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Oracle against Tyre

23 The oracle of Tyre:

Wail, ships of Tarshish, for the house is destroyed so that no one can enter;[a]
    it is announced to them from the land of Cyprus.
Be still, inhabitants of the coast,
    merchant of Sidon, who travels over the sea, they filled you.
And on the great waters is the seed of Shihor,
    the harvest of the Nile is its produce,
    and she was the merchandise of the nations.
Be ashamed, Sidon, for the sea,
    the fortress of the sea said, saying,
“I was not in labor,
    and I have not given birth,
and I have not reared young men,
    brought[b] up young women.”
When the report comes to Egypt,
    they will be in anguish at the report about[c] Tyre.
Cross over to Tarshish!
    Wail, inhabitants of the coast!
Is this your exultant one,[d] her origin from the days of long ago?
    Her feet brought her to dwell afar as an alien.
Who has planned this against Tyre, the bestower of crowns,[e]
    whose merchants were princes,
    her traders the honored ones of the earth?
Yahweh of hosts has planned it:
    to defile the pride of all glory,
    to humble all the honored ones of the earth.
10 Cross over your own land like the Nile, daughter of Tarshish;
    there is no longer a harbor.[f]
11 He has stretched his hand out over the sea;
    he has made kingdoms shake.
Yahweh has commanded concerning Canaan
    to destroy her fortresses.

12 And he said,

“You will not continue[g] to exult, crushed one, virgin[h] daughter of Sidon.
    Arise, cross over to Cyprus! There will be no rest for you even there.”
13 Look at the land of the Chaldeans!
    This people no longer exists.
    Assyria destined[i] it for wild animals.
They erected its siege towers;
    they demolished its citadel fortresses.
    It made her like a ruin.
14 Wail, ships of Tarshish!
    For your fortress is destroyed.

15 And this will happen on that day: And Tyre will be forgotten seventy years,[j]

like the days of one king. At the end of seventy years,[k] it will be for Tyre like the song of the prostitute:

16 “Take a harp,
    go around the city, forgotten prostitute!
Do it well, playing a stringed instrument!
    Make numerous songs,[l] that you may be remembered.”

17 And this shall happen:

at the end of seventy years,[m] Yahweh will visit Tyre,

and she will return to her harlot’s wages,
    and she will commit fornication
with all the kingdoms of the world on the face of the earth.

18 And this shall happen:

her merchandise and her harlot’s wages will be set apart for Yahweh;

it will not be stored up,
    and it will not be hoarded,
but her merchandise will be for those who live before the presence[n] of Yahweh,
    for eating to satiation and for fine clothing.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 23:1 Literally “it is destroyed from a house from entering”
  2. Isaiah 23:4 Or “I have brought”
  3. Isaiah 23:5 Literally “of”
  4. Isaiah 23:7 Literally “this to you, exultant”
  5. Isaiah 23:8 Hebrew “crown”
  6. Isaiah 23:10 Hebrew “waistband” is emended to “harbor” by transposing two consonants
  7. Isaiah 23:12 Literally “do again longer”
  8. Isaiah 23:12 Literally “virgin of the”
  9. Isaiah 23:13 Literally “this people was not Assyria destined,” which could be translated “It was this people! It was not Assyria. They destined”
  10. Isaiah 23:15 Hebrew “year”
  11. Isaiah 23:15 Hebrew “year”
  12. Isaiah 23:16 Hebrew “song”
  13. Isaiah 23:17 Hebrew “year”
  14. Isaiah 23:18 Literally “face”

A Prophecy Against Tyre

23 A prophecy against Tyre:(A)

Wail,(B) you ships(C) of Tarshish!(D)
    For Tyre is destroyed(E)
    and left without house or harbor.
From the land of Cyprus
    word has come to them.

Be silent,(F) you people of the island
    and you merchants(G) of Sidon,(H)
    whom the seafarers have enriched.
On the great waters
    came the grain of the Shihor;(I)
the harvest of the Nile[a](J) was the revenue of Tyre,(K)
    and she became the marketplace of the nations.

Be ashamed, Sidon,(L) and you fortress of the sea,
    for the sea has spoken:
“I have neither been in labor nor given birth;(M)
    I have neither reared sons nor brought up daughters.”
When word comes to Egypt,
    they will be in anguish(N) at the report from Tyre.(O)

Cross over to Tarshish;(P)
    wail, you people of the island.
Is this your city of revelry,(Q)
    the old, old city,
whose feet have taken her
    to settle in far-off lands?
Who planned this against Tyre,
    the bestower of crowns,
whose merchants(R) are princes,
    whose traders(S) are renowned in the earth?
The Lord Almighty planned(T) it,
    to bring down(U) her pride in all her splendor
    and to humble(V) all who are renowned(W) on the earth.

10 Till[b] your land as they do along the Nile,
    Daughter Tarshish,
    for you no longer have a harbor.
11 The Lord has stretched out his hand(X) over the sea
    and made its kingdoms tremble.(Y)
He has given an order concerning Phoenicia
    that her fortresses be destroyed.(Z)
12 He said, “No more of your reveling,(AA)
    Virgin Daughter(AB) Sidon, now crushed!

“Up, cross over to Cyprus;(AC)
    even there you will find no rest.”
13 Look at the land of the Babylonians,[c](AD)
    this people that is now of no account!
The Assyrians(AE) have made it
    a place for desert creatures;(AF)
they raised up their siege towers,(AG)
    they stripped its fortresses bare
    and turned it into a ruin.(AH)

14 Wail, you ships(AI) of Tarshish;(AJ)
    your fortress is destroyed!(AK)

15 At that time Tyre(AL) will be forgotten for seventy years,(AM) the span of a king’s life. But at the end of these seventy years, it will happen to Tyre as in the song of the prostitute:

16 “Take up a harp, walk through the city,
    you forgotten prostitute;(AN)
play the harp well, sing many a song,
    so that you will be remembered.”

17 At the end of seventy years,(AO) the Lord will deal with Tyre. She will return to her lucrative prostitution(AP) and will ply her trade with all the kingdoms on the face of the earth.(AQ) 18 Yet her profit and her earnings will be set apart for the Lord;(AR) they will not be stored up or hoarded. Her profits will go to those who live before the Lord,(AS) for abundant food and fine clothes.(AT)

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 23:3 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scrolls Sidon, / who cross over the sea; / your envoys are on the great waters. / The grain of the Shihor, / the harvest of the Nile,
  2. Isaiah 23:10 Dead Sea Scrolls and some Septuagint manuscripts; Masoretic Text Go through
  3. Isaiah 23:13 Or Chaldeans

Profecía contra Tiro

23 Profecía contra Tiro:

¡Giman, barcos de Tarsis!,
    porque fueron destruidas su casa y su puerto.
Desde la tierra de Chipre
    les ha llegado la noticia.

¡Callen, habitantes de la costa,
    comerciantes de Sidón,
    ciudad que han enriquecido los marinos!
Sobre las grandes aguas
    llegó el grano de Sijor;
Tiro se volvió el centro comercial de las naciones;
    la cosecha del Nilo le aportaba ganancias.

Avergüénzate, Sidón, fortaleza del mar,
    porque el mar ha dicho:
«No he estado con dolores de parto ni he dado a luz;
    no he criado hijos ni educado hijas».
Cuando la noticia llegue a Egipto,
    lo que se diga de Tiro los angustiará.

Pasen a Tarsis;
    giman, habitantes de la costa.
¿Es esta su ciudad alegre,
    la ciudad tan antigua,
cuyos pies la han llevado
    a establecerse en tierras lejanas?
¿Quién planeó esto contra Tiro,
    la ciudad que confiere coronas,
cuyos comerciantes son príncipes,
    y sus negociantes reconocidos en la tierra?
Lo planeó el Señor de los Ejércitos
    para abatir la altivez de toda gloria
    y humillar a toda la gente importante de la tierra.

10 Hija de Tarsis,
    cultiva[a] tu tierra como en el Nilo,
    porque tu puerto ya no existe.
11 El Señor ha extendido su mano sobre el mar
    y ha puesto a temblar a los reinos;
ha ordenado destruir las fortalezas de Canaán.
12 Él dijo:
    «¡Virgen oprimida, hija de Sidón:
    no volverás a alegrarte!

»Levántate y cruza hasta Chipre;
    ¡ni siquiera allí encontrarás descanso!».
13 ¡Mira la tierra de los babilonios![b]
    ¡Ese pueblo ya no existe!
Asiria la ha convertido
    en refugio de las fieras del desierto;
levantaron torres de asedio,
    demolieron sus fortalezas
    y las convirtieron en ruinas.

14 ¡Giman, barcos de Tarsis,
    porque destruida está su fortaleza!

15 En aquel tiempo Tiro será olvidada durante setenta años, que es lo que vive un rey. Pero al cabo de esos setenta años sucederá a Tiro lo que dice la canción de la prostituta:

16 «Tú, prostituta olvidada,
    toma un arpa y recorre la ciudad;
toca lo mejor que puedas y canta muchas canciones,
    para que te recuerden».

17 Al cabo de setenta años, el Señor se ocupará de Tiro, la cual volverá a venderse y prostituirse con todos los reinos de la tierra. 18 Pero sus ingresos y ganancias se consagrarán al Señor; no serán almacenados ni atesorados. Sus ganancias serán para los que habitan en presencia del Señor, para que se alimenten en abundancia y se vistan con ropas finas.

Footnotes

  1. 23:10 cultiva (Qumrán y LXX); atraviesa (TM).
  2. 23:13 Lit. caldeos.