Isaiah 23
1 The word about Tyre. Let a cry of sorrow go up, O ships of Tarshish, because your strong place is made waste; on the way back from the land of Kittim the news is given to them.
The burden of Tyre. Howl, ye ships of Tarshish, for it is laid waste, so that there is no house, no entering in; from the land of Kittim it is revealed to them.
2 Send out a cry of grief, you men of the sea-land, traders of Zidon, who go over the sea, whose representatives are on great waters;
Be still, ye inhabitants of the coast-land; thou whom the merchants of Zidon, that pass over the sea, have replenished.
3 Who get in the seed of Shihor, whose wealth is the trade of the nations.
And on great waters the seed of Shihor, the harvest of the Nile, was her revenue; and she was the mart of nations.
4 Be shamed, O Zidon: for the sea, the strong place of the sea has said, I have not been with child, or given birth; I have not taken care of young men, or kept watch over the growth of virgins.
Be thou ashamed, O Zidon; for the sea hath spoken, the stronghold of the sea, saying: 'I have not travailed, nor brought forth, neither have I reared young men, nor brought up virgins.'
5 When the news comes to Egypt they will be bitterly pained at the fate of Tyre.
When the report cometh to Egypt, they shall be sorely pained at the report of Tyre.
6 Go over to Tarshish; give cries of sorrow, O men of the sea-land.
Pass ye over to Tarshish; howl, ye inhabitants of the coast-land.
7 Is this the town which was full of joy, whose start goes back to times long past, whose wanderings took her into far-off countries?
Is this your joyous city, whose feet in antiquity, in ancient days, carried her afar off to sojourn?
8 By whom was this purposed against Tyre, the crowning town, whose traders are chiefs, whose business men are honoured in the land?
Who hath devised this against Tyre, the crowning city, whose merchants are princes, whose traffickers are the honourable of the earth?
9 It was the purpose of the Lord of armies to put pride to shame, to make sport of the glory of those who are honoured in the earth.
The LORD of hosts hath devised it, to pollute the pride of all glory, to bring into contempt all the honourable of the earth.
10 Let your land be worked with the plough, O daughter of Tarshish; there is no longer any harbour.
Overflow thy land as the Nile, O daughter of Tarshish! there is no girdle any more.
11 His hand is stretched out over the sea, the kingdoms are shaking: the Lord has given orders about Canaan, to make waste its strong places.
He hath stretched out His hand over the sea, He hath shaken the kingdoms; the LORD hath given commandment concerning Canaan, to destroy the strongholds thereof;
12 And he said, There is no more joy for you, O crushed virgin daughter of Zidon: up! go over to Kittim; even there you will have no rest.
And He said: 'Thou shalt no more rejoice.' O thou oppressed virgin daughter of Zidon, arise, pass over to Kittim; even there shalt thou have no rest.
Behold, the land of the Chaldeans — this is the people that was not, when Asshur founded it for shipmen — they set up their towers, they overthrew the palaces thereof; it is made a ruin.
14 Let a cry of sorrow go up, O ships of Tarshish: because your strong place is made waste.
Howl, ye ships of Tarshish, for your stronghold is laid waste.
15 And it will be in that day that Tyre will go out of mind for seventy years, that is, the days of one king: after the end of seventy years it will be for Tyre as in the song of the loose woman.
And it shall come to pass in that day, that Tyre shall be forgotten seventy years, according to the days of one king; after the end of seventy years it shall fare with Tyre as in the song of the harlot:
16 Take an instrument of music, go about the town, O loose woman who has gone out from the memory of man; make sweet melody with songs, so that you may come back to men's minds.
Take a harp, go about the city, thou harlot long forgotten; make sweet melody, sing many songs, that thou mayest be remembered.
17 And it will be after the end of seventy years, that the Lord will have mercy on Tyre, and she will go back to her trade, acting as a loose woman with all the kingdoms of the world on the face of the earth.
And it shall come to pass after the end of seventy years, that the LORD will remember 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 And her goods and her trade will be holy to the Lord: they will not be kept back or stored up; for her produce will be for those living in the Lord's land, to give them food for their needs, and fair clothing.
And her gain and her hire shall be holiness to the LORD; it shall not be treasured nor laid up; for her gain shall be for them that dwell before the LORD, to eat their fill, and for stately clothing.
