וַיְהִי בְּעַשְׁתֵּי־עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה בְּאֶחָד לַחֹדֶשׁ הָיָה דְבַר־יְהוָה אֵלַי לֵאמֹר׃   26:1

Ezek. 26:1   And it was in the eleventh year, on the month's first day, the word of the Lord occurred to me saying,

בֶּן־אָדָם יַעַן אֲשֶׁר־אָמְרָה צֹּר עַל־יְרוּשָׁלִַם הֶאָח נִשְׁבְּרָה דַּלְתֹות הָעַמִּים נָסֵבָּה אֵלָי אִמָּלְאָה   26:2 הָחֳרָבָה׃

Ezek. 26:2   “Human, for the reason that Tyre had said about Jerusalem,

                       ‘Aha! She is broken;

                                 gateways of the peoples,

                       she is turned over to me;

                                  I will make her full of laid waste.”

The eleventh year is between one and two years after that of Chapter 24, depending on the month.  Commentators accept this as the year of the fall of Jerusalem.  As I understand it, the siege of Jerusalem lasted for about two years.  Commentators also speculate about the unknown month:  It was the fifth month, they claim, the month of Av, the month that Jerusalem fell.  I’m not willing to accept this claim.  If it was that month it would mean that the siege of Jerusalem lasted only 19 months.  Although it’s not a critical matter, my guess is that it was the same month as that stated in Chapter 24, the month of Tevet.  That would make the siege two years long.

לָכֵן כֹּה אָמַר אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה הִנְנִי עָלַיִךְ צֹר וְהַעֲלֵיתִי עָלַיִךְ גֹּויִם רַבִּים כְּהַעֲלֹות הַיָּם לְגַלָּיו׃   26:3

Ezek. 26:3   For this, thus says the Master, the Lord:

                                 “Behold, I am against you, Tyre,

                       and I will have many nations rise up against you,

                                 as the sea is the cause for its waves to rise,

It’s interesting that Ezekiel equates the Lord’s ability to cause the nations to rise up to the ocean’s ability to make the waves rise.  As we know now, this is a poor comparison in more ways than one.  For one, the respective abilities are not at all comparable.  For a more modern reason, it is not the ocean that causes the waves to rise, but the wind, moon, and sun.  The ocean is the medium for the waves’ actions, not their cause.  Moreover, the ocean’s influence is mindless; not so the Lord’s.

וְשִׁחֲתוּ חֹמֹות צֹר וְהָרְסוּ מִגְדָּלֶיהָ וְסִחֵיתִי עֲפָרָהּ מִמֶּנָּה וְנָתַתִּי אֹותָהּ לִצְחִיחַ סָלַע׃   26:4

Ezek. 26:4   and they will destroy the walls of Tyre

                                 and break down its towers;

                       I will even scrape off its dust from it,

                                 so I will make it as the shining surface of a rock.”

מִשְׁטַח חֲרָמִים תִּהְיֶה בְּתֹוךְ הַיָּם כִּי אֲנִי דִבַּרְתִּי נְאֻם אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה וְהָיְתָה לְבַז לַגֹּויִם׃   26:5

Ezek. 26:5   “It shall become a spreading place of nets

                                  in the midst of the sea.

                       For I have spoken,” declares the Master, the Lord,

                                  “and it shall become for a spoil for the nations.”

וּבְנֹותֶיהָ אֲשֶׁר בַּשָּׂדֶה בַּחֶרֶב תֵּהָרַגְנָה וְיָדְעוּ כִּי־אֲנִי יְהוָה׃   26:6

Ezek. 26:6   “And its daughters who are in the field

                                  shall be slain by the sword,

                       and they may know that I am the Lord.”

Its daughters who are in the field are the towns and villages on the mainland of which Tyre was the capital.

כִּי כֹה אָמַר אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה הִנְנִי מֵבִיא אֶל־צֹר נְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּר מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶל מִצָּפֹון מֶלֶךְ מְלָכִים בְּסוּס   26:7       וּבְרֶכֶב וּבְפָרָשִׁים וְקָהָל וְעַם־רָב׃

Ezek. 26:7   For thus says the Master, the Lord:  “Behold, I am bringing Nebuchadrezzar, king of Babylon, the king of kings, to Tyre from the north with horse and with chariot and with horsemen, and a company and many people.”

בְּנֹותַיִךְ בַּשָּׂדֶה בַּחֶרֶב יַהֲרֹג וְנָתַן עָלַיִךְ דָּיֵק וְשָׁפַךְ עָלַיִךְ סֹלְלָה וְהֵקִים עָלַיִךְ צִנָּה׃   26:8

Ezek. 26:8   Your daughters in the field

                                he will slay by the sword,

                       and he will set a bulwark against you

                                and cast up a mound against you,

                       and will be erecting a shield against you.”

וּמְחִי קָבָלֹּו יִתֵּן בְּחֹמֹותָיִךְ וּמִגְדְּלֹתַיִךְ יִתֹּץ בְּחַרְבֹותָיו׃   26:9

Ezek. 26:9   “And strokes of his battering ram

                                 he will deliver to your walls,

                       and he will break down your towers

                                 with his axes.”

כִּמְבֹואֵי עִיר מִשִּׁפְעַת סוּסָיו יְכַסֵּךְ אֲבָקָם מִקֹּול פָּרַשׁ וְגַלְגַּל וָרֶכֶב תִּרְעַשְׁנָה חֹומֹותַיִךְ בְּבֹאֹו בִּשְׁעָרַיִךְ   26:10    מְבֻקָּעָה׃

Ezek. 26:10   “Because of the abundance of his horses,

                                  their dust will cover you;

                         your walls will shake from the noise of horseman

                                  and wheel and chariot

                         upon his entry into your gates;

                                  he will be breaking in like invaders of a city.”

בְּפַרְסֹות סוּסָיו יִרְמֹס אֶת־כָּל־חוּצֹותָיִךְ עַמֵּךְ בַּחֶרֶב יַהֲרֹג וּמַצְּבֹות עֻזֵּךְ לָאָרֶץ תֵּרֵד׃   26:11

Ezek. 26:11   “With the hooves of his horses

                                   he shall trample all your streets;

                         he shall slay your people by the sword,

                                   and each of the pillars of your strength

                         shall come down to the ground.”

מַיִם וְשָׁלְלוּ חֵילֵךְ וּבָזְזוּ רְכֻלָּתֵךְ וְהָרְסוּ חֹומֹותַיִךְ וּבָתֵּי חֶמְדָּתֵךְ יִתֹּצוּ וַאֲבָנַיִךְ וְעֵצַיִךְ וַעֲפָרֵךְ בְּתֹוךְ   26:12   יָשִׂימוּ׃

Ezek. 26:12   “And they shall make a spoil of your wealth

                                   and make a prey of your merchandise,

                         and shall tear down your walls,

                                   and destroy the houses of your desire,

                         and set your stones and your timbers

                                   and your dust amidst the water.”

וְהִשְׁבַּתִּי הֲמֹון שִׁירָיִךְ וְקֹול כִּנֹּורַיִךְ לֹא יִשָּׁמַע עֹוד׃   26:13

Ezek. 26:13   “And I shall make the sound of your songs cease,

                                   and the sound of your harps shall not be heard again.”

וּנְתַתִּיךְ לִצְחִיחַ סֶלַע מִשְׁטַח חֲרָמִים תִּהְיֶה לֹא תִבָּנֶה עֹוד כִּי אֲנִי יְהוָה דִּבַּרְתִּי נְאֻם אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה׃   26:14

Ezek. 26:14   “And I will make you as the shining surface of a rock.

                                   A spreading place of nets you shall be;

                         you will not be established any more.

                                   For I, the Lord, have spoken,”

                         declares the Master, the Lord.

כֹּה אָמַר אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה לְצֹור הֲלֹא מִקֹּול מַפַּלְתֵּךְ בֶּאֱנֹק חָלָל בֵּהָרֵג הֶרֶג בְּתֹוךֵךְ יִרְעֲשׁוּ הָאִיִּים׃   26:15

Ezek. 26:15   Thus says the Master, the Lord, to Tyre:  “Shall not the shores quake from the sound of your ruin, with the groan of the wounded, with the slaughter of the slain in your midst?”

וְיָרְדוּ מֵעַל כִּסְאֹותָם כֹּל נְשִׂיאֵי הַיָּם וְהֵסִירוּ אֶת־מְעִילֵיהֶם וְאֶת־בִּגְדֵי רִקְמָתָם יִפְשֹׁטוּ חֲרָדֹות   26:16 יִלְבָּשׁוּ עַל־הָאָרֶץ יֵשֵׁבוּ וְחָרְדוּ לִרְגָעִים וְשָׁמְמוּ עָלָיִךְ׃

Ezek. 26:16   “And all the princes of the sea shall come down from their thrones and remove their robes, and strip off the garments of their embroidery; they shall put on the clothing of anxiety; they shall sit on the ground, and tremble every moment, and be stupefied over you.”

וְנָשְׂאוּ עָלַיִךְ קִינָה וְאָמְרוּ לָךְ אֵיךְ אָבַדְתְּ נֹושֶׁבֶת מִיַּמִּים הָעִיר הַהֻלָּלָה אֲשֶׁר הָיְתָה חֲזָקָה בַיָּם   26:17   הִיא וְיֹשְׁבֶיהָ אֲשֶׁר־נָתְנוּ חִתִּיתָם לְכָל־יֹושְׁבֶיהָ׃

Ezek. 26:17   “And they shall take up a dirge about you and say to you,

                         ‘How destroyed you are,

                                   inhabiting more than the seas,

                          the city to be praised,

                                   that was the mightiest on the sea,

                          it and its inhabitants who produced terror of them!

                                  To all its inhabitants!’”

עַתָּה יֶחְרְדוּ הָאִיִּן יֹום מַפַּלְתֵּךְ וְנִבְהֲלוּ הָאִיִּים אֲשֶׁר־בַּיָּם מִצֵּאתֵךְ׃   26:18

Ezek. 26:18   “Now the shores shall quake the day of your fall,

                                   and the islands that are in the sea

                         shall be dismayed because of your exit.”

כִּי כֹה אָמַר אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה בְּתִתִּי אֹתָךְ עִיר נֶחֱרֶבֶת כֶּעָרִים אֲשֶׁר לֹא־נֹושָׁבוּ בְּהַעֲלֹות עָלַיִךְ   26:19                 אֶת־תְּהֹום וְכִסּוּךְ הַמַּיִם הָרַבִּים׃

Ezek. 26:19   For thus says the Master, the Lord:  “On My making you a desolate city like the cities that have no inhabitants, by bringing up the deep upon you, that the abundant waters cover you,

וְהֹורַדְתִּיךְ אֶת־יֹורְדֵי בֹור אֶל־עַם עֹולָם וְהֹושַׁבְתִּיךְ בְּאֶרֶץ תַּחְתִּיֹּות כָּחֳרָבֹות מֵעֹולָם אֶת־יֹורְדֵי   26:20    בֹור לְמַעַן לֹא תֵשֵׁבִי וְנָתַתִּי צְבִי בְּאֶרֶץ חַיִּים׃

Ezek. 26:20   then I will send you down, with the descenders of the pit, to the people of the past, and cause you to dwell in the lowest parts of the earth, like the desolate places from the past, with the descenders of the pit, so that you do not remain.  Then I will permit glory in the land of the living.”

בַּלָּהֹות אֶתְּנֵךְ וְאֵינֵךְ וּתְבֻקְשִׁי וְלֹא־תִמָּצְאִי עֹוד לְעֹולָם נְאֻם אֲדֹנָי יְהֹוִה׃   26:21

Ezek. 26:21   “I will give you calamities, that you shall be no more; when you are sought, then you will not be found again forever,” declares the Master, the Lord.

Some time after this, Phoenicia (represented by Tyre) was subdued by Nebuchadnezzar after a thirteen-year siege, according to Flavius Josephus.

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