Tyre’s King Overthrown
1 The word of the Lordcame again to me, saying,
2 “Son of man, say to the prince of Tyre, ‘Thus says the Lord God,
“Because your heart is lifted up
And you have saidandthought, ‘I am a god,
I sit in the seat of the gods
In the heart of the seas’;
Yet you are [only] a man [weak, feeble, made of earth] and not God,
Though you [imagine yourself to be more than mortal and] think your mind is as [wise as] the mind of God–
3 Behold, you are [imagining yourself] wiser than Daniel;
There is no secret [you think] that is hidden from you;
4 With your [own] wisdom and with your [own] understanding
You have acquired your richesandpower
And have brought gold and silver into your treasuries;
5 By your great wisdom and by your trade
You have increased your richesandpower,
And your heart is proudandarrogant because of your wealth;
6 Therefore thus says the Lord God,
‘Because you have imagined your mind [to be]
Like the mind of God [having thoughts and plans like God Himself],
7 Therefore, behold, I will bring strangers (Babylonians) upon you,
The most ruthlessandviolent of the nations.
And they will draw their swords
Against the beauty of your wisdom [O Tyre]
And defile your splendor.
8 ‘They will bring you down to the pit [of destruction],
And you will die the death of all those who die
In the heart of the seas.
9 ‘Will you still say, “I am a god,”
In the presence of him who kills you?
But you are [only] a man [made of earth] and not God,
In the hands of those who woundandprofane you.
10 ‘You will die the death of the uncircumcised [barbarian]
By the hand of strangers,
For I have spoken!’ says the Lord God.”’”
11 Again the word of the Lordcame to me, saying,
12 “Son of man, take up a dirge (funeral poem to be sung) for the king of Tyre and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord God,
“You had the full measure of perfectionandthe finishing touch [of completeness],
Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
13 “You were inEden, the garden of God;
Every precious stone was your covering:
The ruby, the topaz, and the diamond;
The beryl, the onyx, and the jasper;
The lapis lazuli, the turquoise, and the emerald;
And the gold, the workmanship of yoursettings and your sockets,
Was in you.
They were prepared
On the day that you were created.
14 “You were the anointed cherub who coversandprotects,
And I placed you there.
You were on the holy mountain of God;
You walked in the midst of the stones of fire [sparkling jewels].
15 “You were blameless in your ways
From the day you were created
Until unrighteousnessandevil were found in you.
16 “Through the abundance of your commerce
You were internally filled with lawlessnessandviolence,
And you sinned;
Therefore I have cast you out as a profaneandunholy thing
From the mountain of God.
And I have destroyed you, O covering cherub,
From the midst of the stones of fire.
17 “Your heart was proudandarrogant because of your beauty;
You destroyed your wisdom for the sake of your splendor.
I cast you to the ground;
I lay you before kings,
That they might look at you.
18 “You profaned your sanctuaries
By the great quantity of your sinsandthe enormity of your guilt,
By the unrighteousness of your trade.
Therefore I have brought forth a fire from your midst;
It has consumed you,
And I have reduced you to ashes on the earth
In the sight of all who look at you.
19 “All the peoples (nations) who knew you
Are appalled at you;
You have come to a horribleandterrifying end
And will forever cease to be.”’”
Judgment of Sidon
20 Again the word of the Lordcame to me, saying,
21 “Son of man, set your face toward Sidon, and prophesy against her
22 and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God,
“Behold, I am against you, O Sidon,
And I will show My gloryandbe glorified in your midst.
Then they will know [by personal experience] that I am the Lordwhen I bring judgmentandpunishment on her,
And I will manifest My holiness in her.
23 “For I will send virulent disease to her
And blood into her streets,
And the wounded will fall in her midst
By the sword upon her from every side,
And they shall know [without any doubt] that I am the Lord.
24 And there will no longer be a briar or a painful thorn to prick the house of Israel from all those around them who treated them with contempt; then they will know [with clarity] that I am the Lord God.”
Israel Regathered
25 ‘Thus says the Lord God, “When I gather the house of Israel from the nations among whom they are scattered, and I manifest my Holiness in them in the sight of the nations, then they will live in their own land which I gave to My servant Jacob.
26 They shall live in it securely; and they will build houses, plant vineyards and live securely when I execute judgment on all those around them who despise them. Then they will know [with clarity and confidence] that I am the Lordtheir God.”’”