Ezekiel 27

1 The word of Jehovah came again to me, saying,

Yahweh said this to me:

2 And thou, son of man, take up a lamentation over Tyre,

“You human, sing a funeral song about Tyre.

3 and say to Tyre, O thou that dwells at the entry of the sea, that is the merchant of the peoples to many isles, thus says the lord Jehovah: Thou, O Tyre, have said, I am perfect in beauty.

[The city of] is located [on an island] at the edge of the sea, and their merchants (traded/bought and sold goods) with people-groups [who live] along many seacoasts. This is what [I], Yahweh the Lord, say [that you should tell them]: ‘You [people of] Tyre said that your [city] was very beautiful.

4 Thy borders are in the heart of the seas. Thy builders have perfected thy beauty.

You controlled what was bought and sold by people who lived along the sea. Those who built your [city] caused it to become very beautiful.

5 They have made all thy planks of fir trees from Senir. They have taken a cedar from Lebanon to make a mast for thee.

You were like [SIM] a huge ship that was built from the from pine/cypress [trees] on Hermon [Mountain]. Then they took cedar [wood] from Lebanon to make a mast for the ship.

6 Of the oaks of Bashan they have made thine oars. They have made thy benches of ivory inlaid in boxwood, from the isles of Kittim.

They carved your oars from oak trees from the Bashan [region]. They made the deck from cypress/pine wood from Cyprus [island], and they covered [the decks] with ivory.

7 Of fine linen with broidered work from Egypt was thy sail, that it might be to thee for an ensign. Blue and purple from the isles of Elishah was thine awning.

The sails for the ship were made from fine embroidered linen from Egypt, and those sails were like flags that people could see [far away]. For shade they [hung pieces of] blue and purple cloth [brought] from [people living on] Cyprus [island].

8 The inhabitants of Sidon and Arvad were thy rowers. Thy wise men, O Tyre, were in thee; they were thy pilots.

Men from Sidon and Arvad [cities] pulled the oars; the men who steered the boat were skilled men from Tyre.

9 The old men of Gebal and the wise men thereof were thy caulkers in thee. All the ships of the sea with their mariners were in thee to deal in thy merchandise.

Experienced craftsmen from Byblos [city on the coast] (did the caulking/filled the spaces between the planks in the sides) of the ship. Sailors from many countries came in their ships to buy and sell goods there.

10 Persia and Lud and Put were in thine army, thy men of war. They hung the shield and helmet in thee. They set forth thy comeliness.

Men from [as far away as] Persia, Lydia, and Libya were [soldiers] in your army. They hung their shields and helmets on [the walls of] your [city], and that caused people to admire your city.

11 The men of Arvad with thine army were upon thy walls round about, and valorous men were in thy towers. They hung their shields upon thy walls round about. They have perfected thy beauty.

Men from Arvad and Helech [cities were watchmen] on the walls [of your city]; men from Gammad [town] were in your towers. They [also] hung their shields on your walls; they also caused your [city] to be very beautiful.

12 Tarshish was thy merchant because of the multitude of all kinds of riches, with silver, iron, tin, and lead. They traded for thy wares.

Because of the many things that you had [to trade], men from Tarshish [in Spain] sent merchants who brought silver, iron, tin, and lead to trade for things that you had.

13 Javan, Tubal, and Meshech, they were thy merchants. They traded the persons of men, and vessels of brass for thy merchandise.

[Merchants from] Greece, Tubal, and Meshech brought slaves and things made from bronze to trade for things that you had.

14 Those of the house of Togarmah traded for thy wares with horses and war-horses and mules.

[Men from] Beth-Togarmah [in Armenia] brought work horses, war horses, and mules to trade for things that you had.

15 The men of Dedan were thy merchants. Many isles were the mart of thy hand. They brought thee in exchange horns of ivory and ebony.

Merchants came to you from Rhodes [island]. [People from] nations along the coast traded with you; they brought (ivory/elephant tusks) and [valuable black] ebony [wood] to trade for things that you had.

16 Syria was thy merchant because of the multitude of thy handiworks. They traded for thy wares with emeralds, purple, and embroidered work, and fine linen, and coral, and rubies.

Because you had very many things [to trade], people from Syria brought to you valuable turquoise stones, purple [cloth], embroidered [cloth], fine linen [cloth], and [jewelry made from] coral and rubies to trade for your things.

17 Judah, and the land of Israel, they were thy merchants. They traded for thy merchandise wheat of Minnith, and pannag, and honey, and oil, and balm.

Men from Judah and Israel brought wheat from Minnith [city in Ammon], and figs, honey, [olive] oil, and ointment to trade for your things.

18 Damascus was thy merchant for the multitude of thy handiworks, because of the multitude of all kinds of riches, with the wine of Helbon, and white wool.

Because you had very many things [to trade], men from Damascus brought wine from Helbon [town] and white wool from the Zahar [area] to trade for many things that you had.

19 Vedan and Javan traded with yarn for thy wares. Bright iron, cassia, and calamus, were among thy merchandise.

Greek men from the Uzal [area] brought things made of iron, and cassia [spice], and [fragrant] calamus [seeds] to trade for things that you had.

20 Dedan was thy merchant in precious cloths for riding.

[Merchants came from] Dedan [in southern Edom] bringing saddle blankets to trade for things that you had.

21 Arabia, and all the rulers of Kedar, they were the merchants of thy hand, in lambs, and rams, and goats. In these they were thy merchants.

Men from Arabia and all the rulers of the Kedar [region] sent merchants to trade lambs and rams and male goats for things that you had.

22 The merchants of Sheba and Raamah, they were thy merchants. They traded for thy wares with the chief of all spices, and with all precious stones, and gold.

Merchants from Sheba and Raamah [in Arabia] brought many kinds of very good spices and jewels and gold to exchange for things that you had.

23 Haran and Canneh and Eden, the merchants of Sheba, Asshur and Chilmad, were thy merchants.

[Men came from] Haran, Canneh, Eden, Sheba, Asshur and Kilmad [in Mesopotamia] with their goods.

24 These were thy merchants in choice wares, in wrappings of blue and embroidered work, and in chests of rich apparel, bound with cords and made of cedar, among thy merchandise.

They brought pretty things to trade: Blue cloth, embroidered cloth, and rugs of [many] colors that were [rolled up and] tied with ropes.

25 The ships of Tarshish were thy caravans for thy merchandise. And thou were replenished, and made very glorious in the heart of the seas.

Cargo ships from Tarshish carried [all] those things that you traded; and the warehouses on your island were full of all those things.’”

26 Thy rowers have brought thee into great waters. The east wind has broken thee in the heart of the seas.

“‘The men who row your boats took [the ships full of] cargo out on the stormy seas. But the strong east wind wrecked those cargo boats.

27 Thy riches, and thy wares, thy merchandise, thy mariners, and thy pilots, thy caulkers, and the dealers in thy merchandise, and all thy men of war, who are in thee, with all thy company which is in the midst of thee, shall fall into the heart of the seas in the day of thy ruin.

Everything in the boats (was lost/sank to the bottom of the sea)— all the valuable cargo [DOU] and [many of] [HYP] the sailors and ship pilots, the ship workers and merchants and soldiers. On the day that the ships were wrecked, many of those on the ships sank to the bottom of the sea.

28 At the sound of the cry of thy pilots the suburbs shall shake.

[The people in cities along] the coast trembled when they heard your ship pilots cry out.

29 And all who handled the oar, the mariners, and all the pilots of the sea, shall come down from their ships. They shall stand upon the land,

All the men who remained who pulled the oars left the ships; the sailors and pilots [go to the shore and] stand on the beach.

30 and shall cause their voice to be heard over thee, and shall cry bitterly, and shall cast up dust upon their heads. They shall wallow themselves in the ashes.

They cry aloud because of [what has happened to] your [wealth], and they weep bitterly. They throw dirt on their heads and roll around in ashes.

31 And they shall make themselves bald for thee, and gird with sackcloth, and they shall weep for thee in bitterness of soul with bitter mourning.

They shave their heads to show that they are very sad because of [what has happened to] you, and they put on rough sackcloth. They weep for you very bitterly and mourn for you.

32 And in their wailing they shall take up a lamentation for thee, and lament over thee, saying, Who is there like Tyre, like her that is brought to silence in the midst of the sea?

While they wail and mourn because of what has happened to you, they sing this sad funeral song: “There was certainly never [RHQ] a city like Tyre that now is silent, covered by the waves of the sea.”

33 When thy wares went forth out of the seas, thou filled many peoples. Thou enriched the kings of the earth with the multitude of thy riches and of thy merchandise.

The goods that your merchants traded were things that pleased the people of many countries. Kings in very distant places became rich from the wealth that they obtained from trading with you.

34 In the time that thou were broken by the seas in the depths of the waters, thy merchandise and all thy company fell in the midst of thee.

But now your city is like a ship [MET] that is wrecked in the sea, and everything that was in it is broken, at the bottom of the sea. All of your cargo and your sailors have sunk to the bottom of the sea along with the ships.

35 All the inhabitants of the isles are astonished at thee, and their kings are horribly afraid; they are troubled in their countenance.

All the people who live along the seacoast are appalled/horrified because of what has happened to you. Their kings are very horrified, [causing] their faces to be twisted [as they watch].

36 The merchants among the peoples hiss at thee. Thou have become a horror, and thou shall nevermore have any being.

The merchants of the [other] nations shake their heads [because it is difficult for them to believe what has happened]; your city has disappeared, and it will not exist any more.’”