"Now then, this is what I, the Sovereign LORD, am saying: I am your enemy, city of Tyre. I will bring many nations to attack you, and they will come like the waves of the sea.

I will bring ruthless enemies to attack you. They will destroy all the beautiful things you have acquired by skill and wisdom.

"Mortal man," he said, "King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia launched an attack on Tyre. He made his soldiers carry such heavy loads that their heads were rubbed bald and their shoulders were worn raw, but neither the king nor his army got anything for all their trouble.

I am giving him Egypt in payment for his services, because his army was working for me. I, the Sovereign LORD, have spoken.

The Sovereign LORD says, "I will use King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia to put an end to Egypt's wealth.

He and his ruthless army will come to devastate the land. They will attack Egypt with swords, and the land will be full of corpses.

The Sovereign LORD says to the king of Egypt, "You will face the sword of the king of Babylonia.

I will let soldiers from cruel nations draw their swords and kill all your people. All your people and everything else that you are proud of will be destroyed.

'I am going to send for all the peoples from the north and for my servant, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia. I am going to bring them to fight against Judah and its inhabitants and against all the neighboring nations. I am going to destroy this nation and its neighbors and leave them in ruins forever, a terrible and shocking sight. I, the LORD, have spoken.

(SEE 25:19)

Then the LORD told me to send a message to the kings of Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre, and Sidon through their ambassadors who had come to Jerusalem to see King Zedekiah.

"By my great power and strength I created the world, human beings, and all the animals that live on the earth; and I give it to anyone I choose.

to keep the nation from rising again and to make sure that the treaty would be kept.

"From Emperor Artaxerxes to the priest Ezra, scholar in the Law of the God of Heaven.

He boasts, "Every one of my commanders is a king!

Evil-merodach treated him kindly and gave him a position of greater honor than he gave the other kings who were exiles with him in Babylonia.

Your Majesty, you are the greatest of all kings. The God of heaven has made you emperor and given you power, might, and honor.

The king said, "Your God is the greatest of all gods, the Lord over kings, and the one who reveals mysteries. I know this because you have been able to explain this mystery."

But now I am going to gather them together and punish them. Soon they will writhe in pain when the emperor of Assyria oppresses them.

The clouds of dust raised by their horses will cover you. The noise of their horses pulling wagons and chariots will shake your walls as they pass through the gates of the ruined city.

Their cavalry will storm through your streets, killing your people with their swords. Your mighty pillars will be thrown to the ground.

They will attack you from the north, bringing a large army with chariots and supply wagons. Protected by shields and helmets, they will surround you. I will hand you over to them, and they will judge you by their own laws.

Look, the enemy is coming like clouds. Their war chariots are like a whirlwind, and their horses are faster than eagles. We are lost! We are doomed!

They have taken up their bows and swords; they are cruel and merciless. They sound like the roaring sea, as they ride their horses. They are ready for battle against Jerusalem."

The enemy soldiers carry red shields and wear uniforms of red. They are preparing to attack! Their chariots flash like fire! Their horses prance!

Chariots dash wildly through the streets, rushing back and forth in the city squares. They flash like torches and dart about like lightning.

Listen! The crack of the whip, the rattle of wheels, the gallop of horses, the jolting of chariots!

Cavalry troops charge, swords flash, spears gleam! Corpses are piled high, dead bodies without number--- men stumble over them!