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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.
(F)Be silent, you inhabitants of the coastland,
You merchants of Sidon;
[d]Your messengers crossed the sea
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.
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.”
When the report reaches Egypt,
They will be in (K)travail at the report of Tyre.
Pass over to (L)Tarshish;
Wail, O inhabitants of the coastland.
Is this your (M)exultant city,
Whose origin is from days of old,
Whose feet used to lead her to sojourn in distant places?

Who has counseled this against Tyre, (N)the bestower of crowns,
Whose merchants were princes, whose traders were the honored of the earth?
(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

  1. Isaiah 23:1 Or burden of
  2. Isaiah 23:1 Lit entering
  3. Isaiah 23:1 Heb Kittim
  4. Isaiah 23:2 As in DSS; M.T. Who passed over the sea, they replenished you
  5. Isaiah 23:3 Lit seed
  6. Isaiah 23:3 Part of the Nile
  7. Isaiah 23:10 Lit Pass over
  8. Isaiah 23:10 Possibly girdle, shipyard
  9. Isaiah 23:12 Heb Kittim
  10. Isaiah 23:17 Lit of the earth on the face of the land

An Oracle Concerning Tyre and Sidon

23 The (A)oracle concerning (B)Tyre.

Wail, O (C)ships of Tarshish,
    for Tyre is laid waste, (D)without house or harbor!
From (E)the land of Cyprus[a]
    it is revealed to them.
Be still, O inhabitants of the coast;
    the merchants of (F)Sidon, who cross the sea, have filled you.
And on many waters
your revenue was the grain of Shihor,
    the harvest of the Nile;
    you were (G)the merchant of the nations.
Be ashamed, O (H)Sidon, for the sea has spoken,
    the stronghold of the sea, saying:
“I have neither labored nor given birth,
    I have neither reared young men
    nor brought up young women.”
When the report comes to Egypt,
    they will be in anguish[b] over the report about Tyre.
(I)Cross over to Tarshish;
    wail, O inhabitants of the coast!
Is this your exultant city
    (J)whose origin is from days of old,
whose feet carried her
    to settle far away?
Who has purposed this
    against Tyre, the bestower of crowns,
whose merchants were princes,
    whose traders were the honored of the earth?
The Lord of hosts has purposed it,
    (K)to defile the pompous pride of all glory,[c]
    to dishonor all the honored of the earth.
10 Cross over your land like the Nile,
    O daughter of Tarshish;
    there is no restraint anymore.
11 (L)He has stretched out his hand over the sea;
    he has shaken the kingdoms;
the Lord has given command concerning Canaan
    to destroy its strongholds.
12 And he said:
“You will no more exult,
    O oppressed virgin daughter of (M)Sidon;
arise, (N)cross over to (O)Cyprus,
    even there you will have no rest.”

13 Behold the land of (P)the Chaldeans! This is the people that was not;[d] Assyria destined it for wild beasts. They erected (Q)their siege towers, they stripped her palaces bare, they made her a ruin.

14 (R)Wail, O ships of Tarshish,
    for your stronghold is laid waste.

15 In that day Tyre will be forgotten for (S)seventy years, like the days[e] of one king. At the end of (T)seventy years, it will happen to Tyre as in the song of the prostitute:

16 “Take a harp;
    go about the city,
    O forgotten prostitute!
Make sweet melody;
    sing many songs,
    that you may be remembered.”

17 At the end of (U)seventy years, the Lord will visit Tyre, and she will return to her wages and (V)will prostitute herself with all the kingdoms of the world on the face of the earth. 18 Her merchandise and her wages will be holy to the Lord. It will not be stored or hoarded, but her merchandise will supply abundant food and fine clothing for those who dwell before the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 23:1 Hebrew Kittim; also verse 12
  2. Isaiah 23:5 Hebrew they will have labor pains
  3. Isaiah 23:9 The Hebrew words for glory and hosts sound alike
  4. Isaiah 23:13 Or that has become nothing
  5. Isaiah 23:15 Or lifetime