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 Burden of Tyre. Howl, you ships of Tarshish, For it has been destroyed, Without house, without entrance, From the land of Chittim it was revealed to them.

2 Be silent, O dwellers of the coastland, you merchants of Sidon, whose traders have crossed the sea.

Be silent, you inhabitants of the island, Trader of Sidon, passing the sea, they filled you.

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 the seed of Sihor [is] in many waters, Her increase [is] the harvest of the brook, And she is a market 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 Sidon; for the sea spoke, The strength of the sea, saying, “I have not been pained, nor have I brought forth, Nor have I nourished young men, [nor] brought up virgins.”

5 When the report reaches Egypt, they will writhe in agony over the news of Tyre.

As they are pained [at] the report of Egypt, So [at] the report of Tyre.

6 Cross over to Tarshish; wail, O inhabitants of the coastland!

Pass over to Tarshish, howl, you inhabitants of the island,

7 Is this your jubilant city, whose origin is from antiquity, whose feet have taken her to settle far away?

Is this your exulting one? Her antiquity [is] from the days of old, Her own feet carry her far 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 has counseled this against Tyre, The crowning one, whose traders [are] princes, Her merchants—the honored of earth?

9 The LORD of Hosts planned it, to defile all its glorious beauty, to disgrace all the renowned of the earth.

YHWH of Hosts has counseled it, To defile the excellence of all beauty, To make light all the honored of earth.

10 Cultivate your land like the Nile, O Daughter of Tarshish; there is no longer a harbor.

Pass through your land as a brook, Daughter of Tarshish, There is no longer a girdle.

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 has stretched out His hand over the sea, He has caused kingdoms to tremble, YHWH has charged concerning the merchant one, To destroy her strong places.

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 says, “You do not add to exult anymore, O oppressed one, virgin daughter of Sidon, To Chittim arise, pass over, Even there—there is no rest for you.”

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 was not, Asshur founded it for desert-dwellers, They raised its watchtowers, They lifted up her palaces—He has appointed her for a ruin!

14 Wail, O ships of Tarshish, for your harbor has been destroyed!

Howl, you ships of Tarshish, For your strength has been destroyed.

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 has come to pass in that day, That Tyre is forgotten seventy years, According to the days of one king. At the end of seventy years there is to Tyre as 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 a harp, go around the city, O forgotten harlot, play well, Multiply song that you may 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 has come to pass, At the end of seventy years YHWH inspects Tyre, And she has returned to her wage, And she committed fornication With all kingdoms of the earth on the face of the ground.

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 merchandise and her wage have been holy to YHWH, Not treasured up nor stored, For her merchandise is to those sitting before YHWH, To eat to satiety, and for a lasting covering!