The Message Bible MSG
English Standard Version ESV
1 God's Message came to me:
1 The word of the LORD came to me:
2 "You, son of man, raise a funeral song over Tyre.
2 "Now you, son of man, raise a lamentation over Tyre,
3 Tell Tyre, gateway to the sea, merchant to the world, trader among the far-off islands, 'This is what God, the Master, says: "'You boast, Tyre: "I'm the perfect ship - stately, handsome."
3 and say to Tyre, who dwells at the entrances to the sea, merchant of the peoples to many coastlands, thus says the Lord GOD: "O Tyre, you have said, 'I am perfect in beauty.'
4 You ruled the high seas from a real beauty, crafted to perfection.
4 Your borders are in the heart of the seas; your builders made perfect your beauty.
5 Your planking came from Mount Hermon junipers. A Lebanon cedar supplied your mast.
5 They made all your planks of fir trees from Senir; they took a cedar from Lebanon to make a mast for you.
6 They made your oars from sturdy Bashan oaks. Cypress from Cyprus inlaid with ivory was used for the decks.
6 Of oaks of Bashan they made your oars; they made your deck of pines from the coasts of Cyprus, inlaid with ivory.
7 Your sail and flag were of colorful embroidered linen from Egypt. Your purple deck awnings also came from Cyprus.
7 Of fine embroidered linen from Egypt was your sail, serving as your banner; blue and purple from the coasts of Elishah was your awning.
8 Men of Sidon and Arvad pulled the oars. Your seasoned seamen, O Tyre, were the crew.
8 The inhabitants of Sidon and Arvad were your rowers; your skilled men, O Tyre, were in you; they were your pilots.
9 Ship's carpenters were old salts from Byblos. All the ships of the sea and their sailors clustered around you to barter for your goods.
9 The elders of Gebal and her skilled men were in you, caulking your seams; all the ships of the sea with their mariners were in you to barter for your wares.
10 "'Your army was composed of soldiers from Paras, Lud, and Put, Elite troops in uniformed splendor. They put you on the map!
10 "Persia and Lud and Put were in your army as your men of war. They hung the shield and helmet in you; they gave you splendor.
11 Your city police were imported from Arvad, Helech, and Gammad. They hung their shields from the city walls, a final, perfect touch to your beauty.
11 Men of Arvad and Helech were on your walls all around, and men of Gamad were in your towers. They hung their shields on your walls all around; they made perfect your beauty.
12 "'Tarshish carried on business with you because of your great wealth. They worked for you, trading in silver, iron, tin, and lead for your products.
12 "Tarshish did business with you because of your great wealth of every kind; silver, iron, tin, and lead they exchanged for your wares.
13 "'Greece, Tubal, and Meshech did business with you, trading slaves and bronze for your products.
13 Javan, Tubal, and Meshech traded with you; they exchanged human beings and vessels of bronze for your merchandise.
14 "'Beth-togarmah traded work horses, war horses, and mules for your products.
14 From Beth-togarmah they exchanged horses, war horses, and mules for your wares.
15 "'The people of Rhodes did business with you. Many far-off islands traded with you in ivory and ebony.
15 The men of Dedan traded with you. Many coastlands were your own special markets; they brought you in payment ivory tusks and ebony.
16 "'Edom did business with you because of all your goods. They traded for your products with agate, purple textiles, embroidered cloth, fine linen, coral, and rubies.
16 Syria did business with you because of your abundant goods; they exchanged for your wares emeralds, purple, embroidered work, fine linen, coral, and ruby.
17 "'Judah and Israel did business with you. They traded for your products with premium wheat, millet, honey, oil, and balm.
17 Judah and the land of Israel traded with you; they exchanged for your merchandise wheat of Minnith, meal, honey, oil, and balm.
18 "'Damascus, attracted by your vast array of products and well-stocked warehouses, carried on business with you, trading in wine from Helbon and wool from Zahar.
18 Damascus did business with you for your abundant goods, because of your great wealth of every kind; wine of Helbon and wool of Sahar
19 "'Danites and Greeks from Uzal traded with you, using wrought iron, cinnamon, and spices.
19 and casks of wine from Uzal they exchanged for your wares; wrought iron, cassia, and calamus were bartered for your merchandise.
20 "'Dedan traded with you for saddle blankets.
20 Dedan traded with you in saddlecloths for riding.
21 "'Arabia and all the Bedouin sheiks of Kedar traded lambs, rams, and goats with you.
21 Arabia and all the princes of Kedar were your favored dealers in lambs, rams, and goats; in these they did business with you.
22 "'Traders from Sheba and Raamah in South Arabia carried on business with you in premium spices, precious stones, and gold.
22 The traders of Sheba and Raamah traded with you; they exchanged for your wares the best of all kinds of spices and all precious stones and gold.
23 "'Haran, Canneh, and Eden from the east in Assyria and Media traded with you,
23 Haran, Canneh, Eden, traders of Sheba, Asshur, and Chilmad traded with you.
24 bringing elegant clothes, dyed textiles, and elaborate carpets to your bazaars.
24 In your market these traded with you in choice garments, in clothes of blue and embroidered work, and in carpets of colored material, bound with cords and made secure.
25 "'The great Tarshish ships were your freighters, importing and exporting. Oh, it was big business for you, trafficking the seaways!
25 The ships of Tarshish traveled for you with your merchandise. So you were filled and heavily laden in the heart of the seas.
26 "'Your sailors row mightily, taking you into the high seas. Then a storm out of the east shatters your ship in the ocean deep.
26 "Your rowers have brought you out into the high seas. The east wind has wrecked you in the heart of the seas.
27 Everything sinks - your rich goods and products, sailors and crew, ship's carpenters and soldiers, Sink to the bottom of the sea. Total shipwreck.
27 Your riches, your wares, your merchandise, your mariners and your pilots, your caulkers, your dealers in merchandise, and all your men of war who are in you, with all your crew that is in your midst, sink into the heart of the seas on the day of your fall.
28 The cries of your sailors reverberate on shore.
28 At the sound of the cry of your pilots the countryside shakes,
29 Sailors everywhere abandon ship. Veteran seamen swim for dry land.
29 and down from their ships come all who handle the oar. The mariners and all the pilots of the sea stand on the land
30 They cry out in grief, a choir of bitter lament over you. They smear their faces with ashes,
30 and shout aloud over you and cry out bitterly. They cast dust on their heads and wallow in ashes;
31 shave their heads, Wear rough burlap, wildly keening their loss.
31 they make themselves bald for you and put sackcloth on their waist, and they weep over you in bitterness of soul, with bitter mourning.
32 They raise their funeral song: "Who on the high seas is like Tyre!"
32 In their wailing they raise a lamentation for you and lament over you: 'Who is like Tyre, like one destroyed in the midst of the sea?
33 "'As you crisscrossed the seas with your products, you satisfied many peoples. Your worldwide trade made earth's kings rich.
33 When your wares came from the seas, you satisfied many peoples; with your abundant wealth and merchandise you enriched the kings of the earth.
34 And now you're battered to bits by the waves, sunk to the bottom of the sea, And everything you've bought and sold has sunk to the bottom with you.
34 Now you are wrecked by the seas, in the depths of the waters; your merchandise and all your crew in your midst have sunk with you.
35 Everyone on shore looks on in terror. The hair of kings stands on end, their faces drawn and haggard!
35 All the inhabitants of the coastlands are appalled at you, and the hair of their kings bristles with horror; their faces are convulsed.
36 The buyers and sellers of the world throw up their hands: This horror can't happen! Oh, this has happened!'"
36 The merchants among the peoples hiss at you; you have come to a dreadful end and shall be no more forever.'"
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.