Isaiah 23:1-14
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
An Oracle concerning Tyre
23 The oracle concerning Tyre.
Wail, O ships of Tarshish,
for your fortress is destroyed.[a]
When they came in from Cyprus
they learned of it.(A)
2 Be still, O inhabitants of the coast,
O merchants of Sidon;
your messengers crossed over the sea[b](B)
3 and were on the mighty waters;
your revenue[c] was the grain of Shihor,
the harvest of the Nile;
you were the merchant of the nations.(C)
4 Be ashamed, O Sidon, for the sea has spoken,
the fortress of the sea, saying:
“I have neither labored nor given birth;
I have neither reared young men
nor brought up young women.”(D)
5 When the report comes to Egypt,
they will be in anguish over the report about Tyre.
6 Cross over to Tarshish—
wail, O inhabitants of the coast!
7 Is this your exultant city
whose origin is from days of old,
whose feet carried her
to settle far away?(E)
8 Who has planned this
against Tyre, the bestower of crowns,
whose merchants were princes,
whose traders were the honored of the earth?
9 The Lord of hosts has planned it—
to defile the pride of all glory,
to shame all the honored of the earth.(F)
10 Cross over to your own land,
O ships of[d] Tarshish;
this is a harbor[e] no more.
11 He has stretched out his hand over the sea;
he has shaken the kingdoms;
the Lord has given command concerning Canaan,
to destroy its fortresses.(G)
12 He said:
“You will exult no longer,
O oppressed virgin daughter Sidon;
rise, cross over to Cyprus—
even there you will have no rest.”(H)
13 Look at the land of the Chaldeans! This is the people; it was not Assyria. They destined it for wild animals.[f] They erected their siege towers; they tore down her palaces; they made her a ruin.(I)
14 Wail, O ships of Tarshish,
for your fortress is destroyed.(J)
Isaiah 23:1-14
International Standard Version
Tyre is Rebuked
23 A message[a] concerning Tyre.
“Wail, you ships of Tarshish,
for Tyre is destroyed
and is without house or harbor!
From the land of Cyprus[b]
it was revealed to them.
2 “Be silent,[c] you inhabitants of the coast,
you merchants of Sidon,
whose messengers crossed over the sea,[d]
3 and were on mighty waters.
Her revenue was the grain of Shihor,
the harvest of the Nile;
and she became the marketplace of nations.
4 Be ashamed, Sidon, because the sea[e] has spoken,
the fortress of the sea:
I have neither been in labor nor given birth,
I have neither reared young men
nor brought up young women.”
5 When the news reaches Egypt,
they will be in anguish
at the report about Tyre.
6 “You who are crossing over[f] to Tarshish—
Wail, you inhabitants of the coast!
7 Is this your exciting[g] city,
that was founded long ago,
whose feet carried her
to settle in far-off lands?
8 Who has planned this
against Tyre,
that bestower of crowns,
whose merchants were princes,[h]
whose traders were the most renowned on earth?
9 The Lord of the Heavenly Armies has planned it—
to neutralize all the hubris of grandeur,[i]
to discredit all the renowned men of earth.
10 “Cultivate[j] your land like the Nile,
you daughter of Tarshish;
for there is no longer a harbor.
11 He has stretched out his hand over the sea;
he has made[k] kingdoms tremble.
The Lord has issued orders concerning Canaan
to destroy its strongholds.
12 And he said:
‘You will revel no longer,[l]
you virgin daughter of Sidon,
now crushed.
Get up, cross over to Cyprus—
but even there you will find no rest.’”
Tyre’s Desolation and Restoration
13 “Look at the land of the Chaldeans!
This is a people that no longer exist;
Assyria destined her[m] for desert creatures.[n]
They raised up her[o] siege towers,
they stripped her fortresses bare
and turned her into a ruin.
14 Wail, you ships of Tarshish,
because your[p] stronghold is destroyed!”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 23:1 Lit. An oracle
- Isaiah 23:1 Lit. of the Kittim
- Isaiah 23:2 So 1QIsaa 4QIsaa MT; LXX reads To whom are they like?
- Isaiah 23:2 So 1QIsaa 4QIsaa LXX; MT reads you whom the merchants of Sidon, passing over the sea, have replenished
- Isaiah 23:4 So 1QIsaa; 4QIsaa MT read for he
- Isaiah 23:6 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX read Cross over
- Isaiah 23:7 Or happy
- Isaiah 23:8 So 1QIsaa corrector
- Isaiah 23:9 So 1QIsaa LXX; MT reads the hubris of all grandeur
- Isaiah 23:10 Or Worship; so 1QIsaa LXX; 4QIsac MT read Pass through
- Isaiah 23:11 So 1QIsaa 4QIsaa MT LXX; 4QIsac reads to make
- Isaiah 23:12 So 1QIsaa MT LXX; 4QIsac reads won’t take refuge to revel; or won’t revel with gusto
- Isaiah 23:13 I.e. Tyre
- Isaiah 23:13 Or demons
- Isaiah 23:13 So 1QIsaa; MT reads his
- Isaiah 23:14 So 1QIsaa (sing.); MT LXX (pl.)
Isaiah 23:1-14
New International Version
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.
2 Be silent,(F) you people of the island
and you merchants(G) of Sidon,(H)
whom the seafarers have enriched.
3 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.
4 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.”
5 When word comes to Egypt,
they will be in anguish(N) at the report from Tyre.(O)
6 Cross over to Tarshish;(P)
wail, you people of the island.
7 Is this your city of revelry,(Q)
the old, old city,
whose feet have taken her
to settle in far-off lands?
8 Who planned this against Tyre,
the bestower of crowns,
whose merchants(R) are princes,
whose traders(S) are renowned in the earth?
9 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)
Footnotes
- Isaiah 23:3 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scrolls Sidon, / who cross over the sea; / your envoys 3 are on the great waters. / The grain of the Shihor, / the harvest of the Nile,
- Isaiah 23:10 Dead Sea Scrolls and some Septuagint manuscripts; Masoretic Text Go through
- Isaiah 23:13 Or Chaldeans
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Copyright © 1995-2014 by ISV Foundation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. Used by permission of Davidson Press, LLC.
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.