A Lament for Tyre

1And there is a word of Jehovah unto me, saying: 2‘And thou, son of man, lift up concerning Tyre a lamentation, and thou hast said to Tyre:

3O dweller on the entrances of the sea, Merchant of the peoples unto many isles, Thus said the Lord Jehovah: O Tyre, thou — thou hast said: I [am] the perfection of beauty.

4In the heart of the seas [are] thy borders, Thy builders have perfected thy beauty.

5Of firs of Senir they have built to thee all thy double-boarded ships, Of cedars of Lebanon they have taken to make a mast for thee,

6Of oaks of Bashan they made thine oars, Thy bench they have made of ivory, A branch of Ashurim from isles of Chittim.

7Of fine linen with embroidery from Egypt hath been thy sail, To be to thee for an ensign, Of blue and purple from isles of Elishah hath been thy covering.

8Inhabitants of Zidon and Arvad have been rowers to thee, Thy wise men, O Tyre, have been in thee, They [are] thy pilots.

9Elders of Gebal and its wise men have been in thee, Strengthening thy breach; All ships of the sea and their mariners, Have been in thee, to trade [with] thy merchandise.

10Persian and Lud and Phut Have been in thy forces — thy men of war. Shield and helmet they hung up in thee, They — they have given out thine honour. 11The sons of Arvad, and thy force, [Are] on thy walls round about, And short swordsmen in thy towers have been, Their shields they have hung up on thy walls round about, They — they have perfected thy beauty.

12Tarshish [is] thy merchant, Because of the abundance of all wealth, For silver, iron, tin, and lead, They have given out thy remnants. 13Javan, Tubal, and Meshech — they [are] thy merchants, For persons of men, and vessels of brass, They have given out thy merchandise. 14They of the house of Togarmah, [For] horses, and riding steeds, and mules, They have given out thy remnants. 15Sons of Dedan [are] thy merchants, Many isles [are] the mart of thy hand, Horns of ivory and ebony they sent back thy reward. 16Aram [is] thy merchant, Because of the abundance of thy works, For emerald, purple, and embroidery, And fine linen, and coral, and agate, They have given out thy remnants. 17Judah and the land of Israel — they [are] thy merchants, For wheat of Minnith, and Pannag, And honey, and oil, and balm, They have given out thy merchandise. 18Damascus [is] thy merchant, For the abundance of thy works, Because of the abundance of all wealth, For wine of Helbon, and white wool. 19Vedan and Javan go about with thy remnants, They have given shining iron, cassia, and cane, In thy merchandise it hath been. 20Dedan [is] thy merchant, For clothes of freedom for riding. 21Arabia, and all princes of Kedar, They [are] the traders of thy hand, For lambs, and rams, and he-goats, In these thy merchants. 22Merchants of Sheba and Raamah — they [are] thy merchants, For the chief of all spices, And for every precious stone, and gold, They have given out thy remnants. 23Haran, and Canneh, and Eden, merchants of Sheba, Asshur — Chilmad — [are] thy merchants, 24They [are] thy merchants for perfect things, For wrappings of blue, and embroidery, And for treasuries of rich apparel, With cords bound and girded, for thy merchandise,

25Ships of Tarshish [are] thy double walls of thy merchandise, And thou art filled and honoured greatly, In the heart of the seas.

The Destruction of Tyre

26Into great waters have they brought thee, Those rowing thee, The east wind hath broken thee in the heart of the seas.

27Thy wealth and thy remnants, Thy merchandise, thy mariners, And thy pilots, strengtheners of thy breach, And the traders of thy merchandise, And all thy men of war, who [are] in thee, And in all thine assembly that [is] in thy midst, Fall into the heart of the seas in the day of thy fall,

28At the voice of the cry of thy pilots shake do the suburbs.

29And come down from their ships have all handling an oar, Mariners, all the pilots of the sea, on the land they stand,

30And have sounded for thee with their voice, And cry bitterly, and cause dust to go up on their heads, In ashes they do roll themselves.

31And they have made for thee baldness, And they have girded on sackcloth, And they have wept for thee, In bitterness of soul — a bitter mourning.

32And lifted up for thee have their sons a lamentation, And they have lamented over thee, who [is] as Tyre? As the cut-off one in the midst of the sea?

33With the outgoing of thy remnants from the seas, Thou hast filled many peoples, With the abundance of thy riches, and thy merchandise, Thou hast made rich things of earth.

34The time of [thy] being broken by the seas in the depths of the waters, Thy merchandise and all thy assembly in thy midst have fallen.

35All inhabitants of the isles have been astonished at thee, And their kings have been sore afraid, They have been troubled in countenance.

36Merchants among the peoples have shrieked for thee, Wastes thou hast been, and thou art not — to the age!’