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.

Be silent,(F) you people of the island
    and you merchants(G) of Sidon,(H)
    whom the seafarers have enriched.
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.

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.”
When word comes to Egypt,
    they will be in anguish(N) at the report from Tyre.(O)

Cross over to Tarshish;(P)
    wail, you people of the island.
Is this your city of revelry,(Q)
    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(R) are princes,
    whose traders(S) are renowned in the earth?
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)

14 Wail, you ships(AI) of Tarshish;(AJ)
    your fortress is destroyed!(AK)

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Footnotes

  1. 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,
  2. Isaiah 23:10 Dead Sea Scrolls and some Septuagint manuscripts; Masoretic Text Go through
  3. Isaiah 23:13 Or Chaldeans

Concerning Tyre

23 An oracle about Tyre.

Wail, ships of Tarshish,
    because your port is destroyed![a]
        When returning from Cyprus, they heard about it.
Be still, inhabitants of the coast, traders of Sidon,
    whose messengers crossed over the sea,[b]
    over the mighty waters.
The grain of Shihor, the Nile’s harvest, was her income;
    she was the marketplace of nations.
Be ashamed, Sidon, because the sea has spoken;
    the fortress of the sea has said,
    “I haven’t been in labor; I didn’t give birth;
    I never raised young men or brought up young women.”
When the Egyptians hear,
    they will be in anguish at the news about Tyre.
Cross over to Tarshish;
    wail, inhabitants of the coast.
Is this your triumphant town,
    whose origin is from ancient times,
    whose feet carried her to settle far away?
Who planned this concerning Tyre,
        the one who gives crowns,
    whose merchants were princes,
    whose traders were the honored of the earth?
The Lord of heavenly forces planned it,
    to defile the pride of all beauty,
    to shame all the honored of the earth.

10 Go through your own land, Daughter Tarshish,
    for the harbor[c] is gone.
11 God’s hand is extended over the sea, shaking nations.
The Lord gave the command to destroy Phoenicia’s fortresses,
12     saying, You will no longer celebrate,
    violated virgin Daughter Sidon.
Get up and head to Cyprus;
    even there you will find no rest.
13 Look at the land of the Chaldeans,
    the people who are no more.
Assyria destined it for wild animals:
    they raised up their siege towers,
    stripped its palaces,
    and made it a ruin.
14 Wail, ships of Tarshish,
    for your fortress is destroyed!

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 23:1 Heb uncertain
  2. Isaiah 23:2 Correction; MT one crossing over the sea filled you
  3. Isaiah 23:10 Heb uncertain