Ezekiel 28

¹ The word of Yahweh was addressed to me as follows,

² 'Son of man, say to the ruler of Tyre, "The Lord Yahweh says this: Because your heart has grownproud, you thought: I am a god; I am divinely enthroned far out to sea. Though you are human, not divine, youhave allowed yourself to think like God.

³ So, you are wiser than Danel; no sage as wise as you!

⁴ By your wisdom and your intel igence you have made yourself a fortune, you have put gold and silverinto your treasuries.

⁵ Such is your skill in trading, your fortune has continued to increase, and your fortune has made yourheart grow prouder.

⁶ "And so, the Lord Yahweh says this: Since you have al owed yourself to think like God,

⁷ very wel , I am going to bring foreigners against you, the most barbarous of the nations. They wil draw sword against your fine wisdom, they wil desecrate your splendour,

⁸ they will throw you down into the grave and you wil die a violent death far out to sea.

⁹ Wil you stil think: I am a god, when your slaughterers confront you? But you will be human, not divine,in the clutches of the ones who strike you down!

¹⁰ You wil die like the uncircumcised at the hand of foreigners. "For I have spoken -- declares the LordYahweh." '

¹¹ The word of Yahweh was addressed to me as fol ows,

¹² 'Son of man, raise a lament for the king of Tyre. Say to him, "The Lord Yahweh says this: You usedto be a model of perfection, ful of wisdom, perfect in beauty;

¹³ you were in Eden, in the garden of God. Al kinds of gem formed your mantle: sard, topaz, diamond,chrysolite, onyx, jasper, sapphire, garnet, emerald, and your ear-pendants and spangles were made of gold; alwas ready on the day you were created.

¹⁴ I made you a living creature with outstretched wings, as guardian, you were on the holy mountain ofGod; you walked amid red-hot coals.

¹⁵ Your behaviour was exemplary from the day you were created until guilt first appeared in you,

¹⁶ because your busy trading has fil ed you with violence and sin. I have thrown you down from themountain of God and destroyed you, guardian winged creature, amid the coals.

¹⁷ Your heart has grown proud because of your beauty, your wisdom has been corrupted by yoursplendour. I have thrown you to the ground; I have made you a spectacle for kings.

¹⁸ By the immense number of your crimes, by the dishonesty of your trading, you have defiled yoursanctuary. So I have brought fire out of you to devour you; I have reduced you to ashes on the ground before theeyes of al who saw you.

¹⁹ Of the nations, al who know you are stunned at your fate. You are an object of terror; gone for ever."'

²⁰ The word of Yahweh was addressed to me as fol ows,

²¹ 'Son of man, turn towards Sidon and prophesy against her.

²² Say, "The Lord Yahweh says this: I am against you, Sidon, I will show my glory in you! They wilknow I am Yahweh, once I execute sentence on her and display my holiness in her.

²³ For I shall send her the plague, and there wil be blood in her streets, and in her the dead wil falunder the sword raised against her from al sides, and they will know that I am Yahweh.

²⁴ "No more, for the House of Israel, shall any of the hostile nations surrounding them be a thorn thatwounds or a briar that tears; and they will know that I am Yahweh.

²⁵ "The Lord Yahweh says this: When I gather the House of Israel back from the peoples where theyare dispersed, I shal display my glory in them for the nations to see. They wil live on the soil which I gave to myservant Jacob.

²⁶ They will live there in confidence, build houses, plant vineyards. They wil live in safety, once I inflictpunishments on all the hostile nations surrounding them, and they will know that I am Yahweh their God." '