World English Bible · Babylon and the exile
Ezekiel 27
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1 word came again to me, saying, "You, , take up a over ; and tell , 'You who at the entry of the sea, who are the merchant of the peoples to many islands, says: "You, , have said, 'I am perfect in beauty.' Your borders are in of the seas. Your builders have perfected your beauty. They have made all your planks of cypress trees from Senir. They have taken a cedar from to make a mast for you. They have made your oars of the oaks of . They have made your benches of ivory inlaid in cypress wood from the islands of . Your sail was of fine linen with embroidered work from , that it might be to you for a banner. Blue and purple from the islands of was your awning. The inhabitants of and Arvad were your rowers. Your men, , were in you. They were your pilots. The old men of Gebal and its men were your repairers of ship seams in you. All the ships of the sea with their mariners were in you to deal in your merchandise. "'", , and Put were in your army, your men of war. They hung the shield and helmet in you. They showed your beauty. The men of Arvad with your army were on your walls all around, and valiant men were in your towers. They hung their shields on your walls all around. They have perfected your beauty. "'" was your merchant by reason of of all kinds of riches. They traded for your wares with silver, iron, tin, and lead. "'", , and were your traders. They traded the persons of men and vessels of bronze for your merchandise. "'"They of the house of traded for your wares with horses, war horses, and mules. "'"The men of traded with you. Many islands were the market of your hand. They brought you of ivory and ebony in exchange. "'" was your merchant by reason of of your handiworks. They traded for your wares with emeralds, purple, embroidered work, fine linen, coral, and rubies. "'"Judah and the land of Israel were your traders. They traded wheat of , confections, honey, oil, and balm for your merchandise. "'" was your merchant for of your handiworks by reason of of all kinds of riches, with the of Helbon, and white wool. "'"Vedan and traded with yarn for your wares; wrought iron, cassia, and calamus were among your merchandise. "'" was your merchant in precious saddle blankets for riding. "'" and all the princes of Kedar were your favorite dealers in lambs, rams, and goats. In these, they were your merchants. "'"The traders of and were your traders. They traded for your wares with the best of all spices, all precious stones, and gold. "'", Canneh, , the traders of , and Chilmad, were your traders. These were your traders in choice wares, in wrappings of blue and embroidered work, and in cedar chests of rich clothing bound with cords, among your merchandise. "'"The ships of were your caravans for your merchandise. You were replenished and made very in of the seas. Your rowers have brought you into great waters. The east wind has broken you in of the seas. Your riches, your wares, your merchandise, your mariners, your pilots, your repairers of ship seams, the dealers in your merchandise, and all your men of war who are in you, with all your company which is among you, will fall into of the seas in the day of your . At the sound of the cry of your pilots, the pasture lands will shake. All who handle the oars, the mariners and all the pilots of the sea, will come down from their ships. They will stand on the land, and will cause their voice to be heard over you, and will cry bitterly. They will cast up on their heads. They will wallow in the . They will make themselves bald for you, and clothe themselves with . They will weep for you in bitterness of , with bitter . In their they will take up a for you, and over you, saying, 'Who is there like , like her who is brought to silence in the middle of the sea?' When your wares came from the seas, you filled many peoples. You enriched the kings of the earth with of your riches and of your merchandise. In the time that you were broken by the seas, in the depths of the waters, your merchandise and all your company fell within you. All the inhabitants of the islands are astonished at you, and their kings are horribly afraid. They are troubled in their . The merchants among the peoples hiss at you. You have come to a terrible end, and you will be no more."'"
A public domain modern English translation, free to read and share. Notes and cards are EKLI’s own.
The world at this moment · Babylon and the exile, 612 BC to 539 BC ›
Babylon replaces Assyria, Jerusalem and its temple are destroyed in 586 BC, and the leadership of Judah lives in Mesopotamia without a king, a temple, or a country.
- Babylon
- Nebuchadnezzar II rebuilds the city on a scale meant to be seen from a distance: the Ishtar Gate in glazed blue brick, the processional way, the ziggurat, and gardens later counted among the wonders of the world. Babylonian tablets record rations issued to the captive king Jehoiachin of Judah by name, which is one of the tidier points of contact between the Bible and the archives.
- Egypt
- Briefly resurgent. Pharaoh Neco marches north, kills King Josiah at Megiddo, and installs and deposes kings in Jerusalem, until Babylon beats him decisively at Carchemish in 605 BC. Jeremiah spends his career saying that betting on Egypt is suicide, and is proved right.
- Judah
- Deported in stages, then destroyed. The temple is burned, the walls broken, and the leadership marched to Mesopotamia. What happens next is one of the strangest survivals in history: a people keeps its identity without land, king, or sanctuary, and comes out of it with its scriptures more central than before.
- Further afield
- An extraordinary century for ideas everywhere at once. Thales and the first Greek philosophers, Solon's reforms at Athens, the Buddha in India, Confucius and Lao Tzu in China, and Zoroaster in Persia all fall within a few generations of the exile.
All of Ezekiel