1 Dirge for Tyre The word of the Lcame to me again, saying,
2 “Now you, son of man, take up a dirge (funeral poem to be sung) for Tyre,
3 and say to Tyre, who lives at the entrance to the sea, merchant of the peoples to many coastlands, ‘Thus says the Lord G,“O Tyre, you have said, ‘I am perfect in beauty.’
4 Your borders are in the heart of the seas;Your builders have perfected your beauty.
5 They have made all your planks of fir trees fromA peak of Mount Hermon.Senir;They have taken a cedar from Lebanon to make a mast for you.
6 Of the oaks of Bashan they have made your oars;They have made your deck of boxwood from the coastlands of Cyprus, inlaid with ivory.
7 Your sail was of fine embroidered linen from EgyptSo that it became your distinguishing mark (insignia);Your [ship’s] awning [which covered you] was blue and purple from the coasts of Elishah [of Asia Minor].
8 The inhabitants of Sidon and [the island] of Arvad were your oarsmen;Your skilledandwise men, O Tyre, were with you; they were your pilots.
9 The elders ofA city north of Sidon.Gebal and its skilledandwise men were with you, repairing your leaks;All the ships of the sea with their mariners were with you to deal in your merchandise.
10 “Persia and Lud and Put (Libya) were in your army as your men of war. They hung the shield and the helmet on you; they gave you splendor.
11 The men of Arvad with your army were upon your walls, all around, and the Gammadim (men of valor) were in your towers. They hung their shields on your walls, all around; they perfected your beauty.
12 “Tarshish [in Spain] was your customerandtraded with you because of the abundance of your riches of all kinds; with silver, iron, tin, and lead they paid for your wares.
13 Javan (Greece), Tubal and Meshech (Asia Minor) traded with you; with the lives of men [taken as slaves] and vessels of bronze they paid for your merchandise.
14 Those from Beth-togarmah (Armenia) traded for your wares with [chariot] horses, war horses, and mules.
15 The men ofThe first Dedanites to settle in Arabia may have sailed to Arabia from the island of Rhodes.Dedan were your traders. Many coastlands were your markets; ivory tusks and ebony they brought to you in paymentoras gifts.
16 The people of the kingdom of Aram were descendants of Aram, the son of Shem, son of Noah (Gen 10:22, 23). The territory of the Arameans also included areas later identified as Syria and Mesopotamia.Aram traded with you because of the abundance of the goods you made. They paid for your merchandise with emeralds, purple, embroidered work, fine linen, coral, and rubies.
17 Judah and the land of Israel, they were your traders; with the wheat of Minnith [in Ammon], cakes, honey, oil, and balm they paid for your goods.
18 The capital city of Aram.Damascus traded with you because of the abundance of your handiworks and the immense wealth of every kind, with the wine of Helbon [Aleppo] and the white wool [of Sachar in Syria].
19 Vedan and Javan traded with yarn from Uzal [in Arabia] for your wares; wrought iron, cassia, and sweet cane were among your merchandise.
20 Dedan traded with you in saddle blankets for riding.
21 Arabia and all the princes of Kedar, they were your customers for lambs, rams, and goats [favored by you]; for these they were your customers.
22 The merchants of Sheba and Raamah [in Arabia], they traded with you; they paid for your wares with the choicest of all kinds of spices and all kinds of precious stones and gold.
23 Haran and Canneh and Eden [in Mesopotamia], the merchants of Sheba [on the Euphrates], Asshur and Chilmad traded with you.
24 They traded with you in choice fabricsandgarments, in clothes of blueorviolet and embroidered work, and in [treasures of] multi-colored damaskandknotted carpets bound with tightly wound cords,which wereamong your merchandise.
25 The ships of Tarshish were the caravans for your merchandise,And you [Tyre] were replenished and very glorious [heavily laden with an imposing fleet]In the heart of the seas.
26 “Your rowers have brought youInto greatanddeep waters;The east wind has brokenandshipwrecked youIn the heart of the seas.
27 Your riches, your wares, your merchandiseYour oarsmen and your pilots,Your caulkers, your dealers in merchandise,And all your men of war who are with you,With all your company that is in your midst,Will sink in the heart of the seasOn the day of your ruin.
28 The pasture landsandthe countryside will shakeAt the [piercing] sound of the [hopeless, wailing] cry of your pilots.
29 All who handle the oar,The mariners and all the pilots of the seaWill come down from their ships;They will stand on the shore,
30 And they will make their voice heard [as they wail loudly] over youAnd they will cry bitterly.They will throw dust on their heads;They will wallow in ashes.
31 And they will make themselves [completely] bald for youAnd wrap themselves in sackcloth;And in bitterness of soul they will weep for youWith bitter mourningandwailing.
32 In their wailing they will take up a dirge (funeral poem to be sung) for youAnd sing a dirge for you:‘Who is like Tyre,Like her who is silent [destroyed] in the midst of the sea?
33 When your wares went out to the sea,You met the desire,andthe demand,andthe necessities of many people;You enriched the kings of the earthWith your abundant wealth and merchandise.
34 Now you are shattered by the seasIn the depths of the waters;Your merchandise and all your crewHave gone down with you.
35 All the inhabitants of the coastlandsAre aghastandappalled at you,And their kings are horribly frightenedandshudder;Their faces twitchandpale.
36 The merchants among the people hiss at you [with malicious joy];You have become a horroranda source of terrors.You will cease to beAs late as the thirteenth century a.d. the grandeur of the ancient city of Tyre was still visible. As time passed a large part of the western section of “the island” became covered by the sea, and early travelers told of seeing “houses, towers, and streets far down in the deep.” The site gradually disappeared; however, sporadic excavations (subject to the political climate) began in 1947, and many sections of the ancient city have been uncovered. Tyre is located about 50 miles south of Beirut.forever.’ ” ’ ”