Judgment on the King of Tyre
1The Lord God said:
2Ezekiel, son of man, tell the king of Tyre that I am saying:
You are so arrogant that you think you're a god and that the city of Tyre is your throne. You may claim to be a god, though you're nothing but a mere human. 3You think you're wiser than Daniel and know everything.
4Your wisdom has certainly made you rich, because you have storehouses filled with gold and silver. 5You're a clever businessman and are extremely wealthy, but your wealth has led to arrogance!
6You compared yourself to a god, so now I, the Lord God, 7will make you the victim of cruel enemies. They will destroy all the possessions you've worked so hard to get. 8Your enemies will brutally kill you, and the sea will be your only grave.
9When you face your enemies, will you still claim to be a god? They will attack, and you will suffer like any other human. 10Foreigners will kill you, and you will die the death of those who don't worship me. I, the Lord, have spoken.
A Funeral Song for the King of Tyre
11The Lord said:
12Ezekiel, son of man, sing a funeral song for the king of Tyre and tell him I am saying:
At one time, you were perfect, intelligent, and good-looking. 13You lived in the garden of Eden and wore jewelry made of brightly colored gems and precious stones. They were all set in gold and were ready for you on the day you were born. 14I appointed a winged creature to guard your home on my holy mountain, where you walked among gems that dazzled like fire.
15You were truly good from the time of your birth, but later you started doing wicked things. 16You traded with other nations and became more and more cruel and evil. So I forced you to leave my mountain, and the creature that had been your protector now chased you away from the jewels.
17It was your good looks that made you arrogant, and you were so famous that you started acting like a fool. That's why I threw you to the ground and let other kings sneer at you. 18You have cheated so many other merchants that your places of worship are corrupt. So I set your city on fire and burned it down. Now everyone sees only ashes where your city once stood, 19and the people of other nations are shocked. Your punishment was horrible, and you are gone forever.
Judgment on Sidon and Peace for Israel
20 The Lord said:
21Ezekiel, son of man, condemn the city of Sidon 22and tell its people:
I, the Lord God, am your enemy! People will praise me when I punish you, and they will see that I am holy. 23I will send deadly diseases to wipe you out, and I will send enemies to invade and surround you. Your people will be killed, and you will know that I am the Lord.
24When that happens, the people of Israel will no longer have cruel neighbors that abuse them and make them feel as though they are in a field of thorns and briers. And the Israelites will know that I, the Lord God, have done these things.
A Blessing for Israel
25The Lord God said:
Someday I will gather the people of Israel from the nations where they are now scattered, and every nation will see that I am holy. The Israelites will once again live in the land I gave to my servant Jacob. 26They will be safe and will build houses and plant vineyards. They will no longer be in danger, because I will punish their hateful neighbors. Israel will know that I am the Lord their God.