Tyre, the ship of state

¹The LORD ’s word came to me:

²You, human one, sing a lament for Tyre.

³Say this about Tyre, who sits enthroned at the entrance to the sea, the people’s agent for trade throughout the coastlands. The LORD God proclaims:

Tyre, you say,

“I’m perfectly beautiful!”

⁴But your territory is in the depths of the sea,

and it’s your builders who made you beautiful.

⁵For you they made your deck of cypress from Senir.

To make your mast, they took cedar from Lebanon.

⁶For your oars, they used the oaks of Bashan.

They made your hull, inlaid with ivory, of boxwood from the coasts of Cyprus.

⁷Fine embroidered linen from Egypt was your sail;

it became your emblem.

Your awning was made of blue and purple cloth from the coasts of Elishah.

⁸The princes of Sidon and Arvad were your oarsmen. Your own wise men were in you as your helmsmen.

⁹The elders and wise men of Gebal were in you, patching up your leaks. Every seagoing ship and its sailors came to do business with you.

¹⁰Paras, Lud, and Put were the warriors in your army. By hanging their shields and helmets on you, they made you radiant.

¹¹The men of Arvad and Helech were stationed on your walls all around; the men of Gamad were in your towers. They hung their weapons on your walls all around. They were the ones who completed your beauty.

¹²Tarshish was your procurer of great wealth. For your wares, they exchanged silver, iron, tin, and lead.

¹³Javan, Tubal, and Meshech were your agents in human trafficking. They gave you bronze vessels for these wares of yours.

¹⁴Beth-togarmah traded horses, warhorses, and mules for your wares.

¹⁵Islanders from Rhodes were your agents. By contract they procured ebony and ivory for you from many coastlands.[#27.15 Heb Dedan]

¹⁶Aram was your agent for many products. They traded turquoise, purple cloth, colorful brocades, linen, coral, and rubies for your wares.

¹⁷Judah and the land of Israel were your agents, trading the finest wheat, millet, honey, oil, and balm for your wares.[#27.17 Or wheat from Minnith; #27.17 Heb uncertain]

¹⁸For many of your finished products, Damascus traded out of its great wealth the wine of Helbon and white wool.

¹⁹Vedan and Javan from the region of Uzal traded with you. They exchanged wrought iron, cinnamon, and spices for your wares.

²⁰Dedan was your agent for saddle blankets.

²¹Arabia and all the princes of Kedar traded for you. They procured lambs, rams, and goats for you.

²²They were your agents in Sheba and Raamah. For your wares they exchanged the finest spices, every kind of precious stone, and gold.

²³Haran, Canneh, and Eden were your agents, and also Assyria and Chilmad.[#27.23 LXX; MT adds Sheba .]

²⁴They procured fine finished goods for you, garments of purple and brocade, and plush carpets rolled up and securely tied with ropes, among your acquisitions.

²⁵The ships of Tarshish carried your goods.

You were filled to capacity and heavily laden in the middle of the sea.

²⁶Your oarsmen brought you out onto the high seas;

an east wind sank you into the sea’s depths.

²⁷Your goods, your wares, your wealth,

your sailors, your helmsmen, those patching your leaks,

your merchants, all your warriors in you,

and all the company that is with you—

²⁸At your helmsmen’s cries for help,

the troubled waters seethe.

²⁹Those entrusted with the oars desert their posts.

All sailors and helmsmen seek footing on the shore.

³⁰Loudly they cry,

bitterly they wail,

and they put dust on their heads

and cover themselves with ashes.

³¹They cut off all their hair

and put on mourning clothes.

In despair they weep for you,

and bitterly perform the mourning rites.

³²In their lamentation they raise a lament for you;

they sing lamentions over you:

³³When your wares came out from the seas,

you satisfied many people.

Your abundant wealth and merchandise

enriched the kings of the earth.

³⁴Now you are shattered by the seas;

your cargoes, as well as everyone in your company,

are sunk into the water’s depths.

³⁵Now the inhabitants of the coastlands

shudder on account of you.

And as for their kings, their hair stands on end;

their faces betray their horror.

³⁶The merchants for the peoples hiss because of you.

You have become a terror;