Ezekiel 28
1 A message from the Lord came to me, saying,
The word of Jehovah came again to me, saying:
2 “Son of man, tell the ruler of Tyre this is what the Lord God says: You are so proud of yourself, saying, ‘I'm a god! I sit on my throne like a god in the middle of the sea.’ But you're only a man. You're not a god, even though you think you are one.
Son of man, say to the prince of Tyre, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Because thy heart is lifted up, and thou hast said, “I am a god, I sit in the seat of a god, in the midst of the seas”; and though thou art man, not God, yet settest thy heart as the heart of a god, —
3 You even think you're wiser than Daniel and there's no secret that's hidden from you!
behold, thou art wiser than Daniel; there is no secret which can be hidden from thee;
4 Yes, you have used your wisdom and cleverness to make yourself rich, collecting plenty of gold and silver for your treasury.
by thy wisdom and by thine understanding thou hast gotten thee riches, and hast gotten gold and silver in thy treasures;
5 You became wealthy through your superb trading skills, but your wealth only made you proud.
by thy great wisdom, by thy traffic, thou hast increased thy riches, and thy heart is lifted up because of thy wealth, —
6 So this is what the Lord God says: Because you think that you're a god,
therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Because thou settest thy heart as the heart of a god, therefore,
7 watch as I bring foreigners to attack you. They are more cruel than any other nation. They will use their swords to destroy you and your wonderful wisdom; they will humble your proud glory.
behold, I will bring upon thee strangers, the terrible of the nations; and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of thy wisdom, and they shall defile thy brightness.
8 They will drag you down into the grave. You will die horribly out there in the sea.
They shall bring thee down to the pit, and thou shalt die the death of the slain, in the midst of the seas.
9 Are you still going to claim, ‘I'm a god,’ to those who are killing you? You'll just be another human victim, not a god, in the eyes of your attackers.
Wilt thou yet say, “I am a god,” before him that slayeth thee? Thou shalt be man, and not God, in the hand of him that slayeth thee.
10 You will be killed like some vile person by these foreigners. I myself have spoken, declares the Lord God.”
Thou shalt die the death of the uncircumcised, by the hand of strangers; for I have spoken it, saith the Lord Jehovah.
11 Another message from the Lord came to me, saying,
Moreover, the word of Jehovah came to me, saying:
12 “Son of man, sing a funeral song for the king of Tyre and tell him this is what the Lord God says: Once you were complete and perfect, full of wisdom and flawless in beauty.
Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyre, and say to him, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: —Thou wast a finished signet, Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty;
13 You were there in Eden, God's garden. You wore all kinds of precious stones: carnelian, topaz, and amethyst; beryl, onyx, and jasper; lapis lazuli, turquoise, and emerald. They were placed in gold mountings and settings using skilled craftsmanship, and were made on the day when you were created.
In Eden, the garden of God, thou didst dwell; Every precious stone was thy covering, The ruby, the topaz, and the diamond, The chrysolite, the onyx, and the jasper, The sapphire, the carbuncle, and the emerald, and gold. The workmanship of thy jewel-holes was within thee; On the day when thou wast born were they prepared.
14 I gave you the position of guardian cherub, and I anointed you. You lived on God's holy mountain and you walked among the stones of fire.
Thou wast an outspread, covering cherub; I set thee upon the holy mountain of God; Thou didst walk in the midst of the stones of fire.
15 You were innocent in everything you did from the day you were created until you were found to be doing evil.
Thou wast prosperous in thy ways from the day that thou wast born Until iniquity was found in thee.
16 You were so busy with all your trading schemes that they destroyed you inside, leading you to sin and filling you with violence. So I sent you away in disgrace from God's mountain, and I removed you from your position as guardian cherub from your place among the stones of fire.
Through the abundance of thy merchandise thou art full of injustice; And thou hast sinned; Therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God, And I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.
17 You became proud because of your beauty, you ruined your wisdom because you thought you were so wonderful. So I threw you down to the ground and I made sure kings saw what happened to you.
Thy heart was lifted up because of thy beauty; Thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy splendor; I will cast thee to the ground; I will give thee up to kings to be their gazing-stock.
18 By all your sins and your dishonest trading you have made your sanctuaries unclean. So I had fire come from inside you, and it burned you up. I turned you into ashes on the ground as everybody there watched.
By the multitude of thine iniquities, by the unrighteousness of thy traffic, Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries. Therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, which shall devour thee, And I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth, In the sight of all them that behold thee.
19 All who know you among the nations are horrified at what happened to you. Disaster has brought you down and you're finished forever.”
All they that know thee among the nations shall be astonished at thee; Thou art become a desolation, and shalt exist no more forever.
20 A message from the Lord came to me, saying,
Again the word of Jehovah came to me, saying:
21 “Son of man, face towards Sidon and prophesy against her.
Son of man, set thy face against Sidon, and prophesy against her,
22 Tell them this is what the Lord God says: Watch out, Sidon, for I'm condemning you, and I will be vindicated by what happens to you. People will know that I am the Lord when I punish her and show my holy character through her experience.
and say, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I am against thee, O Sidon, and I will be glorified in the midst of thee, and they shall know that I am Jehovah, when I execute judgments in her, and am sanctified in her.
23 I'm going to send a disease to plague her, and have people killed in her streets. Those who are killed will fall inside the city as the enemy attacks with swords from every side. Then they will know that I am the Lord.
I will send upon her pestilence, and blood into her streets, and the wounded shall fall in the midst of her by the sword which is against her on every side; and they shall know that I am Jehovah.
24 The people of Israel will no longer have to put up with these people who are thorns in their side, painful brambles and sharp thorns who treat Israel with contempt. Then they will know that I am the Lord God.
And there shall be no more to the house of Israel a pricking brier, or a grieving thorn of all that are round about them, that despised them; and they shall know that I am the Lord Jehovah.
25 This is what the Lord God says: When I bring back the people of Israel from the nations where they've been scattered. I will show my holy character through them as everyone watches. Then they will live in their own country, which I gave to my servant Jacob.
Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: When I shall gather the house of Israel from the nations among which they are scattered, then shall I be sanctified through them in the sight of the nations, and they shall dwell in the land which I gave to my servant Jacob.
26 They will live there in safety, building houses and planting vineyards. They will live there in safety when I punish all those around them who treat them with contempt. Then they will know that I am the Lord their God.”
They shall dwell therein securely, and shall build houses, and plant vineyards, yea, they shall dwell securely when I have executed judgments on all that despised them round about; and they shall know that I am Jehovah, their God.
