The Sad Message About Tyre
26 In the eleventh year of exile,[a] on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me. He said, 2 “Son of man,[b] Tyre said bad things about Jerusalem: ‘Hurray! The city gate protecting the people is destroyed! The city gate is open for me. The city of Jerusalem is ruined, so I can get plenty of valuable things out of it!’”
3 So the Lord God says: “I am against you, Tyre! I will bring many nations to fight against you. They will come again and again, like waves on the beach.
4 “The enemy soldiers will destroy the walls of Tyre and pull down her towers. I will also scrape the topsoil from her land. I will make Tyre a bare rock. 5 Tyre will become a place by the sea for spreading fishing nets. I have spoken!” The Lord God says, “Tyre will be like the valuable things soldiers take in war. 6 Her daughters on the mainland will be killed in battle. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”
Nebuchadnezzar Will Attack Tyre
7 This is what the Lord God says: “I will bring an enemy from the north against Tyre. That enemy is Nebuchadnezzar, the great king of Babylon! He will bring a very large army. There will be horses, chariots, horse soldiers and many other soldiers. They will be from many different nations. 8 Nebuchadnezzar will kill your daughters on the mainland. He will build towers to attack your city. He will build a dirt road around your city and a dirt road leading up to the walls. 9 He will bring the logs to break down your walls. He will use picks and break down your towers. 10 There will be so many of his horses that the dust from them will cover you. Your walls will shake at the noise of horse soldiers, wagons, and chariots when the king of Babylon enters the city through your city gates. Yes, they will come into your city because its walls will be pulled down. 11 The king of Babylon will come riding through your city. His horses’ hoofs[c] will come pounding over your streets. He will kill your people with swords. The strong columns in your city will fall to the ground. 12 Nebuchadnezzar’s men will take away your riches. They will take the things you wanted to sell. They will break down your walls and destroy your pleasant houses. They will throw the wood and stones into the sea like garbage. 13 So I will stop the sound of your happy songs. People will not hear your harps anymore. 14 I will make you a bare rock. You will be a place by the sea for spreading fishing nets! You will not be rebuilt, because I, the Lord, have spoken!” This is what the Lord God said.
Other Nations Will Cry for Tyre
15 This is what the Lord God says to Tyre: “The countries along the Mediterranean coast will shake at the sound of your fall. That will happen when your people are hurt and killed. 16 Then all the leaders of the countries by the sea will step down from their thrones and show their sadness. They will take off their special robes and their beautiful clothes. Then they will put on their ‘clothes of shaking.’ They will sit on the ground and shake with fear. They will be shocked at how quickly you were destroyed. 17 They will sing this sad song about you:
“‘Tyre, you were a famous city.[d]
People came from across the sea to live in you.[e]
You were famous,
but now you are gone!
You were strong on the sea,
and so were the people who lived in you.
You made all who live on the mainland
afraid of you.
18 Now, on the day you fall,
the countries along the coast will shake with fear.
You started many colonies along the coast.
Now those people will be afraid when you are gone!’”
19 This is what the Lord God says: “Tyre, you will become an old, empty city. No one will live there. I will cause the sea to flow over you. The great sea will cover you. 20 I will send you down into that deep hole—to the place of death. You will join those who died long ago. I will send you to the world below, like all the other old, empty cities. You will be with all the others who go down to the grave. No one will live in you then. You will never again be in the land of the living! 21 Other people will be afraid about what happened to you. You will be finished. People will look for you, but they will never find you again.” That is what the Lord God says.
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 26:1 eleventh year of exile This was probably the summer of 587 B.C. See 2 Kings 25:3.
- Ezekiel 26:2 Son of man This was usually just a way of saying “a person” or “a human being.” Here, it is a way of addressing Ezekiel.
- Ezekiel 26:11 hoofs The hard part of a horse’s foot.
- Ezekiel 26:17 you were a famous city This can also mean “People have cried for you.”
- Ezekiel 26:17 People … you This can also mean “People have lived in you for a long time.”