadad: kings of the Arameans whose capital was Damascus (v. 5); they fought against Israel (2 Kgs 13:3) and had long occupied the region of Gilead (v. 3) in Transjordan.
  6. 1:5 Valley of Aven: lit., “valley of wickedness,” perhaps a distortion of a place name in Aramean territory, identity unknown. Beth-eden: an Aramean city-state on the Euphrates, about two hundred miles northeast of Damascus, called Bit-adini in Assyro-Babylonian texts. Kir: cf. 9:7; probably to be identified with the city of Emar on the Euphrates, a major Aramean center in the Late Bronze Age. One text from this site calls the king of Emar “the king of the people of the land of Kir.”
  7. 1:9 Did not remember their covenant of brotherhood: standard diplomatic language of this period, meaning “violated the treaty.” The violation may not have been against Israel itself but against a fellow “subject” nation of the ideal Davidic-Solomonic empire (cf. 2:1).

The words of Amos, one of the shepherds of Tekoa(A)—the vision he saw concerning Israel two years before the earthquake,(B) when Uzziah(C) was king of Judah and Jeroboam(D) son of Jehoash[a] was king of Israel.(E)

He said:

“The Lord roars(F) from Zion
    and thunders(G) from Jerusalem;(H)
the pastures of the shepherds dry up,
    and the top of Carmel(I) withers.”(J)

Judgment on Israel’s Neighbors

This is what the Lord says:

“For three sins of Damascus,(K)
    even for four, I will not relent.(L)
Because she threshed Gilead
    with sledges having iron teeth,
I will send fire(M) on the house of Hazael(N)
    that will consume the fortresses(O) of Ben-Hadad.(P)
I will break down the gate(Q) of Damascus;
    I will destroy the king who is in[b] the Valley of Aven[c]
and the one who holds the scepter in Beth Eden.(R)
    The people of Aram will go into exile to Kir,(S)
says the Lord.(T)

This is what the Lord says:

“For three sins of Gaza,(U)
    even for four, I will not relent.(V)
Because she took captive whole communities
    and sold them to Edom,(W)
I will send fire on the walls of Gaza
    that will consume her fortresses.
I will destroy the king[d] of Ashdod(X)
    and the one who holds the scepter in Ashkelon.
I will turn my hand(Y) against Ekron,
    till the last of the Philistines(Z) are dead,”(AA)
says the Sovereign Lord.(AB)

This is what the Lord says:

“For three sins of Tyre,(AC)
    even for four, I will not relent.(AD)
Because she sold whole communities of captives to Edom,
    disregarding a treaty of brotherhood,(AE)
10 I will send fire on the walls of Tyre
    that will consume her fortresses.(AF)

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Footnotes

  1. Amos 1:1 Hebrew Joash, a variant of Jehoash
  2. Amos 1:5 Or the inhabitants of
  3. Amos 1:5 Aven means wickedness.
  4. Amos 1:8 Or inhabitants

Hamath also on its border,
    Tyre too, and Sidon, no matter how clever they be.
Tyre built itself a stronghold,
    and heaped up silver like dust,
    and gold like the mud of the streets.
But now the Lord will dispossess it,
    and cast its wealth into the sea,
    and it will be devoured by fire.

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and on Hamath(A) too, which borders on it,
    and on Tyre(B) and Sidon,(C) though they are very skillful.
Tyre has built herself a stronghold;
    she has heaped up silver like dust,
    and gold like the dirt of the streets.(D)
But the Lord will take away her possessions
    and destroy(E) her power on the sea,
    and she will be consumed by fire.(F)

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