Ezekiel 28

God’s prophecy against the king of Tyre

1The LORD spoke to me. 2‘Son of man, say this to the ruler of Tyre. “This is what the LORD God says:

You thought that you were very great.

You said to yourself, ‘I am a god.

I am sitting on a throne. I am like a god with seas all round me.’

But you are a man and not a god.

You think that you are as wise as a god.

3But you are not as wise as Daniel.

You do not know all secrets.

4You have been clever enough to get many valuable things.

You have stored much gold and silver in a safe place.

5You buy and sell in a clever way, so you have many valuable things.

You think that you are great. You think that because you are so rich.

So this is what the LORD God, says:

6You think that you are as wise as a god.

7So I am bringing foreign soldiers to fight you.

They will be less kind than people from any nation.

Their swords will destroy your beautiful city.

It will no longer be beautiful.

8They will kill you and they will send your bodies into the sea.

9Your enemies will come to kill you.

Then you will no longer say that you are a god.

10They will kill you in the same way as they kill other people. They will kill you like people who do not belong to God.

That is what I say,” says the LORD God.’

11The LORD spoke to me,

12‘Son of man, you must make a sad song about the king of Tyre. Speak to him. Say, “This is what the LORD God, says:

‘I did not see anything bad in you.

You were completely beautiful. You were wise in every way.

13You lived in the garden of God (Eden).

I had covered your body with beautiful stones of every kind.

They were of different colours, red, blue, green, yellow and other colours too.

Gold held the stones together.

I made them for you on the day that I made you.

14I chose you to keep my garden safe.

I gave you that work to do for me.

You lived on my holy mountain.

You walked among the burning fires.

15You were not bad in any way.

You were completely pure on the day that I made you.

But later, I saw that you had become bad.

16You bought and sold things. You fought for the things that you wanted.

That was your sin.

So I sent you out of my mountain to make you ashamed.

You no longer walked among the fires.

17But you still thought that you were very great.

You liked to think that you were very beautiful.

You used your wisdom to do things that were wrong.

Because of this, I threw you down to the earth.

Their kings saw how you had fallen.

18You bought and sold things. But you did it in a way that was not fair.

That is how your temples became no longer pure.

So I made a fire come out of you to burn you up.

Everyone saw you become ashes on the ground.

19The nations who knew you are very afraid. They were not happy at all.

They saw that your life had such a bad end. So they were not happy.

You will not be alive again.’”’

A prophecy against Sidon ▼
▼28:19 Sidon was a city on the coast about 25 miles north of Tyre.

20The LORD spoke to me. 21‘Son of man, you must turn against Sidon. Prophesy against its people and say, 22“This is what the LORD God says:

‘I am against you, Sidon.

But the people in you will give me honour.

I will punish their city.

Then they will know that I am the LORD.

Then they will know that I am holy.

23I will cause them to become ill.

I will make blood run through its streets.

They will kill the men in the city.

Enemies will attack Sidon from every side.

Then its people will know that I am the LORD.

24I will kill the people in the countries round Israel.

They will no longer be like sharp points on plants that cause Israel’s people pain.

Then they will know that I am the LORD God.’

25This is what the LORD God, says: ‘I will bring back Israel’s people from the countries where I sent them. Then all the nations will see that I am holy. My people will live in their own country. I gave that country to my servant, their father Jacob. 26I will make them safe while they live there. They will build houses and they will plant vines in their fields. I will punish all those nations round them. I will punish them because they said bad things about my people. Then my people will be safe. And they will know that I am the LORD their God.’”’
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