Ezekiel 28:17

Easy-to-Read Version

Your beauty made you proud. Your glory ruined your wisdom. So I threw you down to the ground, and now other kings stare at you.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Your heart became proud because of your beauty;For the sake of your splendoryou corrupted your wisdom.So I threw you down to the ground;I made you a spectacle before kings.

Hebrew Names Version
Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you have corrupted your wisdom by reason of your brightness: I have cast you to the ground; I have laid you before kings, that they may see you.

King James Version
Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.

English Standard Version
Your heart was proud because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. I cast you to the ground; I exposed you before kings, to feast their eyes on you.

New American Standard Bible
"Your heart was haughty because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendor. I threw you to the ground; I put you before kings, That they may see you.

New Century Version
You became too proud because of your beauty. You ruined your wisdom because of your greatness. I threw you down to the ground. Your example taught a lesson to other kings.

Amplified Bible
"Your heart was proud and arrogant because of your beauty; You destroyed your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. I cast you to the ground; I lay you before kings, That they might look at you.

World English Bible
Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you have corrupted your wisdom by reason of your brightness: I have cast you to the ground; I have laid you before kings, that they may see you.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Thine heart was lifted vp because of thy beautie, and thou hast corrupted thy wisedome by reason of thy brightnes: I wil cast thee to ye grounde: I will lay thee before Kinges that they may beholde thee.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendor. I cast you to the ground; I put you before kings, That they may see you.

Legacy Standard Bible
Your heart was lofty because of your beauty;You corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendor.I cast you to the ground;I put you before kings,That they may see you.

Berean Standard Bible
Your heart grew proud of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor; so I cast you to the earth; I made you a spectacle before kings.

Contemporary English Version
It was your good looks that made you arrogant, and you were so famous that you started acting like a fool. That's why I threw you to the ground and let other kings sneer at you.

Complete Jewish Bible
Your heart grew proud because of your beauty, you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. But I have thrown you on the ground; before kings I have made you a spectacle.

Darby Translation
Thy heart was lifted up because of thy beauty; thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I have cast thee to the ground, I have laid thee before kings, that they may behold thee.

George Lamsa Translation
Since your heart was lifted up because of your beauty, now your wisdom and your beauty are corrupted; I will cast you to the ground before kings, that you may be a spectacle before them.

Good News Translation
You were proud of being handsome, and your fame made you act like a fool. Because of this I hurled you to the ground and left you as a warning to other kings.

Lexham English Bible
Your heart was proud because of your beauty; you ruined your wisdom because of your splendor. I threw you on the ground before kings; I have exposed you for viewing.

Literal Translation
Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. I have cast you to the ground. I will put you before kings, that they may see you.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Thy hert was proude in yi fayre beuty, & thorow thy beuty thou hast destroyed thy wi?dome. I will cast ye downe to the grounde, & yt in ye sight of kynges.

American Standard Version
Thy heart was lifted up because of thy beauty; thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I have cast thee to the ground; I have laid thee before kings, that they may behold thee.

Bible in Basic English
Your heart was lifted up because you were beautiful, you made your wisdom evil through your sin: I have sent you down, even to the earth; I have made you low before kings, so that they may see you.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Thy heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness; I have cast thee to the ground, I have laid thee before kings, that they may gaze upon thee.

King James Version (1611)
Thine heart was lifted vp because of thy beautie, thou hast corrupted thy wisedome by reason of thy brightnesse: I will cast thee to the ground: I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Thy heart was proude in thy beautie, and thorowe thy brightnesse thou hast destroyed thy wisdome: I will cast thee downe to the grounde, I will lay thee before kinges, that they may beholde thee.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Thy heart has been lifted up because of thy beauty; thy knowledge has been corrupted with thy beauty: because of the multitude of thy sins I have cast thee to the ground, I have caused thee to be put to open shame before kings.

English Revised Version
Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I have cast thee to the ground, I have laid thee before kings, that they may behold thee.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And thin herte was reisid in thi fairnesse, thou lostist thi wisdom in thi fairnesse. Y castide thee doun in to erthe, Y yaf thee bifore the face of kingis, that thei schulden se thee.

Update Bible Version
Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you have corrupted your wisdom by reason of your brightness: I have cast you to the ground; I have laid you before kings, that they may look at you.

Webster's Bible Translation
Thy heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.

New English Translation
Your heart was proud because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom on account of your splendor. I threw you down to the ground; I placed you before kings, that they might see you.

New King James Version
"Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor; I cast you to the ground, I laid you before kings, That they might gaze at you.

New Living Translation
Your heart was filled with pride because of all your beauty. Your wisdom was corrupted by your love of splendor. So I threw you to the ground and exposed you to the curious gaze of kings.

New Life Bible
Your heart was proud because of your beauty. You made your wisdom sinful because of your beauty. So I threw you to the ground. I laid you in front of kings for them to see you.

New Revised Standard
Your heart was proud because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. I cast you to the ground; I exposed you before kings, to feast their eyes on you.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Lofty, was thy heart in thy beauty, Thou didst corrupt thy wisdom, because of thy splendour, - Upon the earth, did I cast thee. Before kings, did I set thee That they might look at thee:

Douay-Rheims Bible
And thy heart was lifted up with thy beauty: thou hast lost thy wisdom in thy beauty, I have cast thee to the ground: I have set thee before the face of kings, that they might behold thee.

Revised Standard Version
Your heart was proud because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. I cast you to the ground; I exposed you before kings, to feast their eyes on you.

Young's Literal Translation
High hath been thy heart, because of thy beauty, Thou hast corrupted thy wisdom because of thy brightness, On the earth I have cast thee, Before kings I have set thee, to look on thee,

THE MESSAGE
The Money Has Gone to Your Head God's Message came to me, "Son of man, tell the prince of Tyre, ‘This is what God , the Master, says: "‘Your heart is proud, going around saying, "I'm a god. I sit on God's divine throne, ruling the sea"— You, a mere mortal, not even close to being a god, A mere mortal trying to be a god. Look, you think you're smarter than Daniel. No enigmas can stump you. Your sharp intelligence made you world-wealthy. You piled up gold and silver in your banks. You used your head well, worked good deals, made a lot of money. But the money has gone to your head, swelled your head—what a big head! "‘Therefore, God , the Master, says: "‘Because you're acting like a god, pretending to be a god, I'm giving fair warning: I'm bringing strangers down on you, the most vicious of all nations. They'll pull their swords and make hash of your reputation for knowing it all. They'll puncture the balloon of your god-pretensions. They'll bring you down from your self-made pedestal and bury you in the deep blue sea. Will you protest to your assassins, "You can't do that! I'm a god"? To them you're a mere mortal. They're killing a man, not a god. You'll die like a stray dog, killed by strangers— Because I said so. Decree of God , the Master.'" God 's Message came to me: "Son of man, raise a funeral song over the king of Tyre. Tell him, A Message from God , the Master: "You had everything going for you. You were in Eden, God's garden. You were dressed in splendor, your robe studded with jewels: Carnelian, peridot, and moonstone, beryl, onyx, and jasper, Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald, all in settings of engraved gold. A robe was prepared for you the same day you were created. You were the anointed cherub. I placed you on the mountain of God. You strolled in magnificence among the stones of fire. From the day of your creation you were sheer perfection... and then imperfection—evil!—was detected in you. In much buying and selling you turned violent, you sinned! I threw you, disgraced, off the mountain of God. I threw you out—you, the anointed angel-cherub. No more strolling among the gems of fire for you! Your beauty went to your head. You corrupted wisdom by using it to get worldly fame. I threw you to the ground, sent you sprawling before an audience of kings and let them gloat over your demise. By sin after sin after sin, by your corrupt ways of doing business, you defiled your holy places of worship. So I set a fire around and within you. It burned you up. I reduced you to ashes. All anyone sees now when they look for you is ashes, a pitiful mound of ashes. All who once knew you now throw up their hands: ‘This can't have happened! This has happened!'" God 's Message came to me: "Son of man, confront Sidon. Preach against it. Say, ‘Message from God , the Master: "‘Look! I'm against you, Sidon. I intend to be known for who I truly am among you.' They'll know that I am God when I set things right and reveal my holy presence. I'll order an epidemic of disease there, along with murder and mayhem in the streets. People will drop dead right and left, as war presses in from every side. Then they'll realize that I mean business, that I am God . "No longer will Israel have to put up with their thistle-and-thorn neighbors Who have treated them so contemptuously. And they also will realize that I am God ." God , the Master, says, "When I gather Israel from the peoples among whom they've been scattered and put my holiness on display among them with all the nations looking on, then they'll live in their own land that I gave to my servant Jacob. They'll live there in safety. They'll build houses. They'll plant vineyards, living in safety. Meanwhile, I'll bring judgment on all the neighbors who have treated them with such contempt. And they'll realize that I am God ."

Contextual Overview

¹¹ The word of the Lord came to me. He said, ¹² "Son of man, sing this sad song about the king of Tyre. Say to him, ‘This is what the Lord God says: "‘You were the perfect man— so full of wisdom and perfectly handsome. ¹³ You were in Eden, the garden of God. You had every precious stone— rubies, topaz, and diamonds, beryls, onyx, and jasper, sapphires, turquoise, and emeralds. And each of these stones was set in gold. You were given this beauty on the day you were created. God made you strong. ¹⁴ You were one of the chosen Cherubs who spread your wings over my throne. I put you on the holy mountain of God. You walked among the jewels that sparkled like fire. ¹⁵ You were good and honest when I created you, but then you became evil. ¹⁶ Your business brought you many riches. But they also put cruelty inside you, and you sinned. So I treated you like something unclean and threw you off the mountain of God. You were one of the chosen Cherubs who spread your wings over my throne. But I forced you to leave the jewels that sparkled like fire. ¹⁷ Your beauty made you proud. Your glory ruined your wisdom. So I threw you down to the ground, and now other kings stare at you. ¹⁸ You did many wrong things. You were a very crooked merchant. In this way you made the holy places unclean. So I brought fire from inside you. It burned you! You burned to ashes on the ground. Now everyone can see your shame. ¹⁹ "‘All the people in other nations were shocked about what happened to you. What happened to you will make people very afraid. You are finished!'"

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

heart: Ezekiel 28:2, Ezekiel 28:5, Ezekiel 16:14, Ezekiel 16:15, Ezekiel 31:10, Proverbs 11:2, Proverbs 16:18, Luke 14:11, James 4:6

thou hast: Isaiah 19:11-13, Jeremiah 8:9, Romans 1:22-25, 1 Corinthians 1:19-21

I will cast: Job 40:11, Job 40:12, Psalms 73:18, Psalms 147:6

I will lay: Ezekiel 16:41, Ezekiel 23:48, Ezekiel 32:10, Isaiah 14:9-11

Reciprocal: Judges 7:2 - Mine own 2 Chronicles 32:25 - his heart Isaiah 47:1 - down Ezekiel 16:49 - pride Ezekiel 27:35 - their kings Ezekiel 28:14 - stones Ezekiel 28:15 - till iniquity Daniel 4:4 - was Daniel 5:23 - lifted Daniel 11:12 - his heart

Cross-References

Genesis 28:1
Isaac called Jacob and blessed him. Then Isaac gave him a command and said, "You must not marry a Canaanite woman.

Genesis 28:13
And then Jacob saw the Lord standing by the ladder. He said, "I am the Lord , the God of your grandfather Abraham. I am the God of Isaac. I will give you the land that you are lying on now. I will give this land to you and to your children.

Genesis 28:22
I am setting this stone up as a memorial stone. It will show that this is a holy place for God, and I will give God one-tenth of all he gives me."

Exodus 3:6
I am the God of your ancestors. I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." Moses covered his face because he was afraid to look at God.

Judges 13:22
Manoah said to his wife, "We have seen God. Surely we will die because of this."

2 Chronicles 5:14
The priests could not continue to serve because of the cloud, because the Glory of the Lord filled the Temple.

Ecclesiastes 5:1
Be very careful when you go to worship God. It is better to listen to God than to give sacrifices like fools. Fools often do bad things, and they don't even know it.

Matthew 17:6
The followers with Jesus heard this voice. They were very afraid, so they fell to the ground.

Luke 2:9
An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord was shining around them. The shepherds were very afraid.

Luke 8:35
People went out to see what had happened. They came to Jesus and found the man sitting there at the feet of Jesus. The man had clothes on and was in his right mind again; the demons were gone. This made the people afraid.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty,.... Riches, wealth, power, and authority; see Ezekiel 28:5, as the pope of Rome is, because of his dignity, the pomp and splendour of the Roman church, and the gaudy appearance it makes:

thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness; outward lustre and glory, which dazzled his eyes so that he could not see things in a true light; but neglecting the word of God, and setting up his own infallibility, corrupted his doctrine and worship, and became foolish, stupid, and sottish:

I will cast thee to the ground; from the throne and pinnacle of honour, to the lowest state and condition:

and I will lay thee before kings: prostrate at the feet of them, who heretofore has set his feet on the necks of them; or he shall fall before them, and be destroyed by them, when they shall hate the whore, and make her desolate, and burn her flesh with fire, Revelation 17:16: that they may behold thee; with contempt and disdain, and as an instance and example of divine vengeance.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The dirge of the prince of Tyre, answering to the dirge of the state. The passage is ironical; its main purpose is to depict all the glory, real or assumed, of “the prince of Tyrus,” in order to show how deplorable should be his ruin.

Ezekiel 28:12

To “seal the sum” is to make up the whole measure of perfection. Compare the Septuagint

Ezekiel 28:13

Thou hast been in Eden - “Thou” wast etc. The prince of Tyrus is ironically described as the first of creation; but at the same time the parallel is to be maintained in his fall from glory. Like Adam in the enjoyment of paradise, he shall be like Adam in his fall.

Every precious stone - All the stones here named are found in the High priest’s breastplate Exodus 28:17-20, but their order is different, and three stones named in Exodus (the third row) are wanting. The prophet may purposely have varied the description because the number twelve (that of the tribes of Israel) had nothing to do with the prince of Tyrus, and he wished to portray, not a high priest, but a king, having in view a figure which was to a Jew, especially to a priest, the very type of magnificence.

Tabrets - (or, drums) and “pipes” were a common expression for festivity and triumph.

Ezekiel 28:14

Thou art - Better,” Thou” wert. “the anointed cherub that covereth” In the temple the cherubim and all holy things were consecrated and anointed with oil (Exodus 30:26 ff). The prince of Tyre was also anointed as a sovereign priest - covering or protecting the minor states, like the cherubim with outstretched wings covering the mercy-Seat.

Thou wast upon the holy mountain - As the cherub was in the temple on the holy mountain, so the prince of Tyre was presiding over the island-city, rising like a mountain from the deep.

Stones of fire - i. e., bright and shining. Decked with bright jewels, the prince walked among jewels in gorgeous splendor.

Ezekiel 28:15

The “perfection” was false, unsuspected until the “iniquity” which lay beneath was found out.