"Mortal man," he said, "tell the ruler of Tyre what I, the Sovereign LORD, am saying to him: Puffed up with pride, you claim to be a god. You say that like a god you sit on a throne, surrounded by the seas. You may pretend to be a god, but, no, you are mortal, not divine.

The LORD told me to sing this song of sorrow for two princes of Israel:

The stem of the vine caught fire; fire burned up its branches and fruit. The branches will never again be strong, will never be royal scepters. This is a song of sorrow; it has been sung again and again.

They will sing this funeral song for you: The famous city is destroyed! Her ships have been swept from the seas. The people of this city ruled the seas And terrified all who lived on the coast.

"Mortal man, sing a funeral song for Tyre,

They chant a funeral song for you: 'Who can be compared to Tyre, To Tyre now silent in the sea?

"Mortal man," he said, "give a solemn warning to the king of Egypt. Give him this message from me: You act like a lion among the nations, but you are more like a crocodile splashing through a river. You muddy the water with your feet and pollute the rivers.

This solemn warning will become a funeral song. The women of the nations will sing it to mourn for Egypt and all its people. I, the Sovereign LORD, have spoken."

The prophet Jeremiah composed a lament for King Josiah. It has become a custom in Israel for the singers, both men and women, to use this song when they mourn for him. The song is found in the collection of laments.

When he does this, they are to mock the king of Babylon and say: "The cruel king has fallen! He will never oppress anyone again!

The LORD Almighty said, "Think about what is happening! Call for the mourners to come, for the women who sing funeral songs."

Listen to the sound of crying in Zion: "We are ruined! We are completely disgraced! We must leave our land; our homes have been torn down."

"Mortal man," he said, "tell the ruler of Tyre what I, the Sovereign LORD, am saying to him: Puffed up with pride, you claim to be a god. You say that like a god you sit on a throne, surrounded by the seas. You may pretend to be a god, but, no, you are mortal, not divine.

Your wisdom and skill made you rich with treasures of gold and silver.

that city which stands at the edge of the sea and does business with the people living on every seacoast. Tell her what the Sovereign LORD is saying: "Tyre, you boasted of your perfect beauty.

Your home is the sea. Your builders made you like a beautiful ship;

When I have finished this task and have turned over to them all the money that has been raised for them, I shall leave for Spain and visit you on my way there.

who has placed his mark of ownership upon us, and who has given us the Holy Spirit in our hearts as the guarantee of all that he has in store for us.

Human wisdom, brilliance, insight---they are of no help if the LORD is against you.

The emperor of Assyria boasts, "I have done it all myself. I am strong and wise and clever. I wiped out the boundaries between nations and took the supplies they had stored. Like a bull I have trampled the people who live there.

The LORD says, "The wise should not boast of their wisdom, nor the strong of their strength, nor the rich of their wealth.

The child grew and became strong; he was full of wisdom, and God's blessings were upon him.

So then, friends, choose seven men among you who are known to be full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, and we will put them in charge of this matter.

The scripture says, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and set aside the understanding of the scholars."

So then, where does that leave the wise? or the scholars? or the skillful debaters of this world? God has shown that this world's wisdom is foolishness!

For what this world considers to be wisdom is nonsense in God's sight. As the scripture says, "God traps the wise in their cleverness";

For this reason we have always prayed for you, ever since we heard about you. We ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will, with all the wisdom and understanding that his Spirit gives.

He is the key that opens all the hidden treasures of God's wisdom and knowledge.

Are there any of you who are wise and understanding? You are to prove it by your good life, by your good deeds performed with humility and wisdom.

Such wisdom does not come down from heaven; it belongs to the world, it is unspiritual and demonic.

But the wisdom from above is pure first of all; it is also peaceful, gentle, and friendly; it is full of compassion and produces a harvest of good deeds; it is free from prejudice and hypocrisy.