271 God's Message came to me: 2 "You, son of man, raise a funeral song 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." 4 You ruled the high seas from a real beauty, crafted to perfection. 5 Your planking came from Mount Hermon junipers. A Lebanon cedar supplied your mast. 6 They made your oars from sturdy Bashan oaks. Cypress from Cyprus inlaid with ivory was used for the decks. 7 Your sail and flag were of colorful embroidered linen from Egypt. Your purple deck awnings also came from Cyprus. 8 Men of Sidon and Arvad pulled the oars. Your seasoned seamen, O Tyre, were the crew. 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. 10 "'Your army was composed of soldiers from Paras, Lud, and Put, Elite troops in uniformed splendor. They put you on the map! 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. 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. 13 "'Greece, Tubal, and Meshech did business with you, trading slaves and bronze for your products. 14 "'Beth-togarmah traded work horses, war horses, and mules for your products. 15 "'The people of Rhodes did business with you. Many far-off islands traded with you in ivory 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. 17 "'Judah and Israel did business with you. They traded for your products with premium wheat, millet, 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. 19 "'Danites and Greeks from Uzal traded with you, using wrought iron, cinnamon, and spices. 20 "'Dedan traded with you for saddle blankets. 21 "'Arabia and all the Bedouin sheiks of Kedar traded lambs, rams, and goats with you. 22 "'Traders from Sheba and Raamah in South Arabia carried on business with you in premium spices, precious stones, and gold. 23 "'Haran, Canneh, and Eden from the east in Assyria and Media traded with you, 24 bringing elegant clothes, dyed textiles, and elaborate carpets to your bazaars. 25 "'The great Tarshish ships were your freighters, importing and exporting. Oh, it was big business for you, trafficking the seaways!

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. 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. 28 The cries of your sailors reverberate on shore. 29 Sailors everywhere abandon ship. Veteran seamen swim for dry land. 30 They cry out in grief, a choir of bitter lament over you. They smear their faces with ashes, 31 shave their heads, Wear rough burlap, wildly keening their loss. 32 They raise their funeral song: "Who on the high seas is like Tyre!" 33 "'As you crisscrossed the seas with your products, you satisfied many peoples. Your worldwide trade made earth's kings rich. 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. 35 Everyone on shore looks on in terror. The hair of kings stands on end, their faces drawn and haggard! 36 The buyers and sellers of the world throw up their hands: This horror can't happen! Oh, this has happened!'"

31 He told me, "Son of man, eat what you see. Eat this book. Then go and speak to the family of Israel." 2 As I opened my mouth, he gave me the scroll to eat, 3 saying, "Son of man, eat this book that I am giving you. Make a full meal of it!" So I ate it. It tasted so good - just like honey. 4 Then he told me, "Son of man, go to the family of Israel and speak my Message. 5 Look, I'm not sending you to a people who speak a hard-to-learn language with words you can hardly pronounce. 6 If I had sent you to such people, their ears would have perked up and they would have listened immediately. 7 "But it won't work that way with the family of Israel. They won't listen to you because they won't listen to me. They are, as I said, a hard case, hardened in their sin. 8 But I'll make you as hard in your way as they are in theirs. 9 I'll make your face as hard as rock, harder than granite. Don't let them intimidate you. Don't be afraid of them, even though they're a bunch of rebels." 10 Then he said, "Son of man, get all these words that I'm giving you inside you. Listen to them obediently. Make them your own. 11 And now go. Go to the exiles, your people, and speak. Tell them, 'This is the Message of God, the Master.' Speak your piece, whether they listen or not." 12 Then the Spirit picked me up. Behind me I heard a great commotion - "Blessed be the Glory of God in his Sanctuary!" 13 - the wings of the living creatures beating against each other, the whirling wheels, the rumble of a great earthquake. 14 The Spirit lifted me and took me away. I went bitterly and angrily. I didn't want to go. But God had me in his grip. 15 I arrived among the exiles who lived near the Kebar River at Tel Aviv. I came to where they were living and sat there for seven days, appalled.

A Watchman to Israel

16 At the end of the seven days, I received this Message from God: 17 "Son of man, I've made you a watchman for the family of Israel. Whenever you hear me say something, warn them for me. 18 If I say to the wicked, 'You are going to die,' and you don't sound the alarm warning them that it's a matter of life or death, they will die and it will be your fault. I'll hold you responsible. 19 But if you warn the wicked and they keep right on sinning anyway, they'll most certainly die for their sin, but you won't die. You'll have saved your life. 20 "And if the righteous turn back from living righteously and take up with evil when I step in and put them in a hard place, they'll die. If you haven't warned them, they'll die because of their sins, and none of the right things they've done will count for anything - and I'll hold you responsible. 21 But if you warn these righteous people not to sin and they listen to you, they'll live because they took the warning - and again, you'll have saved your life."

The Prophet Made Dumb

22 God grabbed me by the shoulder and said, "Get up. Go out on the plain. I want to talk with you." 23 So I got up and went out on the plain. I couldn't believe my eyes: the Glory of God! Right there! It was like the Glory I had seen at the Kebar River. I fell to the ground, prostrate. 24 Then the Spirit entered me and put me on my feet. He said, "Go home and shut the door behind you." 25 And then something odd: "Son of man: They'll tie you hand and foot with ropes so you can't leave the house. 26 I'll make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth so you won't be able to talk and tell the people what they're doing wrong, even though they are a bunch of rebels. 27 "But then when the time is ripe, I'll free your tongue and you'll say, 'This is what God, the Master, says: . . .' From then on it's up to them. They can listen or not listen, whichever they like. They are a bunch of rebels!