Isaiah 23
1 This is the burden against Tyre: Wail, O ships of Tarshish, for Tyre is laid waste, without house or harbor. Word has reached them from the land of Cyprus.
The doom of Tyre. Wail, ye ships of Tharshish; for it is laid waste, without house, without entrance: from the land of Kittim hath it been revealed to them.
2 Be silent, O dwellers of the coastland, you merchants of Sidon, whose traders have crossed the sea.
Be silent, ye inhabitants of the coast-land: the merchants of Zidon, that pass over the sea [formerly] filled thee.
3 On the great waters came the grain of Shihor; the harvest of the Nile was the revenue of Tyre; she was the merchant of the nations.
And on mighty waters [came] the seed of Shichor, the harvest of the stream, as her revenue; and she became the mart of nations.
4 Be ashamed, O 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.”
Be ashamed, O Zion; for spoken hath the sea, the stronghold of the sea, saying, I travailed not, nor brought forth children, neither did I nourish up young men, nor bring up virgins.
5 When the report reaches Egypt, they will writhe in agony over the news of Tyre.
As at the report concerning Egypt, so shall they tremble at the report of Tyre.
6 Cross over to Tarshish; wail, O inhabitants of the coastland!
Pass ye over to Tharshish; wail, ye inhabitants of the coast-land.
7 Is this your jubilant city, whose origin is from antiquity, whose feet have taken her to settle far away?
Is this your fate, ye of the joyous [city]? she whose antiquity is of ancient days—her own feet shall carry her, afar off to sojourn.
8 Who planned this against Tyre, the bestower of crowns, whose traders are princes, whose merchants are renowned on the earth?
Who hath resolved this against Tyre, the crowning city, whose merchants are princes, whose traders are the honorable of the earth?
9 The LORD of Hosts planned it, to defile all its glorious beauty, to disgrace all the renowned of the earth.
The Lord hath resolved it, to dishonor the pride of all ornament, to make of light esteem all the honorable of the earth.
10 Cultivate your land like the Nile, O Daughter of Tarshish; there is no longer a harbor.
Pass through thy land as a stream, O daughter of Tharshish: there is no more strength.
11 The LORD has stretched out His hand over the sea; He has made kingdoms tremble. He has given a command that the strongholds of Canaan be destroyed.
He hath stretched out his hand over the sea, he hath shaken kingdoms; the Lord hath given a command against Canaan, to subvert its strongholds.
12 He said, “You shall rejoice no more, O oppressed Virgin Daughter of Sidon. Get up and cross over to Cyprus— even there you will find no rest.”
And he said, Thou shalt no longer rejoice any more, O thou oppressed virgin, daughter of Zidon: arise, pass over to the Kittim; also there shalt thou have no rest.
13 Look at the land of the Chaldeans — a people now of no account. The Assyrians destined it for the desert creatures; they set up their siege towers and stripped its palaces. They brought it to ruin.
Behold the land of the Chaldeans—this people which was not, Asshur founded it for the dwellers in the wilderness—they have set up their watchtowers, have overthrown its palaces, have rendered it a heap of ruins.
14 Wail, O ships of Tarshish, for your harbor has been destroyed!
Wail, ye ships of Tharshish; your stronghold is laid waste.
15 At that time Tyre will be forgotten for seventy years—the span of a king’s life. But at the end of seventy years, it will happen to Tyre as in the song of the harlot:
And it shall come to pass on that day, that Tyre shall be forgotten seventy years, like the days of one king: at the end of seventy years shall it happen to Tyre as in the song of the harlot.
16 “Take up your harp, stroll through the city, O forgotten harlot. Make sweet melody, sing many a song, so you will be remembered.”
“Take the harp, go round about the city, thou forgotten harlot; make sweet music, sing many songs, in order that thou mayest be remembered.”
17 And at the end of seventy years, the LORD will restore Tyre. Then she will return to hire as a prostitute and sell herself to all the kingdoms on the face of the earth.
And it shall come to pass after the end of seventy years, that the Lord will visit Tyre, and she shall return to her hire, and shall have commerce with all the kingdoms of the world upon the face of the earth.
18 Yet her profits and wages will be set apart to the LORD; they will not be stored or saved, for her profit will go to those who live before the LORD, for abundant food and fine clothing.
And her gain and her hire shall be holy to the Lord: it shall not be treasured nor laid up; but for those that dwell before the Lord shall her gain be, to eat to fulness, and for magnificent clothing.
