Day 331

Lamentation over Tyre
27 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 Now you, mortal, raise a lamentation over Tyre, 3 and say to Tyre, which sits at the entrance to the sea, merchant of the peoples on many coastlands, Thus says the Lord God:

O Tyre, you have said,
“I am perfect in beauty.”

4 Your borders are in the heart of the seas;
your builders made perfect your beauty.

5 They made all your planks
of fir trees from Senir;
they took a cedar from Lebanon
to make a mast for you.

6 From oaks of Bashan
they made your oars;
they made your deck of pines[a]
from the coasts of Cyprus,
inlaid with ivory.

7 Of fine embroidered linen from Egypt
was your sail,
serving as your ensign;
blue and purple from the coasts of Elishah
was your awning.

8 The inhabitants of Sidon and Arvad
were your rowers;
skilled men of Zemer[b] were within you,
they were your pilots.

9 The elders of Gebal and its artisans were within you,
caulking your seams;
all the ships of the sea with their mariners were within you,
to barter for your wares.

10 Paras[c] and Lud and Put
were in your army,
your mighty warriors;
they hung shield and helmet in you;
they gave you splendor.

11 Men of Arvad and Helech[d]
were on your walls all around;
men of Gamad were at your towers.
They hung their quivers all around your walls;
they made perfect your beauty.

12 Tarshish did business with you out of the abundance of your great wealth; silver, iron, tin, and lead they exchanged for your wares. 13 Javan, Tubal, and Meshech traded with you; they exchanged human beings and vessels of bronze for your merchandise. 14 Beth-togarmah exchanged for your wares horses, war horses, and mules. 15 The Rhodians[e] traded with you; many coastlands were your own special markets; they brought you in payment ivory tusks and ebony. 16 Edom[f] did business with you because of your abundant goods; they exchanged for your wares turquoise, purple, embroidered work, fine linen, coral, and rubies. 17 Judah and the land of Israel traded with you; they exchanged for your merchandise wheat from Minnith, millet,[g] honey, oil, and balm. 18 Damascus traded with you for your abundant goods—because of your great wealth of every kind—wine of Helbon, and white wool. 19 Vedan and Javan from Uzal[h] entered into trade for your wares; wrought iron, cassia, and sweet cane were bartered for your merchandise. 20 Dedan traded with you in saddlecloths for riding. 21 Arabia and all the princes of Kedar were your favored dealers in lambs, rams, and goats; in these they did business with you. 22 The merchants of Sheba and Raamah traded with you; they exchanged for your wares the best of all kinds of spices, and all precious stones, and gold. 23 Haran, Canneh, Eden, the merchants of Sheba, Asshur, and Chilmad traded with you. 24 These traded with you in choice garments, in clothes of blue and embroidered work, and in carpets of colored material, bound with cords and made secure; in these they traded with you.[i] 25 The ships of Tarshish traveled for you in your trade.

So you were filled and heavily laden
in the heart of the seas.

26 Your rowers have brought you
into the high seas.
The east wind has wrecked you
in the heart of the seas.

27 Your riches, your wares, your merchandise,
your mariners and your pilots,
your caulkers, your dealers in merchandise,
and all your warriors within you,
with all the company
that is with you,
sink into the heart of the seas
on the day of your ruin.

28 At the sound of the cry of your pilots
the countryside shakes,

29 and down from their ships
come all that handle the oar.
The mariners and all the pilots of the sea
stand on the shore

30 and wail aloud over you,
and cry bitterly.
They throw dust on their heads
and wallow in ashes;

31 they make themselves bald for you,
and put on sackcloth,
and they weep over you in bitterness of soul,
with bitter mourning.

32 In their wailing they raise a lamentation for you,
and lament over you:
“Who was ever destroyed[j] like Tyre
in the midst of the sea?

33 When your wares came from the seas,
you satisfied many peoples;
with your abundant wealth and merchandise
you enriched the kings of the earth.

34 Now you are wrecked by the seas,
in the depths of the waters;
your merchandise and all your crew
have sunk with you.

35 All the inhabitants of the coastlands
are appalled at you;
and their kings are horribly afraid,
their faces are convulsed.

36 The merchants among the peoples hiss at you;
you have come to a dreadful end
and shall be no more forever.”

Proclamation against the King of Tyre
28 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 Mortal, say to the prince of Tyre, Thus says the Lord God:

Because your heart is proud
and you have said, “I am a god;
I sit in the seat of the gods,
in the heart of the seas,”
yet you are but a mortal, and no god,
though you compare your mind
with the mind of a god.

3 You are indeed wiser than Daniel;[k]
no secret is hidden from you;

4 by your wisdom and your understanding
you have amassed wealth for yourself,
and have gathered gold and silver
into your treasuries.

5 By your great wisdom in trade
you have increased your wealth,
and your heart has become proud in your wealth.

6 Therefore thus says the Lord God:
Because you compare your mind
with the mind of a god,

7 therefore, I will bring strangers against you,
the most terrible of the nations;
they shall draw their swords against the beauty of your wisdom
and defile your splendor.

8 They shall thrust you down to the Pit,
and you shall die a violent death
in the heart of the seas.

9 Will you still say, “I am a god,”
in the presence of those who kill you,
though you are but a mortal, and no god,
in the hands of those who wound you?

10 You shall die the death of the uncircumcised
by the hand of foreigners;
for I have spoken, says the Lord God.

Lamentation over the King of Tyre
11 Moreover the word of the Lord came to me: 12 Mortal, raise a lamentation over the king of Tyre, and say to him, Thus says the Lord God:

You were the signet of perfection,[l]
full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.

13 You were in Eden, the garden of God;
every precious stone was your covering,
carnelian, chrysolite, and moonstone,
beryl, onyx, and jasper,
sapphire,[m] turquoise, and emerald;
and worked in gold were your settings
and your engravings.[n]
On the day that you were created
they were prepared.

14 With an anointed cherub as guardian I placed you;[o]
you were on the holy mountain of God;
you walked among the stones of fire.

15 You were blameless in your ways
from the day that you were created,
until iniquity was found in you.

16 In the abundance of your trade
you were filled with violence, and you sinned;
so I cast you as a profane thing from the mountain of God,
and the guardian cherub drove you out
from among the stones of fire.

17 Your heart was proud because of your beauty;
you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor.
I cast you to the ground;
I exposed you before kings,
to feast their eyes on you.

18 By the multitude of your iniquities,
in the unrighteousness of your trade,
you profaned your sanctuaries.
So I brought out fire from within you;
it consumed you,
and I turned you to ashes on the earth
in the sight of all who saw you.

19 All who know you among the peoples
are appalled at you;
you have come to a dreadful end
and shall be no more forever.

Proclamation against Sidon
20 The word of the Lord came to me: 21 Mortal, set your face toward Sidon, and prophesy against it, 22 and say, Thus says the Lord God:

I am against you, O Sidon,
and I will gain glory in your midst.
They shall know that I am the Lord
when I execute judgments in it,
and manifest my holiness in it;

23 for I will send pestilence into it,
and bloodshed into its streets;
and the dead shall fall in its midst,
by the sword that is against it on every side.
And they shall know that I am the Lord.

24 The house of Israel shall no longer find a pricking brier or a piercing thorn among all their neighbors who have treated them with contempt. And they shall know that I am the Lord God.

Future Blessing for Israel
25 Thus says the Lord God: When I gather the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they are scattered, and manifest my holiness in them in the sight of the nations, then they shall settle on their own soil that I gave to my servant Jacob. 26 They shall live in safety in it, and shall build houses and plant vineyards. They shall live in safety, when I execute judgments upon all their neighbors who have treated them with contempt. And they shall know that I am the Lord their God.

The Providence of God
14 The one who seeks God[a] will accept his discipline,
and those who rise early to seek him[b] will find favor.

15 The one who seeks the law will be filled with it,
but the hypocrite will stumble at it.

16 Those who fear the Lord will form true judgments,
and they will kindle righteous deeds like a light.

17 The sinner will shun reproof,
and will find a decision according to his liking.

18 A sensible person will not overlook a thoughtful suggestion;
an insolent[c] and proud person will not be deterred by fear.[d]

19 Do nothing without deliberation,
but when you have acted, do not regret it.

20 Do not go on a path full of hazards,
and do not stumble at an obstacle twice.[e]

21 Do not be overconfident on a smooth[f] road,

22 and give good heed to your paths.[g]

23 Guard[h] yourself in every act,
for this is the keeping of the commandments.

24 The one who keeps the law preserves himself,[i]
and the one who trusts the Lord will not suffer loss.

Salutation
1 The elder to the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth, and not only I but also all who know the truth, 2 because of the truth that abides in us and will be with us forever:

3 Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us from God the Father and from[a] Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, in truth and love.

Truth and Love
4 I was overjoyed to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as we have been commanded by the Father. 5 But now, dear lady, I ask you, not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but one we have had from the beginning, let us love one another. 6 And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment just as you have heard it from the beginning—you must walk in it.

7 Many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh; any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist! 8 Be on your guard, so that you do not lose what we[b] have worked for, but may receive a full reward. 9 Everyone who does not abide in the teaching of Christ, but goes beyond it, does not have God; whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. 10 Do not receive into the house or welcome anyone who comes to you and does not bring this teaching; 11 for to welcome is to participate in the evil deeds of such a person.

Final Greetings
12 Although I have much to write to you, I would rather not use paper and ink; instead I hope to come to you and talk with you face to face, so that our joy may be complete.

13 The children of your elect sister send you their greetings.[c]

( Back )