Ezechiel, 27
A description of the glory and riches of Tyre: and of her irrecoverable fall.
[1] And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: •
[2] Thou therefore, O son of man, take up a lamentation for Tyre: •
[3] And say to Tyre that dwelleth at the entry of the sea, being the mart of the people for many islands: Thus saith the Lord God: O Tyre, thou hast said: I am of perfect beauty, •
[4] And situate in the heart of the sea. Thy neighbours, that built thee, have perfected thy beauty: •
[5] With fir trees of Sanir they have built thee with all sea planks 1: they have taken cedars from Libanus to make thee masts. •
Sea planks: That is, timber brought by sea to build the city.
[6] They have cut thy oars out of the oaks of Basan: and they have made thee benches of Indian ivory and cabins with things brought from the islands of Italy. •
[7] Fine broidered linen from Egypt was woven for thy sail, to be spread on thy mast: blue and purple from the islands of Elisa, were made thy covering. •
[8] The inhabitants of Sidon, and the Arabians were thy rowers: thy wise men, O Tyre, were thy pilots. •
[9] The ancients of Gebal, and the wise men thereof furnished mariners for the service of thy various furniture: all the ships of the sea, and their mariners were thy factors. •
[10] The Persians, and Lydians, and the Libyans were thy soldiers in thy army: they hung up the buckler and the helmet in thee for thy ornament. •
[11] The men of Arad were with thy army upon thy walls round about: the Pygmeans 1 also that were in thy towers, hung up their quivers on thy walls round about: they perfected thy beauty. •
Pygmeans: That is, strong and valiant men. In Hebrew, Gammadim.
[12] The Carthaginians thy merchants supplied thy fairs with a multitude of all kinds of riches, with silver, iron, tin, and lead, •
[13] Greece, Thubal, and Mosoch, they were thy merchants, they brought to thy people slaves and vessels of brass. •
[14] From the house of Thogorma they brought horses, and horsemen, and mules to thy market. •
[15] The men of Dedan were thy merchants: many islands were the traffic of thy hand, they exchanged for thy price teeth of ivory and ebony. •
[16] The Syrian was thy merchant: by reason of the multitude of thy works, they set forth precious stories, and purple, and broidered works, and fine linen, and silk, and chodchod 1 in thy market. •
Chodchod: It is the Hebrew name for some precious stone; but of what kind in particular interpreters are not agreed.
[17] Juda and the land of Israel, they were thy merchants with the best corn: they set forth balm, and honey, and oil and rosin in thy fairs. •
[18] The men of Damascus were thy merchants in the multitude of thy works, the multitude of divers riches, in rich wine, in wool of the best colour. •
[19] Dan, and Greece, and Mosel have set forth in thy marts wrought iron: stacte, and calamus were in thy market. •
[20] The men of Dedan were thy merchants in tapestry for seats. •
[21] Arabia, and all the princes of Cedar, they were the merchants of thy hand: thy merchants came to thee with lambs, and rams, and kids. •
[22] The sellers of Saba, and Reema, they were thy merchants: with all the best spices, and precious stones, and gold, which they set forth in thy market. •
[23] Haran, and Chene, and Eden were thy merchants; Saba, Assur, and Chelmad sold to thee. •
[24] They were thy merchants in divers manners, with bales of blue cloth, and of embroidered work, and of precious riches, which were wrapped up and bound with cords: they had cedars also in thy merchandise. •
[25] The ships of the sea, were thy chief in thy merchandise: and thou wast replenished, and glorified exceedingly in the heart of the sea. •
[26] Thy rowers have brought thee into great waters: the south wind hath broken thee in the heart of the sea. •
[27] Thy riches, and thy treasures, and thy manifold furniture, thy mariners, and thy pilots, who kept thy goods, and were chief over thy people: thy men of war also, that were in thee, with all thy multitude that is in the midst of thee: shall fall in the heart of the sea in the day of thy ruin.
[28] Thy fleets shall be troubled at the sound of the cry of thy pilots.
[29] And all that handled the oar shall come down from their ships: the mariners, and all the pilots of the sea shall stand upon the land:
[30] And they shall mourn over thee with a loud voice and shall cry bitterly: and they shall cast up dust upon their heads and shall be sprinkled with ashes. •
[31] And they shall shave themselves bald for thee, and shall be girded with haircloth: and they shall weep for thee with bitterness of soul, with most bitter weeping.
[32] And they shall take up a mournful song for thee, and shall lament thee: What city is like Tyre, which is become silent in the midst of the sea?
[33] Which by thy merchandise that went from thee by sea didst fill many people: which by the multitude of thy riches, and of thy people didst enrich the kings of the earth.
[34] Now thou art destroyed by the sea, thy riches are in the bottom of the waters, and all the multitude that was in the midst of thee is fallen.
[35] All the inhabitants of the islands are astonished at thee: and all their kings being struck with the storm have changed their countenance.
[36] The merchants of people have hissed at thee: thou art brought to nothing, and thou shalt never be any more. •