Isaiah 23
Holman Christian Standard Bible
An Oracle against Tyre
23 An oracle(A) against Tyre:(B)
Wail, ships of Tarshish,(C)
for your haven has been destroyed.
Word has reached them from the land of Cyprus.[a](D)
2 Mourn, inhabitants of the coastland,
you merchants of Sidon;(E)
your agents have crossed the sea[b]
3 on many waters.
Tyre’s revenue was the grain from Shihor—
the harvest of the Nile.
She was the merchant among the nations.(F)
4 Be ashamed Sidon, the stronghold of the sea,
for the sea has spoken:
“I have not been in labor or given birth.
I have not raised young men
or brought up young women.”
5 When the news reaches Egypt,
they will be in anguish over the news about Tyre.(G)
6 Cross over to Tarshish;
wail, inhabitants of the coastland!
7 Is this your jubilant city,
whose origin was in ancient times,
whose feet have taken her
to settle far away?
8 Who planned this against Tyre,
the bestower of crowns,
whose traders are princes,
whose merchants are the honored ones of the earth?
9 The Lord of Hosts planned it,
to desecrate all its glorious beauty,
to disgrace all the honored ones of the earth.
10 Overflow[c] your land like the Nile, daughter of Tarshish;
there is no longer anything to restrain you.[d]
11 He stretched out His hand over the sea;(H)
He made kingdoms tremble.
The Lord has commanded
that the Canaanite fortresses be destroyed.
12 He said,
“You will not rejoice anymore,
ravished young woman, daughter of Sidon.
Get up and cross over to Cyprus(I)—
even there you will have no rest!”
13 Look at the land of the Chaldeans—
a people who no longer exist.
Assyria destined it for desert creatures.
They set up their siege towers
and stripped its palaces.
They made it a ruin.
14 Wail, ships of Tarshish,
because your fortress is destroyed!
15 On that day Tyre will be forgotten for 70 years—the life span of one king. At the end of 70 years, what the song says about the prostitute will happen to Tyre:
16 Pick up your lyre,
stroll through the city,
prostitute forgotten by men.
Play skillfully,
sing many a song,
and you will be thought of again.
17 And at the end of the 70 years,(J) the Lord will restore Tyre(K) and she will go back into business, prostituting herself with all the kingdoms of the world on the face of the earth. 18 But her profits and wages will be dedicated to the Lord. They will not be stored or saved, for her profit will go to those who live in the Lord’s presence, to provide them with ample food and sacred clothing.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 23:1 Hb Kittim
- Isaiah 23:2 DSS; MT reads Sidon, whom the seafarers have filled
- Isaiah 23:10 DSS, LXX read Work
- Isaiah 23:10 Or longer any harbor
Isaiah 23
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!”
15 It will happen at that time that Tyre will be forgotten for 70 years, the span of a king’s life. Then, at the end of those 70 years, it will turn out for Tyre as in the prostitute’s song:[q]
16 “Take a harp;
walk around the city,
you forgotten whore!
Make sweet melody;
sing many songs,
and perhaps you’ll be remembered.”
17 At the end of 70 years, the Lord will deal with Tyre, at which time she’ll return to her courtesan’s trade, and prostitute herself with the kingdoms[r] of the world on the surface of the earth. 18 Nevertheless, her profits and her earnings will be dedicated[s] to the Lord; they will not be stored up or hoarded—but her profits will go to those who live in the Lord’s presence,[t] for abundant food and choice clothing.
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 23:15 So 1QIsac MT LXX; 1QIsaa lacks that Tyre will be forgotten for 70 years, the span of a king’s life. Then, at the end of those 70 years
- Isaiah 23:17 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX read all the kingdoms
- Isaiah 23:18 Or given
- Isaiah 23:18 So 1QIsaa MT; 4QIsac reads but will be for those who live in the Lord’s presence. And her profits will be
Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville Tennessee. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1995-2014 by ISV Foundation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. Used by permission of Davidson Press, LLC.
