The Fall of Tyre

23 The pronouncement concerning (A)Tyre:

Wail, you (B)ships of (C)Tarshish,
For Tyre is destroyed, without house or [a](D)harbor;
It is reported to them from the land of [b](E)Cyprus.
(F)Be silent, you inhabitants of the coastland,
You merchants of Sidon;
[c]Your messengers crossed the sea
And were on many waters.
(G)The grain of the [d](H)Nile, the harvest of the River was her revenue;
And she was the (I)market of nations.
Be ashamed, (J)Sidon,
For the sea speaks, the stronghold of the sea, saying,
“I have neither been in labor nor given birth,
I have neither brought up young men nor raised virgins.”
When the report reaches Egypt,
They will be in (K)anguish over the report of Tyre.
Pass over to (L)Tarshish;
Wail, you inhabitants of the coastland.
Is this your (M)jubilant city,
Whose origin is from antiquity,
Whose feet used to bring her to [e]colonize distant places?

Who has planned this against Tyre, (N)the bestower of crowns,
Whose merchants were princes, whose traders were the honored of the earth?
(O)The Lord of armies has planned it, to (P)defile the pride of all beauty,
To despise all the (Q)honored of the earth.
10 [f]Overflow your land like the Nile, you daughter of Tarshish,
There is no more [g]restraint.
11 He has (R)stretched His hand out (S)over the sea,
He has (T)made the kingdoms tremble;
The Lord has given a command concerning Canaan to (U)demolish its strongholds.

12 He has said, “(V)You shall not be jubilant anymore, you crushed virgin daughter of Sidon.
Arise, pass over to [h](W)Cyprus; even there you will find no rest.”

13 Behold, the land of the Chaldeans—this is the people that did not exist; (X)Assyria allocated it for (Y)desert creatures—they erected their siege towers, they stripped its palaces, (Z)they made it a ruin.

14 Wail, you (AA)ships of Tarshish,
For your stronghold is destroyed.

15 Now on that day 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 prostitute:

16 Take your harp, wander around the city,
You forgotten prostitute;
Pluck the strings skillfully, sing many songs,
That you may be remembered.

17 It will come about at (AC)the end of seventy years that the Lord will visit Tyre. Then she will go back to her prostitute’s wages and (AD)commit prostitution with all the kingdoms [i]on the face of the earth. 18 Her (AE)profit and her prostitute’s wages will be (AF)sacred to the Lord; it will not be stored up or hoarded, but her profit will become sufficient food and magnificent attire for those who dwell in the presence of the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 23:1 Lit entering
  2. Isaiah 23:1 Heb Kittim
  3. Isaiah 23:2 As in DSS; MT Who passed over the sea, they replenished you
  4. Isaiah 23:3 Heb Shihor
  5. Isaiah 23:7 Lit sojourn afar off
  6. Isaiah 23:10 Lit Pass over
  7. Isaiah 23:10 Perhaps girdle or shipyard
  8. Isaiah 23:12 Heb Kittim
  9. Isaiah 23:17 Lit of the earth on the face of the land

Proclamation Against Tyre

23 The (A)burden[a] against Tyre.

Wail, you ships of Tarshish!
For it is laid waste,
So that there is no house, no harbor;
From the land of [b]Cyprus it is revealed to them.

Be still, you inhabitants of the coastland,
You merchants of Sidon,
[c]Whom those who cross the sea have filled.
And on great waters the grain of Shihor,
The harvest of [d]the River, is her revenue;
And (B)she is a marketplace for the nations.

Be ashamed, O Sidon;
For the sea has spoken,
The strength of the sea, saying,
“I do not labor, nor bring forth children;
Neither do I rear young men,
Nor bring up virgins.”
(C)When the report reaches Egypt,
They also will be in agony at the report of Tyre.

Cross over to Tarshish;
Wail, you inhabitants of the coastland!
Is this your (D)joyous city,
Whose antiquity is from ancient days,
Whose feet carried her far off to dwell?
Who has taken this counsel against Tyre, (E)the crowning city,
Whose merchants are princes,
Whose traders are the honorable of the earth?
The Lord of hosts has (F)purposed it,
To [e]bring to dishonor the (G)pride of all glory,
To bring into contempt all the honorable of the earth.

10 Overflow through your land like [f]the River,
O daughter of Tarshish;
There is no more [g]strength.
11 He stretched out His hand over the sea,
He shook the kingdoms;
The Lord has given a commandment (H)against Canaan
To destroy its strongholds.
12 And He said, “You will rejoice no more,
O you oppressed virgin daughter of Sidon.
Arise, (I)cross over to Cyprus;
There also you will have no rest.”

13 Behold, the land of the (J)Chaldeans,
This people which was not;
Assyria founded it for (K)wild beasts of the desert.
They set up its towers,
They raised up its palaces,
And brought it to ruin.

14 (L)Wail, you ships of Tarshish!
For your strength is laid waste.

15 Now it shall come to pass in that day that Tyre will be forgotten seventy years, according to 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 a harp, go about the city,
You forgotten harlot;
Make sweet melody, sing many songs,
That you may be remembered.”

17 And it shall be, at the end of seventy years, that the Lord will deal with Tyre. She will return to her hire, and (M)commit fornication with all the kingdoms of the world on the face of the earth. 18 Her gain and her pay (N)will be set apart for the Lord; it will not be treasured nor laid up, for her gain will be for those who dwell before the Lord, to eat sufficiently, and for [h]fine clothing.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 23:1 oracle, prophecy
  2. Isaiah 23:1 Heb. Kittim, western lands, especially Cyprus
  3. Isaiah 23:2 So with MT, Vg.; LXX, Tg. Passing over the water; DSS Your messengers passing over the sea
  4. Isaiah 23:3 The Nile
  5. Isaiah 23:9 pollute
  6. Isaiah 23:10 The Nile
  7. Isaiah 23:10 restraint, lit. belt
  8. Isaiah 23:18 choice

Judgment on the Earth

24 Behold, the Lord (A)lays the earth waste, devastates it, twists its surface, and scatters its inhabitants. And the people will be like the priest, the servant like his master, the female servant like her mistress, the buyer like the seller, the lender like the borrower, the (B)creditor like the debtor. The earth will be completely laid waste and completely plundered, for the Lord has spoken this word. The (C)earth dries up and crumbles away, the mainland dries out and crumbles away, the (D)exalted of the people of the earth dwindle. The earth is also (E)defiled [a]by its inhabitants, for they violated laws, altered statutes, and (F)broke the everlasting covenant. Therefore, a (G)curse devours the earth, and those who live on it suffer for their guilt. Therefore, the (H)inhabitants of the earth decrease in number, and few people are left.

The (I)new wine mourns,
The vine decays,
All the joyful-hearted sigh.
The (J)joy of tambourines ceases,
The noise of revelers stops,
The joy of the harp ceases.
They do not drink wine with song;
(K)Intoxicating drink is (L)bitter to those who drink it.
10 The (M)city of chaos is broken down;
(N)Every house is shut up so that no one may enter.
11 There is an (O)outcry in the streets concerning the wine;
(P)All joy [b]turns to gloom.
The joy of the earth is banished.
12 Desolation is left in the city
And the (Q)gate is battered to ruins.
13 For (R)so it will be in the midst of the earth among the peoples,
As the [c]shaking of an olive tree,
As the gleanings when the grape harvest is over.
14 (S)They raise their voices, they shout for joy;
They cry out from the [d]west concerning the majesty of the Lord.
15 Therefore (T)glorify the Lord in the [e]east,
The (U)name of the Lord, the God of Israel,
In the [f](V)coastlands of the sea.
16 From the (W)ends of the earth we hear songs: “(X)Glory to the Righteous One,”
But I say, “[g]I am finished! I am finished! Woe to me!
The (Y)treacherous deal treacherously,
And the treacherous deal very treacherously.”
17 (Z)Terror and pit and snare
[h]Confront you, you inhabitant of the earth.
18 Then it will be that the one who flees the sound of terror will fall into the pit,
And the one who [i]climbs out of the pit will be caught in the snare;
For the (AA)windows [j]above are opened, and the (AB)foundations of the earth shake.
19 (AC)The earth is broken apart,
The earth is (AD)split through,
The earth is shaken violently.
20 The earth (AE)trembles like a heavy drinker
And sways like a hut,
For its (AF)wrongdoing is heavy upon it,
And it will fall, (AG)never to rise again.
21 So it will happen on that day,
That the Lord will (AH)punish the rebellious [k](AI)angels of [l]heaven on high,
And the (AJ)kings of the earth on earth.
22 They will be gathered together
Like (AK)prisoners in the [m]dungeon,
And will be confined in prison;
And after many days they will (AL)be punished.
23 Then the (AM)moon will be ashamed and the sun be put to shame,
For the (AN)Lord of armies will reign on (AO)Mount Zion and in Jerusalem,
And His glory will be before His elders.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 24:5 Lit under
  2. Isaiah 24:11 Lit is darkened
  3. Isaiah 24:13 Lit striking
  4. Isaiah 24:14 Lit sea
  5. Isaiah 24:15 Lit region of light
  6. Isaiah 24:15 Or islands
  7. Isaiah 24:16 Meaning uncertain
  8. Isaiah 24:17 Lit Are upon you
  9. Isaiah 24:18 Lit goes up from the midst of
  10. Isaiah 24:18 Lit from the height; i.e., heaven
  11. Isaiah 24:21 Lit host
  12. Isaiah 24:21 Lit the height in the height
  13. Isaiah 24:22 Lit pit

Impending Judgment on the Earth

24 Behold, the Lord makes the earth empty and makes it waste,
Distorts its surface
And scatters abroad its inhabitants.
And it shall be:
As with the people, so with the (A)priest;
As with the servant, so with his master;
As with the maid, so with her mistress;
(B)As with the buyer, so with the seller;
As with the lender, so with the borrower;
As with the creditor, so with the debtor.
The land shall be entirely emptied and utterly plundered,
For the Lord has spoken this word.

The earth mourns and fades away,
The world languishes and fades away;
The (C)haughty[a] people of the earth languish.
(D)The earth is also defiled under its inhabitants,
Because they have (E)transgressed the laws,
Changed the ordinance,
Broken the (F)everlasting covenant.
Therefore (G)the curse has devoured the earth,
And those who dwell in it are [b]desolate.
Therefore the inhabitants of the earth are (H)burned,
And few men are left.

(I)The new wine fails, the vine languishes,
All the merry-hearted sigh.
The mirth (J)of the tambourine ceases,
The noise of the jubilant ends,
The joy of the harp ceases.
They shall not drink wine with a song;
Strong drink is bitter to those who drink it.
10 The city of confusion is broken down;
Every house is shut up, so that none may go in.
11 There is a cry for wine in the streets,
All joy is darkened,
The mirth of the land is gone.
12 In the city desolation is left,
And the gate is stricken with destruction.
13 When it shall be thus in the midst of the land among the people,
(K)It shall be like the shaking of an olive tree,
Like the gleaning of grapes when the vintage is done.

14 They shall lift up their voice, they shall sing;
For the majesty of the Lord
They shall cry aloud from the sea.
15 Therefore (L)glorify the Lord in the dawning light,
(M)The name of the Lord God of Israel in the coastlands of the sea.
16 From the ends of the earth we have heard songs:
“Glory to the righteous!”
But I said, [c]“I am ruined, ruined!
Woe to me!
(N)The treacherous dealers have dealt treacherously,
Indeed, the treacherous dealers have dealt very treacherously.”

17 (O)Fear and the pit and the snare
Are upon you, O inhabitant of the earth.
18 And it shall be
That he who flees from the noise of the fear
Shall fall into the pit,
And he who comes up from the midst of the pit
Shall be [d]caught in the snare;
For (P)the windows from on high are open,
And (Q)the foundations of the earth are shaken.

19 (R)The earth is violently broken,
The earth is split open,
The earth is shaken exceedingly.
20 The earth shall (S)reel[e] to and fro like a drunkard,
And shall totter like a hut;
Its transgression shall be heavy upon it,
And it will fall, and not rise again.

21 It shall come to pass in that day
That the Lord will punish on high the host of exalted ones,
And on the earth (T)the kings of the earth.
22 They will be gathered together,
As prisoners are gathered in the [f]pit,
And will be shut up in the prison;
After many days they will be punished.
23 Then the (U)moon will be disgraced
And the sun ashamed;
For the Lord of hosts will (V)reign
On (W)Mount Zion and in Jerusalem
And before His elders, gloriously.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 24:4 proud
  2. Isaiah 24:6 Or held guilty
  3. Isaiah 24:16 Lit. Leanness to me, leanness to me
  4. Isaiah 24:18 Lit. taken
  5. Isaiah 24:20 stagger
  6. Isaiah 24:22 dungeon

Song of Praise for God’s Favor

25 Lord, You are (A)my God;
I will exalt You, I will give thanks to Your name;
For You have (B)worked wonders,
(C)Plans formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness.
For You have turned a city into a (D)heap,
A (E)fortified city into a ruin;
A (F)palace of strangers is no longer a city,
It will never be rebuilt.
Therefore a strong people will (G)glorify You;
(H)Cities of ruthless nations will revere You.
For You have been a (I)stronghold for the helpless,
A stronghold for the poor in his distress,
A (J)refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat;
For the breath of the (K)ruthless
Is like a rain storm against a wall.
Like heat in a dry land, You subdue the (L)uproar of foreigners;
Like heat by the shadow of a cloud, the song of the ruthless is [a]silenced.

(M)Now the Lord of armies will prepare a [b]lavish banquet for (N)all peoples on this mountain;
A banquet of [c]aged wine, [d]choice pieces with marrow,
And [e]refined, aged wine.
And on this mountain He will destroy the [f](O)covering which is over all peoples,
The veil which is [g]stretched over all nations.
He will [h](P)swallow up death for all time,
And the Lord [i]God will (Q)wipe tears away from all faces,
And He will remove the (R)disgrace of His people from all the earth;
For the Lord has spoken.
And it will be said on that day,
“Behold, (S)this is our God for whom we have (T)waited [j]that (U)He might save us.
This is the Lord for whom we have waited;
(V)Let’s rejoice and be glad in His salvation.”
10 For the hand of the Lord will rest on this mountain,
And (W)Moab will be trampled down in his place
As straw is trampled down in the water of a manure pile.
11 And he will (X)spread out his hands in the middle of it
As a swimmer spreads out his hands to swim,
But the Lord will (Y)lay low his pride together with the trickery of his hands.
12 The (Z)unassailable fortifications of your walls He will bring down,
Lay low, and throw to the ground, to the dust.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 25:5 Lit humbled
  2. Isaiah 25:6 Lit feast of fat things; i.e., abundance
  3. Isaiah 25:6 Lit wine on the lees
  4. Isaiah 25:6 Lit fat pieces
  5. Isaiah 25:6 Lit wine refined on the lees
  6. Isaiah 25:7 Lit face of the covering
  7. Isaiah 25:7 Lit woven
  8. Isaiah 25:8 I.e., destroy
  9. Isaiah 25:8 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
  10. Isaiah 25:9 Or and He saved us

Praise to God

25 O Lord, You are my God.
(A)I will exalt You,
I will praise Your name,
(B)For You have done wonderful things;
(C)Your counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.
For You have made (D)a city a ruin,
A fortified city a ruin,
A palace of foreigners to be a city no more;
It will never be rebuilt.
Therefore the strong people will (E)glorify You;
The city of the [a]terrible nations will fear You.
For You have been a strength to the poor,
A strength to the needy in his distress,
(F)A refuge from the storm,
A shade from the heat;
For the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.
You will reduce the noise of aliens,
As heat in a dry place;
As heat in the shadow of a cloud,
The song of the terrible ones will be [b]diminished.

And in (G)this mountain
(H)The Lord of hosts will make for (I)all people
A feast of [c]choice pieces,
A feast of [d]wines on the lees,
Of fat things full of marrow,
Of well-refined wines on the lees.
And He will destroy on this mountain
The surface of the covering cast over all people,
And (J)the veil that is spread over all nations.
He will (K)swallow up death forever,
And the Lord God will (L)wipe away tears from all faces;
The rebuke of His people
He will take away from all the earth;
For the Lord has spoken.

And it will be said in that day:
“Behold, this is our God;
(M)We have waited for Him, and He will save us.
This is the Lord;
We have waited for Him;
(N)We will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.”

10 For on this mountain the hand of the Lord will rest,
And (O)Moab shall be trampled down under Him,
As straw is trampled down for the refuse heap.
11 And He will spread out His hands in their midst
As a swimmer reaches out to swim,
And He will bring down their (P)pride
Together with the trickery of their hands.
12 The (Q)fortress of the high fort of your walls
He will bring down, lay low,
And bring to the ground, down to the dust.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 25:3 terrifying
  2. Isaiah 25:5 humbled
  3. Isaiah 25:6 Lit. fat things
  4. Isaiah 25:6 wines matured on the sediment

Foundations for Living

And I, brothers and sisters, could not speak to you as (A)spiritual people, but only as (B)fleshly, as to (C)infants in Christ. I gave you (D)milk to drink, not solid food; for you (E)were not yet able to consume it. But even now you are not yet able, for you are still fleshly. For since there is (F)jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking (G)like ordinary people? For when (H)one person says, “I am [a]with Paul,” and another, “I am [b]with Apollos,” are you not ordinary (I)people?

What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? (J)Servants through whom you believed, even (K)as the Lord gave opportunity to each one. (L)I planted, (M)Apollos watered, but (N)God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. Now the one who plants and the one who waters are one; but each will (O)receive his own [c]reward according to his own labor. For we are God’s (P)fellow workers; you are God’s [d](Q)field, God’s (R)building.

10 According to (S)the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder (T)I laid a foundation, and (U)another is building on it. But each person must be careful how he builds on it. 11 For no one can lay a (V)foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw, 13 (W)each one’s work will become evident; for (X)the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test [e]the quality of each one’s work. 14 If anyone’s work which he has built on it remains, he will (Y)receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet only (Z)so as through fire.

16 (AA)Do you not know that (AB)you are a [f]temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 17 If anyone destroys the [g]temple of God, God will destroy [h]that person; for the [i]temple of God is holy, [j]and that is what you are.

18 (AC)Take care that no one deceives himself. (AD)If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in (AE)this age, he must become foolish, so that he may become wise. 19 For (AF)the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the sight of God. For it is written: “He is (AG)the one who catches the wise by their craftiness”; 20 and again, “(AH)The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are useless.” 21 So then, (AI)no one is to be boasting in people. For (AJ)all things belong to you, 22 (AK)whether Paul or Apollos or [k]Cephas, or the world or (AL)life or death, or things present or things to come; all things belong to you, 23 and (AM)you belong to Christ, and (AN)Christ belongs to God.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Corinthians 3:4 Lit of
  2. 1 Corinthians 3:4 Lit of
  3. 1 Corinthians 3:8 Or wages
  4. 1 Corinthians 3:9 Or cultivated land
  5. 1 Corinthians 3:13 Lit of what sort each man’s work is
  6. 1 Corinthians 3:16 Or sanctuary
  7. 1 Corinthians 3:17 Or sanctuary
  8. 1 Corinthians 3:17 Lit this
  9. 1 Corinthians 3:17 Or sanctuary
  10. 1 Corinthians 3:17 Lit who you are
  11. 1 Corinthians 3:22 Peter’s Aramaic name

Sectarianism Is Carnal

And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to (A)babes in Christ. I fed you with (B)milk and not with solid food; (C)for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and [a]behaving like mere men? For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not carnal?

Watering, Working, Warning

Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but (D)ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? (E)I planted, (F)Apollos watered, (G)but God gave the increase. So then (H)neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. Now he who plants and he who waters are one, (I)and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor.

For (J)we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are (K)God’s building. 10 (L)According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid (M)the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. 11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than (N)that which is laid, (O)which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each one’s work will become clear; for the Day (P)will declare it, because (Q)it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. 14 If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.

16 (R)Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 17 If anyone [b]defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.

Avoid Worldly Wisdom

18 (S)Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, (T)“He catches the wise in their own craftiness”; 20 and again, (U)“The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.” 21 Therefore let no one boast in men. For (V)all things are yours: 22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or the world or life or death, or things present or things to come—all are yours. 23 And (W)you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Corinthians 3:3 Lit. walking according to man
  2. 1 Corinthians 3:17 destroys