Ezekiel 27

1 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

Yahweh said this to me:

2 But thou, O son of man, take up a lamentation for Tyre;

“You human, sing a funeral song about Tyre.

3 And say unto Tyre, O thou that art situated at the entrances of the sea, the merchant of the people unto many isles, Thus hath said the Lord Eternal, O Tyre, thou hast indeed 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 In the heart of the seas were thy boundaries, thy builders had 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 the fir-trees from Senir had they built thee all thy woodwork: cedars from Lebanon had they taken 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 had they made thy oars; thy rudder had they made inlaid with ivory of boxwood, brought out of the isles of the 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 Fine linen with broidered work from Egypt was thy flag to be unto thee a sign: of blue and purple from the isles of Ellishah was thy cover.

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 Zidon and Arvad were thy oarsmen: thy wise men, O Tyre, that were in thee, these 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 her wise men were in thee thy caulkers: all the ships of the sea with their mariners were in thee to carry on thy commerce.

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 They of Persia and of Lud and of Put were in thy army, thy men of war: the shield and the helmet did they hang up in thee; these gave thee thy elegance.

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 thy army were upon thy walls round about, and the Gammadim were in thy towers: their quivers they hung upon thy walls round about; these made perfect 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 Tharshish was thy merchant through the abundance of all kind of wealth: with silver, iron, tin, and lead, they supplied thy markets.

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, Thubal, and Meshech; these were thy merchants: with the persons of men and vessels of copper they carried on thy commerce.

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

14 They of the family of Thogarmah furnished thy supplies in 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 merchants; many isles fetched the merchandise from thy place: chamois horns, ivory, and ebony did they bring as presents for thee.

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 trader by reason of the multitude of thy productions: with emeralds, purple, and broidered work, and fine linen, and coral, and rubies they made deposits in thy treasuries.

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, these were thy merchants: in wheat of Minnith, and balsam, and honey, and oil, and balm they carried on thy commerce.

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 trader in the multitude of thy productions, for the multitude of all wealth, with the wine of Chelbon, 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 Dan also and Javan brought silken goods into thy warehouses: hardened iron, cassia, and calamus came among thy commerce.

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 clothes for riding on.

[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, these were the traders of thy place in lambs, and wethers, and he-goats: in these were they thy traders.

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 Ra'mah, —these were thy merchants: in the best of all spices, and with all precious stones, and gold, they furnished thy supplies.

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 Charan, and Canneh, and 'Eden, the merchants of Sheba, Asshur, [and] Kilmad, were thy merchants.

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

24 These were thy merchants in ornamental wares, in cloaks of blue, and broidered work, and in chests of damask cloth, bound with cords, and packed in cedar, in thy market-place.

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 Tharshish were thy caravans in thy commerce: and thou wast made full, and becamest very rich 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 Into great waters brought thee those that were thy rowers: 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 wealth, and thy warehouses, thy commerce, thy mariners, and thy pilots, thy caulkers, and the conductors of thy commerce, and all thy men of war that were in thee, and in all thy assemblage which was in the midst of thee, fell into the heart of the seas on the day of thy downfall.

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 painful cry of thy pilots quake [thy] rural districts.

[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, come down from their ships, they 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 cause their voice to be heard concerning thee, and cry bitterly, and cast up dust upon their heads, they wallow 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 make themselves utterly bald for thee, and gird themselves with sackcloth, and they weep for thee with bitterness of heart in a bitter complaint.

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 they take in their wailing a lamentation for thee, and lament over thee, saying, Who is like Tyre, who is so utterly destroyed 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 supplies went forth out of the seas, thou didst satisfy many people: with the multitude of thy wealth and of thy commerce thou didst 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] at the time thou art broken by the seas in the depths of the waters, thy commerce and all thy assemblage 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 the hair of their kings stand at an end, grieved are their countenances.

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 traders among the people shall hiss concerning thee: thou wast rendered as though thou hadst not been, and thou shalt not be any more for ever.

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.’”