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Egypt Will Be Punished

19 This is the divine revelation about Egypt.

The Lord is riding on a fast-moving cloud and is coming to Egypt.
Egypt’s idols will tremble in his presence.
Egypt’s courage will fail.

“I will turn one Egyptian against another.
They will fight—
brother against brother,
neighbor against neighbor,
city against city,
kingdom against kingdom.
The Egyptians will lose courage.
I will unravel their plans.
They will turn to idols, ghosts,
mediums, and fortunetellers.
I will hand over the Egyptians to a harsh master.
A strong king will rule them,”
declares the Almighty Lord of Armies.

The water in the Nile River will be dried up,[a]
and the river will be dry and empty.
The canals will stink.
Egypt’s streams will be emptied and dried up.
The reeds and cattails will wither.
The rushes by the Nile, by the edge of the Nile,
and all the fields planted beside the Nile
will dry up, be blown away, and disappear.
Fishermen will cry.
All who cast their lines into the Nile will mourn.
Those who spread their nets on the water will sigh.
Linenworkers and weavers will be ashamed.
10 Egypt’s weavers will be crushed.
Those who work for money will be distressed.

11 The leaders of Zoan are nothing but fools.
The wisest of Pharaoh’s counselors gives stupid advice.
How can you tell Pharaoh,
“I’m a descendant of wise men,
a descendant of ancient kings”?
12 Where are your wise men now?
Let them tell you.
Let them explain what the Lord of Armies
is planning against Egypt.
13 The leaders of Zoan are acting foolishly.
The leaders of Memphis are led astray.
The leaders who are the cornerstones of its tribes mislead the Egyptians.
14 The Lord mixes up their minds.
So they lead the Egyptians astray
like a drunk who staggers in his vomit.
15 No one—leaders or followers, important or unimportant—
can do anything for Egypt.

16 At that time Egyptians will act like women. They will tremble and be terrified because the Lord of Armies will shake his fist at them. 17 The land of Judah will terrify the Egyptians. Whenever they are reminded of Judah, they will be terrified of it because of what the Lord of Armies is planning against it.

18 When that day comes, five cities in Egypt will have people that speak the language of Canaan and swear allegiance to the Lord of Armies. One of the cities will be called Heliopolis.[b]

19 When that day comes, an altar for the Lord will be in the middle of Egypt, and a stone marker for the Lord will be near its border. 20 These objects will be a sign and a witness that the Lord of Armies is in Egypt. When the people cry to the Lord because of those who oppress them, he will send a savior and defender to rescue them. 21 So the Lord will make himself known to the Egyptians. The Egyptians will know the Lord when that day comes. They will worship with sacrifices and food offerings. They will make vows to the Lord and carry them out. 22 The Lord will strike Egypt with a plague. When he strikes them, he will also heal them. Then they will come back to the Lord. And he will respond to their prayers and heal them.

23 When that day comes, a highway will run from Egypt to Assyria. The Assyrians will come to Egypt and the Egyptians to Assyria, and the Egyptians will worship with the Assyrians. 24 When that day comes, Israel will be one-third ⌞of God’s people⌟, along with Egypt and Assyria. They will be a blessing on the earth. 25 The Lord of Armies will bless them, saying, “My people Egypt, the work of my hands Assyria, and my possession Israel are blessed.”

Those Who Were Allied with Egypt Will Be Ashamed

20 In the year when King Sargon of Assyria sent his commander-in-chief to fight against Ashdod, he captured it. At that time the Lord told Isaiah, son of Amoz, “Take off the sackcloth that you are wearing, and take off your sandals!” Isaiah did this and walked around barefoot and naked.

Then the Lord said, “My servant Isaiah has gone barefoot and naked for three years as a sign and as an omen to Egypt and Sudan. The king of Assyria will lead away both the young and the old—captives from Egypt and exiles from Sudan. They will be barefoot and naked. Their buttocks will be exposed in order to disgrace Egypt. Then the people will be shattered and ashamed because Sudan was their hope and Egypt was their beauty. When that day comes, those who live on this coastland will say, ‘Look at what has happened to our hope. We ran ⌞to Egypt⌟ for help to be rescued from the king of Assyria. How can we escape?’ ”

Babylon Has Fallen

21 This is the divine revelation about the desert by the sea.

Like a storm sweeping through the Negev,
an invader will come from the desert,
from a terrifying land.
I was shown a harsh vision.
The traitor betrays.
The destroyer destroys.
Go to war, Elam!
Surround them, Media!
I will put an end to all the groaning.
That is why my body is full of trembling.
Pain grips me like the pain of childbirth.
I’m disturbed by what I hear.
I’m terrified by what I see.
I’m confused.
I’m shaking with terror.
The twilight hours I longed for make me tremble.
Set the table.
Spread the rugs ⌞by the table⌟.
Eat. Drink.
Get up, you leaders!
Prepare your shields for battle!

This is what the Lord says to me:

Post a watchman.
Have him report whatever he sees.
He will see chariots, pairs of horsemen,
riders on donkeys, and riders on camels.
Let him watch carefully, very carefully.
The watchman [c] called,
“Sir, I stand on the watchtower every day.
Every night, I stand guard at my post.
Look! Here come chariots and horsemen in pairs.”
Then he said,
“Babylon has fallen! It has fallen!
All the idols they worship lie shattered on the ground.”

10 You, my people, have been threshed and winnowed.[d]
I make known to you what I heard from the Lord of Armies,
the God of Israel.

Someone Calling from Seir

11 This is the divine revelation about Dumah.[e]

Someone is calling to me from Seir,
“Watchman, how much of the night is left?
Watchman, how much of the night is left?”
12 The watchman answers,
“Morning is coming, and night will come again.
If you need to ask, come back and ask.”

Arabia Will Be Punished

13 This is the divine revelation about Arabia.

You caravan of travelers from the people of Dedan
will spend the night in the forest of Arabia.
14 Bring water for the thirsty,
you inhabitants of the land of Tema.
Bring food to the fugitives.
15 They flee from swords,
from swords ready to kill,
from bows ready to shoot,
and from the thick of battle.

16 This is what the Lord says to me: All of Kedar’s honor will be gone in another year. I will count it like workers count the years left on their contracts. 17 The remaining number of archers, Kedar’s mighty archers, will be few. The Lord God of Israel has spoken.

Judah Will Be Punished

22 This is the divine revelation about the valley of Vision.

What’s the matter with you?
Why do all of you go up on the roofs?
You are a city filled with shouting,
a town filled with noise and excitement.
Your people weren’t killed with swords.
Your dead didn’t die in battle.
All your leaders fled together
and were captured without their bows and arrows.
All those who were found were taken prisoner
before any of them could get far away.
That is why I say,
“Turn away from me
so that I can cry bitterly.
Don’t try to comfort me
because of the destruction brought on my people.”

The Almighty Lord of Armies has chosen a special day.
It will be a day of confusion and trampling
in the valley of Vision,
⌞a day of⌟ tearing down walls and crying for help
in the mountains.
Elam takes its quiver of arrows,
manned chariots, and horsemen.
Kir uncovers its shields.
Then your fertile valleys will be filled with chariots,
and horsemen will stand ready in front of the gate.
On that day the Lord will remove the defenses of Judah.

You will look for weapons in the House of the Forest.[f]
You will see how many places in David’s wall are broken.
You will store water in the Lower Pool.
10 You will count the houses in Jerusalem.
You will tear down those houses in order to fortify the walls.
11 You will build a reservoir between the two walls
to hold the water of the Old Pool.
You didn’t look to Jerusalem’s maker.
You didn’t see the one who formed it long ago.
12 On that day the Almighty Lord of Armies
will call for crying and for mourning,
for shaving your heads and for wearing sackcloth.
13 Instead, you will rejoice, celebrate,
slaughter cattle, and butcher sheep.
You will eat meat, drink wine, and say,
“Let’s eat and drink because tomorrow we’re going to die.”

14 The Lord of Armies revealed this to me: “Certainly, this wrong will not be forgiven even when you die,” says the Almighty Lord of Armies.

Shebna’s Position Will Be Given to Eliakim

15 This is what the Almighty Lord of Armies says:

Go to Shebna, the man in charge of the palace, and say ⌞to him⌟,
16 “What are you doing here?
What right do you have to dig a tomb for yourself?
What right do you have to cut it out in a prominent place?
What right do you have to carve out
a resting place for yourself in the rock?
17 Look, mighty man!
The Lord will throw you out.
He will grab you.
18 He will wrap you up tightly like a turban.
He will throw you far away into another land.
There you will die.
There your splendid chariots will remain.
There you will become a disgrace to your master’s household.

19 “I will remove you from your office
and do away with your position.
20 When that day comes, I will call my servant Eliakim, son of Hilkiah.
21 I will dress him in your linen robe
and fasten it with your belt.
I will give him your authority,
and he will be like a father to those who live in Jerusalem
and to the nation of Judah.
22 I will place the key of the house of David around his neck.
What he opens no one will shut.
What he shuts no one will open.
23 I will fasten him firmly in place like a peg,
and he will be a source of honor for his father’s household.
24 They will hang on him the whole weight of his father’s household,
descendants and offspring and all the little utensils,
from bowls to jars of every kind.”

25 The Lord of Armies declares,

“On that day the peg which I firmly fastened in place will be removed.
It will be cut off and will fall,
and everything hanging on it will be destroyed.”

The Lord has spoken.

Tyre Will Be Punished

23 This is the divine revelation about Tyre.

Cry loudly, you ships of Tarshish!
Your port at Tyre is destroyed.
Word has come to the ships from Cyprus.
Be silent, you inhabitants of the coastland, you merchants from Sidon.
Your messengers have crossed the sea.
The grain of Shihor is on the Mediterranean.
The harvest of the Nile River is brought to Tyre.
Tyre became the marketplace for the nations.

Be ashamed, Sidon, because the stronghold by the sea has spoken,
“I’ve never been in labor or given birth.
I’ve raised no sons.
I’ve brought up no daughters.”
When the news reaches Egypt,
the Egyptians will shudder over the news about Tyre.

Travel to Tarshish!
Cry loudly, you inhabitants of the seacoast!
Is this your bustling city founded in the distant past?
Is this the city that sent its people to settle in distant lands?
Who planned such a thing against Tyre, the city that produced kings?
Its merchants are princes.
Its traders are among the honored people of the world.
The Lord of Armies planned this
in order to dishonor all arrogant people
and to humiliate all the honored people of the world.
10 Travel through your country like the Nile, people of Tarshish.
You no longer have a harbor.
11 The Lord has stretched his hand over the sea to shake kingdoms.
He has commanded that Canaan’s fortifications be destroyed.
12 He says, “You will no longer be joyful,
my dear abused people Sidon.”
Get up, and travel to Cyprus.
Even there you will find no rest.
13 Look at the land of the Babylonians.
These people will be gone.
Assyria gave this land to the desert animals.
Assyria set up battle towers,
stripped palaces bare,
and turned these places into ruins.

14 Cry loudly, you ships of Tarshish, because your fortress will be destroyed. 15 When that day comes, Tyre will be forgotten for 70 years, the lifetime of one king. At the end of the 70 years, Tyre will be like the prostitute in this song:

16 “Take your lyre.
Go around in the city, you forgotten prostitute.
Make sweet music.
Sing many songs so that you’ll be remembered.”

17 At the end of 70 years the Lord will come to help Tyre. Then she will go back to earning money as a prostitute. She will become a prostitute for all the world’s kingdoms. 18 Her profits and her earnings will be turned over to the Lord for his holy purpose. It won’t be stored or hoarded. Her merchandise will belong to those who live in the presence of the Lord so that they will have plenty of food and expensive clothing.

Footnotes

  1. 19:5 Or “Then the water of the sea will be dried up.”
  2. 19:18 Dead Sea Scrolls, some Hebrew manuscripts, Greek, Targum, Latin, Egyptian; Masoretic Text “City of Destruction.”
  3. 21:8 Syriac, Dead Sea Scrolls; Masoretic Text, Targum “lion”; Greek “Uriah.”
  4. 21:10 Threshing is the process of beating stalks to separate them from the grain. Winnowing is the process of separating husks from grain.
  5. 21:11 The exact location of Dumah   is unknown.
  6. 22:8 The House of the Forest” is a storehouse for weapons and other items. It was built by Solomon as part of the temple complex.

A Prophecy Against Egypt

19 A prophecy(A) against Egypt:(B)

See, the Lord rides on a swift cloud(C)
    and is coming to Egypt.
The idols of Egypt tremble before him,
    and the hearts of the Egyptians melt(D) with fear.

“I will stir up Egyptian against Egyptian—
    brother will fight against brother,(E)
    neighbor against neighbor,
    city against city,
    kingdom against kingdom.(F)
The Egyptians will lose heart,(G)
    and I will bring their plans(H) to nothing;(I)
they will consult the idols and the spirits of the dead,
    the mediums and the spiritists.(J)
I will hand the Egyptians over
    to the power of a cruel master,
and a fierce king(K) will rule over them,”
    declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.

The waters of the river will dry up,(L)
    and the riverbed will be parched and dry.(M)
The canals will stink;(N)
    the streams of Egypt will dwindle and dry up.(O)
The reeds(P) and rushes will wither,(Q)
    also the plants(R) along the Nile,
    at the mouth of the river.
Every sown field(S) along the Nile
    will become parched, will blow away and be no more.(T)
The fishermen(U) will groan and lament,
    all who cast hooks(V) into the Nile;
those who throw nets on the water
    will pine away.
Those who work with combed flax(W) will despair,
    the weavers of fine linen(X) will lose hope.
10 The workers in cloth will be dejected,
    and all the wage earners will be sick at heart.

11 The officials of Zoan(Y) are nothing but fools;
    the wise counselors(Z) of Pharaoh give senseless advice.(AA)
How can you say to Pharaoh,
    “I am one of the wise men,(AB)
    a disciple of the ancient kings”?

12 Where are your wise men(AC) now?
    Let them show you and make known
what the Lord Almighty
    has planned(AD) against Egypt.
13 The officials of Zoan(AE) have become fools,
    the leaders of Memphis(AF) are deceived;
the cornerstones(AG) of her peoples
    have led Egypt astray.
14 The Lord has poured into them
    a spirit of dizziness;(AH)
they make Egypt stagger in all that she does,
    as a drunkard staggers(AI) around in his vomit.
15 There is nothing Egypt can do—
    head or tail, palm branch or reed.(AJ)

16 In that day(AK) the Egyptians will become weaklings.(AL) They will shudder with fear(AM) at the uplifted hand(AN) that the Lord Almighty raises against them. 17 And the land of Judah will bring terror to the Egyptians; everyone to whom Judah is mentioned will be terrified,(AO) because of what the Lord Almighty is planning(AP) against them.

18 In that day(AQ) five cities(AR) in Egypt will speak the language of Canaan and swear allegiance(AS) to the Lord Almighty. One of them will be called the City of the Sun.[a](AT)

19 In that day(AU) there will be an altar(AV) to the Lord in the heart of Egypt,(AW) and a monument(AX) to the Lord at its border. 20 It will be a sign and witness(AY) to the Lord Almighty in the land of Egypt. When they cry out to the Lord because of their oppressors, he will send them a savior(AZ) and defender, and he will rescue(BA) them. 21 So the Lord will make himself known to the Egyptians, and in that day they will acknowledge(BB) the Lord. They will worship(BC) with sacrifices and grain offerings; they will make vows to the Lord and keep them.(BD) 22 The Lord will strike(BE) Egypt with a plague;(BF) he will strike them and heal them. They will turn(BG) to the Lord, and he will respond to their pleas and heal(BH) them.

23 In that day(BI) there will be a highway(BJ) from Egypt to Assyria.(BK) The Assyrians will go to Egypt and the Egyptians to Assyria. The Egyptians and Assyrians will worship(BL) together. 24 In that day(BM) Israel will be the third, along with Egypt and Assyria,(BN) a blessing[b](BO) on the earth. 25 The Lord Almighty will bless(BP) them, saying, “Blessed be Egypt my people,(BQ) Assyria my handiwork,(BR) and Israel my inheritance.(BS)

A Prophecy Against Egypt and Cush

20 In the year that the supreme commander,(BT) sent by Sargon king of Assyria, came to Ashdod(BU) and attacked and captured it— at that time the Lord spoke through Isaiah son of Amoz.(BV) He said to him, “Take off the sackcloth(BW) from your body and the sandals(BX) from your feet.” And he did so, going around stripped(BY) and barefoot.(BZ)

Then the Lord said, “Just as my servant(CA) Isaiah has gone stripped and barefoot for three years,(CB) as a sign(CC) and portent(CD) against Egypt(CE) and Cush,[c](CF) so the king(CG) of Assyria will lead away stripped(CH) and barefoot the Egyptian captives(CI) and Cushite(CJ) exiles, young and old, with buttocks bared(CK)—to Egypt’s shame.(CL) Those who trusted(CM) in Cush(CN) and boasted in Egypt(CO) will be dismayed and put to shame.(CP) In that day(CQ) the people who live on this coast will say, ‘See what has happened(CR) to those we relied on,(CS) those we fled to for help(CT) and deliverance from the king of Assyria! How then can we escape?(CU)’”

A Prophecy Against Babylon

21 A prophecy(CV) against the Desert(CW) by the Sea:

Like whirlwinds(CX) sweeping through the southland,(CY)
    an invader comes from the desert,
    from a land of terror.

A dire(CZ) vision has been shown to me:
    The traitor betrays,(DA) the looter takes loot.
Elam,(DB) attack! Media,(DC) lay siege!
    I will bring to an end all the groaning she caused.

At this my body is racked with pain,(DD)
    pangs seize me, like those of a woman in labor;(DE)
I am staggered by what I hear,
    I am bewildered(DF) by what I see.
My heart(DG) falters,
    fear makes me tremble;(DH)
the twilight I longed for
    has become a horror(DI) to me.

They set the tables,
    they spread the rugs,
    they eat, they drink!(DJ)
Get up, you officers,
    oil the shields!(DK)

This is what the Lord says to me:

“Go, post a lookout(DL)
    and have him report what he sees.
When he sees chariots(DM)
    with teams of horses,
riders on donkeys
    or riders on camels,(DN)
let him be alert,
    fully alert.”

And the lookout[d](DO) shouted,

“Day after day, my lord, I stand on the watchtower;
    every night I stay at my post.
Look, here comes a man in a chariot(DP)
    with a team of horses.
And he gives back the answer:
    ‘Babylon(DQ) has fallen,(DR) has fallen!
All the images of its gods(DS)
    lie shattered(DT) on the ground!’”

10 My people who are crushed on the threshing floor,(DU)
    I tell you what I have heard
from the Lord Almighty,
    from the God of Israel.

A Prophecy Against Edom

11 A prophecy against Dumah[e]:(DV)

Someone calls to me from Seir,(DW)
    “Watchman, what is left of the night?
    Watchman, what is left of the night?”
12 The watchman replies,
    “Morning is coming, but also the night.
If you would ask, then ask;
    and come back yet again.”

A Prophecy Against Arabia

13 A prophecy(DX) against Arabia:(DY)

You caravans of Dedanites,(DZ)
    who camp in the thickets of Arabia,
14     bring water for the thirsty;
you who live in Tema,(EA)
    bring food for the fugitives.
15 They flee(EB) from the sword,(EC)
    from the drawn sword,
from the bent bow
    and from the heat of battle.

16 This is what the Lord says to me: “Within one year, as a servant bound by contract(ED) would count it, all the splendor(EE) of Kedar(EF) will come to an end. 17 The survivors of the archers, the warriors of Kedar, will be few.(EG)” The Lord, the God of Israel, has spoken.(EH)

A Prophecy About Jerusalem

22 A prophecy(EI) against the Valley(EJ) of Vision:(EK)

What troubles you now,
    that you have all gone up on the roofs,(EL)
you town so full of commotion,
    you city of tumult(EM) and revelry?(EN)
Your slain(EO) were not killed by the sword,(EP)
    nor did they die in battle.
All your leaders have fled(EQ) together;
    they have been captured(ER) without using the bow.
All you who were caught were taken prisoner together,
    having fled while the enemy was still far away.
Therefore I said, “Turn away from me;
    let me weep(ES) bitterly.
Do not try to console me
    over the destruction of my people.”(ET)

The Lord, the Lord Almighty, has a day(EU)
    of tumult and trampling(EV) and terror(EW)
    in the Valley of Vision,(EX)
a day of battering down walls(EY)
    and of crying out to the mountains.
Elam(EZ) takes up the quiver,(FA)
    with her charioteers and horses;
    Kir(FB) uncovers the shield.
Your choicest valleys(FC) are full of chariots,
    and horsemen are posted at the city gates.(FD)

The Lord stripped away the defenses of Judah,
    and you looked in that day(FE)
    to the weapons(FF) in the Palace of the Forest.(FG)
You saw that the walls of the City of David
    were broken through(FH) in many places;
you stored up water
    in the Lower Pool.(FI)
10 You counted the buildings in Jerusalem
    and tore down houses(FJ) to strengthen the wall.(FK)
11 You built a reservoir between the two walls(FL)
    for the water of the Old Pool,(FM)
but you did not look to the One who made it,
    or have regard(FN) for the One who planned(FO) it long ago.

12 The Lord, the Lord Almighty,
    called you on that day(FP)
to weep(FQ) and to wail,
    to tear out your hair(FR) and put on sackcloth.(FS)
13 But see, there is joy and revelry,(FT)
    slaughtering of cattle and killing of sheep,
    eating of meat and drinking of wine!(FU)
“Let us eat and drink,” you say,
    “for tomorrow we die!”(FV)

14 The Lord Almighty has revealed this in my hearing:(FW) “Till your dying day this sin will not be atoned(FX) for,” says the Lord, the Lord Almighty.

15 This is what the Lord, the Lord Almighty, says:

“Go, say to this steward,
    to Shebna(FY) the palace(FZ) administrator:(GA)
16 What are you doing here and who gave you permission
    to cut out a grave(GB) for yourself(GC) here,
hewing your grave on the height
    and chiseling your resting place in the rock?

17 “Beware, the Lord is about to take firm hold of you
    and hurl(GD) you away, you mighty man.
18 He will roll you up tightly like a ball
    and throw(GE) you into a large country.
There you will die
    and there the chariots(GF) you were so proud of
    will become a disgrace to your master’s house.
19 I will depose you from your office,
    and you will be ousted(GG) from your position.(GH)

20 “In that day(GI) I will summon my servant,(GJ) Eliakim(GK) son of Hilkiah. 21 I will clothe him with your robe and fasten your sash(GL) around him and hand your authority(GM) over to him. He will be a father to those who live in Jerusalem and to the people of Judah. 22 I will place on his shoulder(GN) the key(GO) to the house of David;(GP) what he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.(GQ) 23 I will drive him like a peg(GR) into a firm place;(GS) he will become a seat[f] of honor(GT) for the house of his father. 24 All the glory of his family will hang on him: its offspring and offshoots—all its lesser vessels, from the bowls to all the jars.

25 “In that day,(GU)” declares the Lord Almighty, “the peg(GV) driven into the firm place will give way; it will be sheared off and will fall, and the load hanging on it will be cut down.” The Lord has spoken.(GW)

A Prophecy Against Tyre

23 A prophecy against Tyre:(GX)

Wail,(GY) you ships(GZ) of Tarshish!(HA)
    For Tyre is destroyed(HB)
    and left without house or harbor.
From the land of Cyprus
    word has come to them.

Be silent,(HC) you people of the island
    and you merchants(HD) of Sidon,(HE)
    whom the seafarers have enriched.
On the great waters
    came the grain of the Shihor;(HF)
the harvest of the Nile[g](HG) was the revenue of Tyre,(HH)
    and she became the marketplace of the nations.

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

Cross over to Tarshish;(HM)
    wail, you people of the island.
Is this your city of revelry,(HN)
    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(HO) are princes,
    whose traders(HP) are renowned in the earth?
The Lord Almighty planned(HQ) it,
    to bring down(HR) her pride in all her splendor
    and to humble(HS) all who are renowned(HT) on the earth.

10 Till[h] 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(HU) over the sea
    and made its kingdoms tremble.(HV)
He has given an order concerning Phoenicia
    that her fortresses be destroyed.(HW)
12 He said, “No more of your reveling,(HX)
    Virgin Daughter(HY) Sidon, now crushed!

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

14 Wail, you ships(IF) of Tarshish;(IG)
    your fortress is destroyed!(IH)

15 At that time Tyre(II) will be forgotten for seventy years,(IJ) 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;(IK)
play the harp well, sing many a song,
    so that you will be remembered.”

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

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 19:18 Some manuscripts of the Masoretic Text, Dead Sea Scrolls, Symmachus and Vulgate; most manuscripts of the Masoretic Text City of Destruction
  2. Isaiah 19:24 Or Assyria, whose names will be used in blessings (see Gen. 48:20); or Assyria, who will be seen by others as blessed
  3. Isaiah 20:3 That is, the upper Nile region; also in verse 5
  4. Isaiah 21:8 Dead Sea Scrolls and Syriac; Masoretic Text A lion
  5. Isaiah 21:11 Dumah, a wordplay on Edom, means silence or stillness.
  6. Isaiah 22:23 Or throne
  7. 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,
  8. Isaiah 23:10 Dead Sea Scrolls and some Septuagint manuscripts; Masoretic Text Go through
  9. Isaiah 23:13 Or Chaldeans