A Lament for Tyre

1And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: 2Thou therefore, O son of man, take up a lamentation for Tyre:

3And 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,

4And situate in the heart of the sea. Thy neighbours, that built thee, have perfected thy beauty:

5With fir trees of Sanir they have built thee with all sea planks: they have taken cedars from Libanus to make thee masts.

6They 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.

7Fine 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.

8The inhabitants of Sidon, and the Arabians were thy rowers: thy wise men, O Tyre, were thy pilots.

9The 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.

10The 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. 11The 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.

12The Carthaginians thy merchants supplied thy fairs with a multitude of all kinds of riches, with silver, iron, tin, and lead, 13Greece, Thubal, and Mosoch, they were thy merchants, they brought to thy people slaves and vessels of brass. 14From the house of Thogorma they brought horses, and horsemen, and mules to thy market. 15The men of Dedan were thy merchants: many islands were the traffic of thy hand, they exchanged for thy price teeth of ivory and ebony. 16The 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. 17Juda 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. 18The 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. 19Dan, and Greece, and Mosel have set forth in thy marts wrought iron: stacte, and calamus were in thy market. 20The men of Dedan were thy merchants in tapestry for seats. 21Arabia, and all the princes of Cedar, they were the merchants of thy hand: thy merchants came to thee with lambs, and rams, and kids. 22The 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. 23Haran, and Chene, and Eden were thy merchants; Saba, Assur, and Chelmad sold to thee. 24They 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.

25The ships of the sea, were thy chief in thy merchandise: and thou wast replenished, and glorified exceedingly in the heart of the sea.

The Destruction of Tyre

26Thy rowers have brought thee into great waters: the south wind hath broken thee in the heart of the sea.

27Thy 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.

28Thy fleets shall be troubled at the sound of the cry of thy pilots.

29And 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:

30And 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.

31And 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.

32And 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?

33Which 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.

34Now 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.

35All the inhabitants of the islands are astonished at thee: and all their kings being struck with the storm have changed their countenance.

36The merchants of people have hissed at thee: thou art brought to nothing, and thou shalt never be any more.