Ezekiel
Chapter 28
1
Thus the word of the LORD came to me:
2
Son of man, say to the prince of Tyre: Thus says the Lord GOD: Because you are haughty of heart, you say, "A god am I! I occupy a godly throne in the heart of the sea!"-- And yet you are a man, and not a god, however you may think yourself like a god.
3
1 Oh yes, you are wiser than Daniel, there is no secret that is beyond you.
4
By your wisdom and your intelligence you have made riches for yourself; You have put gold and silver into your treasuries.
5
By your great wisdom applied to your trading you have heaped up your riches; your heart has grown haughty from your riches--
6
therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Because you have thought yourself to have the mind of a god,
7
Therefore I will bring against you foreigners, the most barbarous of nations. They shall draw their swords against your beauteous wisdom, they shall run them through your splendid apparel.
8
They shall thrust you down to the pit, there to die a bloodied corpse, in the heart of the sea.
9
Will you then say, "I am a god!" when you face your murderers? No, you are a man, not a god, handed over to those who will slay you.
10
You shall die the death of the uncircumcised at the hands of foreigners, for I have spoken, says the Lord GOD.
11
Thus the word of the LORD came to me:
12
2 Son of man, utter a lament over the king of Tyre, saying to him: Thus says the Lord GOD: You were stamped with the seal of perfection, of complete wisdom and perfect beauty.
13
In Eden, the garden of God, you were, and every precious stone was your covering (carnelian, topaz, and beryl, chrysolite, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, garnet, and emerald); Of gold your pendants and jewels were made, on the day you were created.
14
3 With the Cherub I placed you; you were on the holy mountain of God, walking among the fiery stones.
15
Blameless you were in your conduct from the day you were created, Until evil was found in you,
16
the result of your far-flung trade; violence was your business, and you sinned. Then I banned you from the mountain of God; the Cherub drove you from among the fiery stones.
17
You became haughty of heart because of your beauty; for the sake of splendor you debased your wisdom. I cast you to the earth, so great was your guilt; I made you a spectacle in the sight of kings.
18
Because of your guilt, your sinful trade, I have profaned your sanctuaries, And I have brought out fire from your midst which will devour you. I have reduced you to dust on the earth in the sight of all who should see you.
19
Among the peoples, all who knew you stand aghast at you; You have become a horror, you shall be no more.
20
Thus the word of the LORD came to me:
21
Son of man, look toward Sidon, and prophesy against it:
22
Thus says the Lord GOD: See! I am coming at you, Sidon; I will be glorified in your midst. Then they shall know that I am the LORD, when I inflict punishments upon it and use it to manifest my holiness.
23
Into it I will send pestilence, and blood shall flow in its streets. Within it shall fall those slain by the sword that comes against it from every side. Thus they shall know that I am the LORD.
24
Sidon shall no longer be a tearing thorn for the house of Israel, a brier that scratches them more than all the others about them who despise them; thus they shall know that I am the LORD.
25
Thus says the Lord GOD: When I gather the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they are scattered, then I will manifest my holiness through them in the sight of the nations. Then they shall live on their land which I gave to my servant Jacob;
26
they shall live on it in security, building houses and planting vineyards. They shall dwell secure while I inflict punishments on all their neighbors who despised them; thus they shall know that I, the LORD, am their God.
Table of Contents Previous Chapter Next Chapter

Footnotes

1 [3] Wiser than Daniel: see note on Ezekiel 14:14.

2 [12-19] This picture of Tyre and its fall recalls images of the earthly paradise portraying the creation of man in perfection and his fall (Genesis 2-3).

3 [14] The holy mountain of God: the residence of God was sometimes designated as a mountain; cf Isaiah 14:13. The fiery stones: associated with the divine presence; cf Ezekiel 1:13; Psalm 18:13.


New American Bible Copyright © 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

USCCB Home Page New American Bible Home Page





__________________________________

New American Bible
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
3211 4th Street, N.E., Washington, DC 20017-1194 (202) 541-3000
December 09, 2002 Copyright © by United States Conference of Catholic Bishops