Isaiah 23
Legacy Standard Bible
An Oracle Concerning Tyre
23 The [a]oracle concerning (A)Tyre.
Wail, O (B)ships of (C)Tarshish,
For Tyre is destroyed, without house or [b](D)harbor;
It is revealed to them from the land of [c](E)Cyprus.
2 (F)Be silent, you inhabitants of the coastland,
You merchants of Sidon;
[d]Your messengers crossed the sea
3 And were on many waters.
(G)The [e]grain of [f](H)Shihor, the harvest of the Nile was her revenue;
And she was the nations’ (I)gain.
4 Be ashamed, O (J)Sidon;
For the sea speaks, the strong defense of the sea, saying,
“I have neither travailed nor given birth;
I have neither brought up choice men nor reared virgins.”
5 When the report reaches Egypt,
They will be in (K)travail at the report of Tyre.
6 Pass over to (L)Tarshish;
Wail, O inhabitants of the coastland.
7 Is this your (M)exultant city,
Whose origin is from days of old,
Whose feet used to lead her to sojourn in distant places?
8 Who has counseled this against Tyre, (N)the bestower of crowns,
Whose merchants were princes, whose traders were the honored of the earth?
9 (O)Yahweh of hosts has counseled it, to (P)defile the pride of all beauty,
To make contemptuous all the (Q)honored of the earth.
10 [g]Overflow your land like the Nile, O daughter of Tarshish;
There is no more [h]restraint.
11 He has (R)stretched His hand out (S)over the sea;
He has (T)made the kingdoms tremble;
Yahweh has given a command concerning Canaan to (U)demolish its strong defenses.
12 So He said, “(V)You shall exult no more, O crushed virgin daughter of Sidon.
Arise, pass over to [i](W)Cyprus; even there you will find no rest.”
13 Behold, the land of the Chaldeans—this is the people which was not; (X)Assyria established it for (Y)desert creatures—they erected their siege towers, they stripped its palaces, (Z)they made it a ruin.
14 Wail, O (AA)ships of Tarshish,
For your strong defense is destroyed.
15 Now it will be in that day, that Tyre will be forgotten for (AB)seventy years like the days of one king. At the end of seventy years it will happen to Tyre as in the song of the harlot:
16 Take your harp, walk about the city,
O forgotten harlot;
Pluck the strings skillfully, sing many songs,
That you may be remembered.
17 And it will be at (AC)the end of seventy years that Yahweh will visit Tyre. Then she will go back to her harlot’s wages and will (AD)play the harlot with all the kingdoms [j]on the face of the earth. 18 And her (AE)gain and her harlot’s wages will be (AF)set apart to Yahweh; it will not be treasured up or hoarded, but her gain will become sufficient food and choice attire for those who inhabit the presence of Yahweh.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 23:1 Or burden of
- Isaiah 23:1 Lit entering
- Isaiah 23:1 Heb Kittim
- Isaiah 23:2 As in DSS; M.T. Who passed over the sea, they replenished you
- Isaiah 23:3 Lit seed
- Isaiah 23:3 Part of the Nile
- Isaiah 23:10 Lit Pass over
- Isaiah 23:10 Possibly girdle, shipyard
- Isaiah 23:12 Heb Kittim
- Isaiah 23:17 Lit of the earth on the face of the land
Isaiah 23
Common English Bible
Concerning Tyre
23 An oracle about Tyre.
Wail, ships of Tarshish,
because your port is destroyed![a]
When returning from Cyprus, they heard about it.
2 Be still, inhabitants of the coast, traders of Sidon,
whose messengers crossed over the sea,[b]
3 over the mighty waters.
The grain of Shihor, the Nile’s harvest, was her income;
she was the marketplace of nations.
4 Be ashamed, Sidon, because the sea has spoken;
the fortress of the sea has said,
“I haven’t been in labor; I didn’t give birth;
I never raised young men or brought up young women.”
5 When the Egyptians hear,
they will be in anguish at the news about Tyre.
6 Cross over to Tarshish;
wail, inhabitants of the coast.
7 Is this your triumphant town,
whose origin is from ancient times,
whose feet carried her to settle far away?
8 Who planned this concerning Tyre,
the one who gives crowns,
whose merchants were princes,
whose traders were the honored of the earth?
9 The Lord of heavenly forces planned it,
to defile the pride of all beauty,
to shame all the honored of the earth.
10 Go through your own land, Daughter Tarshish,
for the harbor[c] is gone.
11 God’s hand is extended over the sea, shaking nations.
The Lord gave the command to destroy Phoenicia’s fortresses,
12 saying, You will no longer celebrate,
violated virgin Daughter Sidon.
Get up and head to Cyprus;
even there you will find no rest.
13 Look at the land of the Chaldeans,
the people who are no more.
Assyria destined it for wild animals:
they raised up their siege towers,
stripped its palaces,
and made it a ruin.
14 Wail, ships of Tarshish,
for your fortress is destroyed!
15 On that day, Tyre will be forgotten seventy years, the lifetime of one king. At the end of seventy years, Tyre will become like the prostitute in the song:
16 Take a harp, go around the city, forgotten prostitute.
Play well, sing many songs, so they’ll remember you.
17 At the end of seventy years, the Lord will visit Tyre. She will return to her trade and will prostitute herself with all the kingdoms on the earth. 18 Her profits and wages will be sacred to the Lord. They won’t be stored or saved. Her profits will go to those living before the Lord, for plentiful food and elegant clothes.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 23:1 Heb uncertain
- Isaiah 23:2 Correction; MT one crossing over the sea filled you
- Isaiah 23:10 Heb uncertain
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