Isaiah 23

1 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.

The prophecy concerning Tyre. Howl, ye ships of Tarshish! For it is laid waste; No house, no entrance is left! From the land of the Chittaeans were the tidings brought to them.

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

Be amazed, ye inhabitants of the sea-coast, Which the merchants of Sidon, that pass over the sea, did crowd!

3 And the seed of Sihor [is] in many waters, Her increase [is] the harvest of the brook, And she is a market of nations.

Upon the wide waters, the corn of the Nile, The harvest of the river, was her revenue; She was the mart of the nations.

4 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.”

Be thou ashamed, O Sidon, for the sea hath spoken, The fortress of the sea hath spoken thus: “I have not travailed, nor brought forth children; I have not nourished youths, nor brought up virgins.”

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

When the tidings shall reach Egypt, They shall be filled with anguish at the tidings concerning Tyre.

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

Pass ye over to Tarshish; Howl, ye inhabitants of the sea-coast!

7 Is this your exulting one? Her antiquity [is] from the days of old, Her own feet carry her far off to sojourn.

Is this your joyous city, Whose antiquity is of ancient days? Now her own feet bear her To sojourn far away.

8 Who has counseled this against Tyre, The crowning one, whose traders [are] princes, Her merchants—the honored of earth?

Who hath purposed this against Tyre, The dispenser of crowns, Whose merchants are princes, Whose traders the nobles of the earth?

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

Jehovah of hosts hath purposed it, To bring down the pride of all glory, To humble the nobles of the earth.

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

Go over thy land like the Nile, O daughter of Tarshish! Now thy bonds are broken.

11 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.

He hath stretched out his hand over the sea, He hath made the kingdoms tremble; Jehovah hath given commandment concerning Canaan To destroy her strong holds.

12 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.”

He hath said, Thou shalt no more rejoice, Thou ravished virgin, daughter of Sidon! Arise, pass over to the Chittaeans; Yet even there shalt thou have no rest.

13 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!

Behold the land of the Chaldaeans, Who, not long ago, were not a people, —The Assyrian assigned it to the inhabitants of the wilderness, —They raise their watch-towers; They destroy her palaces; They make her a heap of ruins.

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

Howl, ye ships of Tarshish! For your stronghold is destroyed.

15 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.

And it shall come to pass in that day, That Tyre shall be forgotten seventy years, According to the days of one king; But at the end of seventy years It shall be with Tyre as in the song of the harlot:

16 Take a harp, go around the city, O forgotten harlot, play well, Multiply song that you may be remembered.

“Take thy lyre, go about the city, O harlot, long forgotten; Make sweet melody; sing many songs, That thou mayst again be remembered!”

17 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.

At the end of seventy years shall Jehovah show regard to Tyre, And she shall return to her hire, And play the harlot with all the kingdoms of the world, That are upon the face of the earth.

18 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!

But her gain and her hire shall be holy to Jehovah; It shall not be treasured, nor laid up in store; But it shall be for them that dwell before Jehovah, For abundant food, and for splendid clothing.