A description of the glory and riches of Tyre: and of her irrecoverable
fall.
27:1. And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:
27:2. Thou therefore, O son of man, take up a lamentation for Tyre:
27:3. And say to Tyre that dwelleth at the entry of the sea, being the
mart of the people for many islands: Thus saith the Lord God: O Tyre,
thou hast said: I am of perfect beauty,
27:4. And situate in the heart of the sea. Thy neighbours, that built
thee, have perfected thy beauty:
27:5. With fir trees of Sanir they have built thee with all sea planks:
they have taken cedars from Libanus to make thee masts.
Sea planks. . .That is, timber brought by sea to build the city.
27:6. They have cut thy oars out of the oaks of Basan: and they have
made thee benches of Indian ivory and cabins with things brought from
the islands of Italy.
27:7. Fine broidered linen from Egypt was woven for thy sail, to be
spread on thy mast: blue and purple from the islands of Elisa, were
made thy covering.
27:8. The inhabitants of Sidon, and the Arabians were thy rowers: thy
wise men, O Tyre, were thy pilots.
27:9. The ancients of Gebal, and the wise men thereof furnished
mariners for the service of thy various furniture: all the ships of the
sea, and their mariners were thy factors.
27:10. The Persians, and Lydians, and the Libyans were thy soldiers in
thy army: they hung up the buckler and the helmet in thee for thy
ornament.
27:11. The men of Arad were with thy army upon thy walls round about:
the Pygmeans also that were in thy towers, hung up their quivers on thy
walls round about: they perfected thy beauty.
Pygmeans. . .That is, strong and valiant men. In Hebrew, Gammadim.
27:12. The Carthaginians thy merchants supplied thy fairs with a
multitude of all kinds of riches, with silver, iron, tin, and lead,
27:13. Greece, Thubal, and Mosoch, they were thy merchants, they
brought to thy people slaves and vessels of brass.
27:14. From the house of Thogorma they brought horses, and horsemen,
and mules to thy market.
27:15. The men of Dedan were thy merchants: many islands were the
traffic of thy hand, they exchanged for thy price teeth of ivory and
ebony.
27:16. The Syrian was thy merchant: by reason of the multitude of thy
works, they set forth precious stories, and purple, and broidered
works, and fine linen, and silk, and chodchod in thy market.
Chodchod. . .It is the Hebrew name for some precious stone; but of what
kind in particular interpreters are not agreed.
27:17. Juda and the land of Israel, they were thy merchants with the
best corn: they set forth balm, and honey, and oil and rosin in thy
fairs.
27:18. The men of Damascus were thy merchants in the multitude of thy
works, the multitude of divers riches, in rich wine, in wool of the
best colour.
27:19. Dan, and Greece, and Mosel have set forth in thy marts wrought
iron: stacte, and calamus were in thy market.
27:20. The men of Dedan were thy merchants in tapestry for seats.
27:21. Arabia, and all the princes of Cedar, they were the merchants of
thy hand: thy merchants came to thee with lambs, and rams, and kids.
27:22. The sellers of Saba, and Reema, they were thy merchants: with
all the best spices, and precious stones, and gold, which they set
forth in thy market.
27:23. Haran, and Chene, and Eden were thy merchants; Saba, Assur, and
Chelmad sold to thee.
27:24. They were thy merchants in divers manners, with bales of blue
cloth, and of embroidered work, and of precious riches, which were
wrapped up and bound with cords: they had cedars also in thy
merchandise.
27:25. The ships of the sea, were thy chief in thy merchandise: and
thou wast replenished, and glorified exceedingly in the heart of the
sea.
27:26. Thy rowers have brought thee into great waters: the south wind
hath broken thee in the heart of the sea.
27:27. Thy riches, and thy treasures, and thy manifold furniture, thy
mariners, and thy pilots, who kept thy goods, and were chief over thy
people: thy men of war also, that were in thee, with all thy multitude
that is in the midst of thee: shall fall in the heart of the sea in the
day of thy ruin.
27:28. Thy fleets shall be troubled at the sound of the cry of thy
pilots.
27:29. And all that handled the oar shall come down from their ships:
the mariners, and all the pilots of the sea shall stand upon the land:
27:30. And they shall mourn over thee with a loud voice and shall cry
bitterly: and they shall cast up dust upon their heads and shall be
sprinkled with ashes.
27:31. And they shall shave themselves bald for thee, and shall be
girded with haircloth: and they shall weep for thee with bitterness of
soul, with most bitter weeping.
27:32. And they shall take up a mournful song for thee, and shall
lament thee: What city is like Tyre, which is become silent in the
midst of the sea?
27:33. Which by thy merchandise that went from thee by sea didst fill
many people: which by the multitude of thy riches, and of thy people
didst enrich the kings of the earth.
27:34. Now thou art destroyed by the sea, thy riches are in the bottom
of the waters, and all the multitude that was in the midst of thee is
fallen.
27:35. All the inhabitants of the islands are astonished at thee: and
all their kings being struck with the storm have changed their
countenance.
27:36. The merchants of people have hissed at thee: thou art brought to
nothing, and thou shalt never be any more.