Judgment on the King of Tyre
28 The Lord God said:
2 Ezekiel, son of man, tell the king of Tyre[a] that I am saying:
You are so arrogant that you think you're a god and that the city of Tyre is your throne. You may claim to be a god, though you're nothing but a mere human. 3 You think you're wiser than Daniel[b] and know everything.[c]
4 Your wisdom has certainly made you rich, because you have storehouses filled with gold and silver. 5 You're a clever businessman and are extremely wealthy, but your wealth has led to arrogance!
6 You compared yourself to a god, so now I, the Lord God, 7 will make you the victim of cruel enemies. They will destroy all the possessions you've worked so hard to get. 8 Your enemies will brutally kill you, and the sea will be your only grave.
9 When you face your enemies, will you still claim to be a god? They will attack, and you will suffer like any other human. 10 Foreigners will kill you, and you will die the death of those who don't worship me. I, the Lord, have spoken.
A Funeral Song for the King of Tyre
11 The Lord said:
12 Ezekiel, son of man, sing a funeral song for the king of Tyre[d] and tell him I am saying:
At one time, you were perfect,[e] intelligent, and good-looking. 13 You lived in the garden of Eden and wore jewelry made of brightly colored gems and precious stones. They were all set in gold[f] and were ready for you on the day you were born. 14 I appointed a winged creature to guard your home[g] on my holy mountain, where you walked among gems that dazzled like fire.
15 You were truly good from the time of your birth, but later you started doing wicked things. 16 You traded with other nations and became more and more cruel and evil. So I forced you to leave my mountain, and the creature that had been your protector now chased you away from the jewels.
17 It was your good looks that made you arrogant, and you were so famous that you started acting like a fool. That's why I threw you to the ground and let other kings sneer at you. 18 You have cheated so many other merchants that your places of worship are corrupt. So I set your city on fire and burned it down. Now everyone sees only ashes where your city once stood, 19 and the people of other nations are shocked. Your punishment was horrible, and you are gone forever.
Judgment on Sidon and Peace for Israel
20 (A) The Lord said:
21 Ezekiel, son of man, condemn the city of Sidon[h] 22 and tell its people:
I, the Lord God, am your enemy! People will praise me when I punish you, and they will see that I am holy. 23 I will send deadly diseases to wipe you out, and I will send enemies to invade and surround you. Your people will be killed, and you will know that I am the Lord.
24 When that happens, the people of Israel will no longer have cruel neighbors that abuse them and make them feel as though they are in a field of thorns and briers. And the Israelites will know that I, the Lord God, have done these things.
A Blessing for Israel
25 The Lord God said:
Someday I will gather the people of Israel from the nations where they are now scattered, and every nation will see that I am holy. The Israelites will once again live in the land I gave to my servant Jacob. 26 They will be safe and will build houses and plant vineyards. They will no longer be in danger, because I will punish their hateful neighbors. Israel will know that I am the Lord their God.
Footnotes
- 28.2 Tyre: See the note at 26.2.
- 28.3 Daniel: See the note at 14.14.
- 28.3 and know everything: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
- 28.12 Tyre: See the note at 26.2.
- 28.12 you were perfect: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
- 28.13 They were all set in gold: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
- 28.14 I appointed a winged creature to guard your home: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
- 28.21 Sidon: See the note at 26.2.