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Chapter 28

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

Your heart has grown proud,
    and thus you say, “I am a god;
I sit on a godly throne
    in the heart of the seas.”
But in reality you are a man, and not a god,
    even though you compare your mind
    with that of a god.
Are you as wise as Daniel?
    Is no secret hidden from you?
By your wisdom and your intelligence,
    you have amassed great wealth for yourself.
You have deposited gold and silver
    into your treasuries.
Because of your skill in trading,
    your wealth has greatly increased;
and as a result of your riches,
    your heart is filled with arrogant pride.

Therefore, thus says the Lord God:

Because you consider your wisdom
    to be equal to that of God,
I will bring foreigners against you,
    the most barbarous of all the nations.
They will draw their swords
    against the beauty of your wisdom
    and defile your splendor.
They will hurl you down to the pit,
    and you will die a violent death
    in the heart of the seas.
Will you then still say, “I am a god,”
    when your murderers confront you?
No, you are a man, not a god,
    in the hands of those about to slay you.
10 You will die the death of the uncircumcised
    at the hands of foreigners.

I have spoken, declares the Lord God.

11 This word of the Lord was then addressed to me: 12 Son of man, raise a lament for the king of Tyre and say to him: Thus says the Lord God:

At one time, you were a model of perfection,
    full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
13 You were in Eden, the garden of God,
    and adorned with every precious stone:
ruby, topaz, and emerald,
    chrysolite, onyx, and jasper,
    sapphire, turquoise, and jade.
Your settings and mountings were made of gold;
    on the day you were created, they were made.
14 I appointed a cherub as your guardian;
    you were on the holy mountain of God,
    walking amid the fiery stones.
15 You were blameless in your behavior
    from the day you were created,
    until iniquity first appeared in you.
16 As a result of your abundant trade,
    you became filled with violence, and you sinned.
Therefore, I cast you down in disgrace
    from the mountain of God,
and the guardian cherub drove you out
    from among the fiery stones.
17 Your heart had grown proud
    because of your beauty,
and for the sake of your splendor,
    you corrupted your wisdom.
I flung you to the earth,
    so great was your guilt,
and I made you a spectacle to behold
    in the sight of kings.
18 Because of the immense number of your crimes
    and your dishonesty in business,
    you profaned our sanctuaries.
Therefore, I have brought forth fire from your midst,
    and I allowed it to devour you.
I have reduced you to ashes on the ground
    for everyone to behold.
19 All of the nations who knew you
    were aghast at your fate.
You have come to a hideous end,
    and you will be no more.

20 Against Sidon. This word of the Lord came to me: 21 Son of man, turn toward Sidon[a] and prophesy against her, and say: 22 Thus says the Lord God:

I am against you, O Sidon,
    and I will show my glory in your midst.
Then people will know that I am the Lord
    when I inflict punishments on her
    and manifest my holiness in her.
23 For I will send a plague upon her,
    and there will be bloodshed in her streets.
And the dead shall fall in her midst
    by the sword raised against her from all sides;
    then they will know that I am the Lord.

24 No longer will the people of Israel have to endure thorns that wound, or briars that tear from hostile neighbors who treat them with contempt. Then they will know that I am the Lord.

25 Thus says the Lord God: When I gather the house of Israel from the people among whom they are scattered and manifest my holiness in them in the sight of all the nations, then they will live on the land that I gave to my servant Jacob. 26 They will live there in safety, building houses and planting vineyards. They will live there in security while I inflict punishments upon all their neighbors who have despised them. Thus they will know that I am the Lord, their God.

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 28:21 Sidon had been the capital of Phoenicia before Tyre.

A Prophecy Against the King of Tyre

28 The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man(A), 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(B) of a god
    in the heart of the seas.”(C)
But you are a mere mortal and not a god,
    though you think you are as wise as a god.(D)
Are you wiser than Daniel[a]?(E)
    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.(F)
By your great skill in trading(G)
    you have increased your wealth,(H)
and because of your wealth
    your heart has grown proud.(I)

“‘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;(J)
they will draw their swords against your beauty and wisdom(K)
    and pierce your shining splendor.(L)
They will bring you down to the pit,(M)
    and you will die a violent death(N)
    in the heart of the seas.(O)
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,(P)
    in the hands of those who slay you.(Q)
10 You will die the death of the uncircumcised(R)
    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(S) 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.(T)
13 You were in Eden,(U)
    the garden of God;(V)
every precious stone(W) adorned you:
    carnelian, chrysolite and emerald,
    topaz, onyx and jasper,
    lapis lazuli, turquoise(X) and beryl.[b]
Your settings and mountings[c] were made of gold;
    on the day you were created they were prepared.(Y)
14 You were anointed(Z) as a guardian cherub,(AA)
    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,(AB)
    and you sinned.
So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God,
    and I expelled you, guardian cherub,(AC)
    from among the fiery stones.
17 Your heart became proud(AD)
    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.(AE)
18 By your many sins and dishonest trade
    you have desecrated your sanctuaries.
So I made a fire(AF) come out from you,
    and it consumed you,
and I reduced you to ashes(AG) on the ground
    in the sight of all who were watching.(AH)
19 All the nations who knew you
    are appalled(AI) at you;
you have come to a horrible end
    and will be no more.(AJ)’”

A Prophecy Against Sidon

20 The word of the Lord came to me: 21 “Son of man, set your face against(AK) Sidon;(AL) 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.(AM)
You will know that I am the Lord,
    when I inflict punishment(AN) on you
    and within you am proved to be holy.(AO)
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.(AP)

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

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

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 28:3 Or Danel, a man of renown in ancient literature
  2. Ezekiel 28:13 The precise identification of some of these precious stones is uncertain.
  3. Ezekiel 28:13 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.