Isaiah 23

1 [I received] this message [from Yahweh] about Tyre [city]: You [sailors on] [APO] ships from Tarshish, weep, because [the harbor of] Tyre and all the houses [in the city] have been destroyed. The reports that you heard in Cyprus [island] about Tyre [are true].

١ نُبُوءَةٌ بِشَأْنِ صُورَ: وَلْوِلِي يَا سُفُنَ تَرْشِيشَ، لأَنَّ صُورَ قَدْ هُدِمَتْ، فَلَمْ يَبْقَ بَيْتٌ وَلا مَرْفَأٌ. تَمَاماً كَمَا بَلَغَكُمُ النَّبَأُ وَأَنْتُمْ فِي أَرْضِ قُبْرُصَ.

2 You people who live along the coast [near Tyre], and merchants of Sidon [city], mourn silently. Your sailors went across the seas [to many places like Tyre].

٢ اصْمُتُوا يَا أَهْلَ السَّاحِلِ، يَا تُجَّارَ صَيْدُونَ، عَابِرِي الْبَحْرِ الَّذِينَ مَلَأْتُمُوهَا،

3 They sailed across deep seas to buy grain in Egypt and [other] crops that are grown along the Nile [River]. Tyre became the city where people from [all] nations bought and sold goods.

٣ فَقَدْ قَدِمَتْ فَوْقَ الْمِيَاهِ الْكَثِيرَةِ سُفُنٌ مُحَمَّلَةٌ بِقَمْحِ شِيحُورَ وَحَصَادِ النِّيلِ، فَصَارَتْ هِيَ مَتْجَرَةَ الأُمَمِ.

4 But now you people in Sidon should be ashamed, because [you trusted in Tyre], which has been a strong fortress [on an island] in the sea. [Tyre is like a woman who is saying], “[Now it is as though] I have not given birth to [any] children, or raised [any] sons or daughters.”

٤ فَاخْجَلِي يَا صَيْدَا لأَنَّ الْبَحْرَ وَحِصْنَهُ قَدْ تَكَلَّمَا قَائِلَيْنِ: لَمْ أَتَمَخَّضْ وَلَمْ أَلِدْ، لَمْ أُنْشِئْ شَبَاباً وَلا رَبَّيْتُ عَذَارَى.

5 When [the people of] Egypt hear what has happened to Tyre, they will grieve very much.

٥ عِنْدَمَا يَذِيعُ النَّبَأُ فِي مِصْرَ، يَتَوَجَّعُونَ لأَخْبَارِ صُورَ.

6 Sail to Tarshish [and tell them what happened]; weep, you people who live along the coast.

٦ اعْبُرُوا إِلَى تَرْشِيشَ، انْتَحِبُوا يَا أَهْلَ السَّاحِلِ.

7 [The people in] the very old city [of Tyre] were [RHQ] previously joyful. Traders [PRS] from Tyre established colonies in many distant nations.

٧ أَهَذِهِ هِيَ مَدِينَتُكُمُ الْمُبْتَهِجَةُ الَّتِي نَشَأَتْ مُنْذُ الْقِدَمِ، وَالَّتِي تَنْقُلُهَا قَدَمَاهَا لِلتَغَرُّبِ فِي أَرْضٍ بَعِيدَةٍ؟

8 People from Tyre appointed kings [over other places]; their traders were wealthy; they were [as powerful and wealthy as] [MET] kings. [So], who [RHQ] caused the people of Tyre to experience this disaster?

٨ مَنْ قَضَى بِهَذَا عَلَى صُورَ وَاهِبَةِ التِّيجَانِ، الَّتِي تُجَّارُهَا أُمَرَاءُ، وَمُتَكَسِّبُوهَا شُرَفَاءُ الأَرْضِ؟

9 It was the Commander of the armies of angels who did it; he did it in order to cause [you people in] Tyre not to be proud any more, to humiliate you men who are honored all over the world.

٩ إِنَّ الرَّبَّ الْقَدِيرَ هُوَ الَّذِي قَضَى بِذَلِكَ، لِيَحُطَّ مِنْ كِبْرِيَاءِ كُلِّ مَجْدٍ، وَلِيُذِلَّ كُلَّ شُرَفَاءِ الأَرْضِ.

10 You people of Tarshish, you must grow crops in your land [instead of trading]; spread out over your land like [SIM] the Nile [River] spreads over the land [of Egypt] when it floods, because there is no harbor [in Tyre for your ships] now.

١٠ امْخُرِي عُبَابَ الْبَحْرِ يَا ابْنَةَ تَرْشِيشَ كَمَا يَخْتَرِقُ النِّيلُ أَرْضَ مِصْرَ إِذْ زَالَ مَرْفَأُكِ مِنَ الوُجُودِ.

11 [It is as though] Yahweh stretched out his hand over the sea and shook the kingdoms of the earth. He commanded that in Phoenicia/Canaan all its fortresses must be destroyed.

١١ بَسَطَ الرَّبُّ يَدَهُ عَلَى الْبَحْرِ، وَزَعْزَعَ مَمَالِكَ، أَصْدَرَ أَمْرَهُ عَلَى كَنْعَانَ كَيْ تُدَمَّرَ حُصُونُهَا،

12 He said to the people of Sidon, “You will never rejoice again, because you will be crushed; even if you flee to Cyprus [island], you will not escape destruction.”

١٢ وَقَالَ: «لَنْ تَعُودِي تُعَرْبِدِينَ أَيَّتُهَا الْعَذْرَاءُ الَّتِي فَقَدَتْ شَرَفَهَا، يَا ابْنَةَ صَيْدُونَ هُبِّي وَاعْبُرِي إِلَى قُبْرُصَ، وَلَكِنَّكِ لَنْ تَجِدِي هُنَاكَ رَاحَةً».

13 Think about what happened in Babylonia: the people who were in that land have disappeared. [The armies of] Assyria have caused that land to become a place where wild animals from the desert live. The Assyrians built dirt ramps to the top of the walls [of the city of Babylon]; [then they entered the city and] tore down the palaces and caused the city to become [a heap of] rubble.

١٣ تَأَمَّلِي فِي أَرْضِ الْكَلْدَانِيِّينَ وَانْظُرِي إِلَى شَعْبِهَا، فَهُمْ وَلَيْسَ الأَشُورِيُّونَ الَّذِينَ سَيَجْعَلُونَ صُورَ مَرْتَعاً لِلْوُحُوشِ، وَسَيَنْصِبُونَ حَوْلَهَا أَبْرَاجَهُمْ، وَيَمْسَحُونَ قُصُورَهَا عَنْ وَجْهِ الأَرْضِ، وَيُحَوِّلُونَهَا إِلَى خَرَابٍ.

14 [So] wail, you [sailors on the] ships of Tarshish, because the harbor [in Tyre where your ships stop] is destroyed!

١٤ انْتَحِبِي يَا سُفُنَ تَرْشِيشَ لأَنَّ حُصُونَكِ قَدْ تَهَدَّمَتْ.

15 For seventy years, which is as long as kings usually live, people will forget about Tyre. [But then it will be rebuilt]. What will happen there will be like what happened to a prostitute in this song:

١٥ وَفِي ذَلِكَ الْيَوْمِ تَظَلُّ صُورُ مَنْسِيَّةً طَوَالَ سَبْعِينَ سَنَةً، كَحِقْبَةِ حَيَاةِ مَلِكٍ وَاحِدٍ، وَفِي نِهَايَةِ السَّبْعِينَ سَنَةً يُصِيبُ صُورَ مِثْلُ مَا جَاءَ فِي أُغْنِيَةِ الْعَاهِرَةِ:

16 “You harlot, whom people had forgotten, play your harp well, and sing many songs, in order that people will remember you again.”

١٦ «خُذِي عُوداً وَطُوفِي فِي الْمَدِيَنةِ أَيَّتُهَا الْعَاهِرَةُ الْمَنْسِيَّةُ. أَتْقِنِي الْعَزْفَ عَلَى الْعُودِ وَأَكْثِرِي الْغِنَاءَ لَعَلَّكِ تُذْكَرِينَ».

17 [It is true that] after seventy years Yahweh will restore Tyre. Their merchants will again earn a lot of money by buying things from and selling things to many [other] nations [HYP].

١٧ وَفِى نِهَايَةِ السَّبْعِينَ سَنَةً يَفْتَقِدُ الرَّبُّ صُورَ، فَتَرْجِعُ إِلَى عَهْدِهَا، وَتَزْنِي مَعَ كُلِّ مَمَالِكِ الأَرْضِ.

18 [But] their profits will be given to Yahweh. [The merchants] will not hoard their money; instead, they will give it to Yahweh’s priests in order that they [can] buy food and nice clothes.

١٨ أَمَّا تِجَارَتُهَا وَأُجْرَتُهَا فَتُصْبِحُ قُدْساً لِلرَّبِّ. لَا تُخْزَنُ وَلا تُدَّخَرُ لأَنَّ تِجَارَتَهَا تُوَفِّرُ غِذَاءً وَفِيراً، وَثِيَاباً فَاخِرَةً لِلسَّاكِنِينَ أَمَامَ الرَّبِّ.