Ezekiel 27

1 Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying:

Yahweh said this to me:

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

“You human, sing a funeral song about Tyre.

3 and say unto Tyre, that dwelleth at the entry of the sea, that is the merchant of the peoples unto many isles: Thus saith the Lord GOD: Thou, O Tyre, hast said: I am of perfect 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 Of cypress-trees from Senir have they fashioned all thy planks; they have taken cedars from Lebanon to make masts 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 have they made thine oars; thy deck have they made of ivory inlaid in larch, from the isles of the Kittites.

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 richly woven 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 elders of Gebal and the wise men thereof were in thee thy calkers; all the ships of the sea with their mariners were in thee to exchange 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 hanged 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 and Helech were upon thy walls round about, and the Gammadim were in thy towers; they hanged 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 by reason 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 traffickers; 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 They of the house of Togarmah traded for thy wares with horses and horsemen 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 traffickers; many isles were the mart of thy hand; they brought thee as tribute 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 Aram was thy merchant by reason of the multitude of thy wealth; they traded for thy wares with carbuncles, purple, and richly woven 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 traffickers; they traded for thy merchandise wheat of Minnith, and balsam, 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 wealth, by reason of the multitude of all 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; massive 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 trafficker 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 princes of Kedar, they were the merchants of thy hand; in lambs, and rams, and goats, in these were they 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 traffickers of Sheba and Raamah, they were thy traffickers; they traded for thy wares with 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 traffickers of Sheba, Asshur was as thine apprentice in traffic.

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

24 These were thy traffickers in gorgeous fabrics, in wrappings of blue and richly woven work, and in chests of rich apparel, bound with cords and cedar-lined, 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 brought thee tribute for thy merchandise; so wast thou replenished, and made very heavy 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 hath 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 calkers, and the exchangers of thy merchandise, and all thy men of war, that 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 waves shall shake.

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

29 And all that handle 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 roll 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 utterly bald for thee, and gird them with sackcloth, and they shall weep for thee in bitterness of soul with bitter lamentation.

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: who was there like Tyre, fortified 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 came forth out of the seas, thou didst fill many peoples; with the multitude of thy riches and of thy merchandise didst thou enrich the kings of the earth.

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 Now that thou art broken by the seas in the depths of the waters, and thy merchandise and all thy company are fallen 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 appalled 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 art become a terror, and never shalt be any more.'

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.’”