< 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].
מַשָּׂ֖א צֹ֑ר הֵילִ֣ילוּ ׀ אֳנִיּ֣וֹת תַּרְשִׁ֗ישׁ כִּֽי־שֻׁדַּ֤ד מִבַּ֙יִת֙ מִבּ֔וֹא מֵאֶ֥רֶץ כִּתִּ֖ים נִגְלָה־לָֽמוֹ׃
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].
דֹּ֖מּוּ יֹ֣שְׁבֵי אִ֑י סֹחֵ֥ר צִיד֛וֹן עֹבֵ֥ר יָ֖ם מִלְאֽוּךְ׃
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.
וּבְמַ֤יִם רַבִּים֙ זֶ֣רַע שִׁחֹ֔ר קְצִ֥יר יְא֖וֹר תְּבֽוּאָתָ֑הּ וַתְּהִ֖י סְחַ֥ר גּוֹיִֽם׃
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.”
בּ֣וֹשִׁי צִיד֔וֹן כִּֽי־אָמַ֣ר יָ֔ם מָע֥וֹז הַיָּ֖ם לֵאמֹ֑ר לֹֽא־חַ֣לְתִּי וְלֹֽא־יָלַ֗דְתִּי וְלֹ֥א גִדַּ֛לְתִּי בַּחוּרִ֖ים רוֹמַ֥מְתִּי בְתוּלֽוֹת׃
5 When [the people of] Egypt hear what has happened to Tyre, they will grieve very much.
כַּֽאֲשֶׁר־שֵׁ֖מַע לְמִצְרָ֑יִם יָחִ֖ילוּ כְּשֵׁ֥מַע צֹֽר׃
6 Sail to Tarshish [and tell them what happened]; weep, you people who live along the coast.
עִבְר֖וּ תַּרְשִׁ֑ישָׁה הֵילִ֖ילוּ יֹ֥שְׁבֵי אִֽי׃
7 [The people in] the very old city [of Tyre] were [RHQ] previously joyful. Traders [PRS] from Tyre established colonies in many distant nations.
הֲזֹ֥את לָכֶ֖ם עַלִּיזָ֑ה מִֽימֵי־קֶ֤דֶם קַדְמָתָהּ֙ יֹבִל֣וּהָ רַגְלֶ֔יהָ מֵֽרָח֖וֹק לָגֽוּר׃
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?
מִ֚י יָעַ֣ץ זֹ֔את עַל־צֹ֖ר הַמַּֽעֲטִירָ֑ה אֲשֶׁ֤ר סֹחֲרֶ֙יה֙ שָׂרִ֔ים כִּנְעָנֶ֖יהָ נִכְבַּדֵּי־אָֽרֶץ ׃
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.
יְהוָ֥ה צְבָא֖וֹת יְעָצָ֑הּ לְחַלֵּל֙ גְּא֣וֹן כָּל־צְבִ֔י לְהָקֵ֖ל כָּל־נִכְבַּדֵּי־ אָֽרֶץ׃
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.
עִבְרִ֥י אַרְצֵ֖ךְ כַּיְאֹ֑ר בַּת־תַּרְשִׁ֕ישׁ אֵ֖ין מֵ֥זַח עֽוֹד׃
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.
יָדוֹ֙ נָטָ֣ה עַל־הַיָּ֔ם הִרְגִּ֖יז מַמְלָכ֑וֹת יְהוָה֙ צִוָּ֣ה אֶל־כְּנַ֔עַן לַשְׁמִ֖ד מָעֻזְנֶֽיהָ׃
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.”
וַיֹּ֕אמֶר לֹֽא־תוֹסִ֥יפִי ע֖וֹד לַעְל֑וֹז הַֽמְעֻשָּׁקָ֞ה בְּתוּלַ֣ת בַּת־צִיד֗וֹן כתיים ק֣וּמִי עֲבֹ֔רִי גַּם־שָׁ֖ם לֹא־יָנ֥וּחַֽ לָֽךְ׃
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.
הֵ֣ן ׀ אֶ֣רֶץ כַּשְׂדִּ֗ים זֶ֤ה הָעָם֙ לֹ֣א הָיָ֔ה אַשּׁ֖וּר יְסָדָ֣הּ לְצִיִּ֑ים הֵקִ֣ימוּ בחיניו עֹרְרוּ֙ אַרְמְנוֹתֶ֔יהָ שָׂמָ֖הּ לְמַפֵּלָֽה׃
14 [So] wail, you [sailors on the] ships of Tarshish, because the harbor [in Tyre where your ships stop] is destroyed!
הֵילִ֖ילוּ אֳנִיּ֣וֹת תַּרְשִׁ֑ישׁ כִּ֥י שֻׁדַּ֖ד מָעֻזְּכֶֽן׃ ס
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:
וְהָיָה֙ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֔וּא וְנִשְׁכַּ֤חַת צֹר֙ שִׁבְעִ֣ים שָׁנָ֔ה כִּימֵ֖י מֶ֣לֶךְ אֶחָ֑ד מִקֵּ֞ץ שִׁבְעִ֤ים שָׁנָה֙ יִהְיֶ֣ה לְצֹ֔ר כְּשִׁירַ֖ת הַזּוֹנָֽה׃
16 “You harlot, whom people had forgotten, play your harp well, and sing many songs, in order that people will remember you again.”
קְחִ֥י כִנּ֛וֹר סֹ֥בִּי עִ֖יר זוֹנָ֣ה נִשְׁכָּחָ֑ה הֵיטִ֤יבִי נַגֵּן֙ הַרְבִּי־שִׁ֔יר לְמַ֖עַן תִּזָּכֵֽרִי׃
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].
וְהָיָ֞ה מִקֵּ֣ץ ׀ שִׁבְעִ֣ים שָׁנָ֗ה יִפְקֹ֤ד יְהוָה֙ אֶת־צֹ֔ר וְשָׁבָ֖ה לְאֶתְנַנָּ֑ה וְזָֽנְתָ֛ה אֶת־כָּל־מַמְלְכ֥וֹת הָאָ֖רֶץ עַל־פְּנֵ֥י הָאֲדָמָֽה׃
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.
וְהָיָ֨ה סַחְרָ֜הּ וְאֶתְנַנָּ֗הּ קֹ֚דֶשׁ לַֽיהוָ֔ה לֹ֥א יֵֽאָצֵ֖ר וְלֹ֣א יֵֽחָסֵ֑ן כִּ֣י לַיֹּשְׁבִ֞ים לִפְנֵ֤י יְהוָה֙ יִֽהְיֶ֣ה סַחְרָ֔הּ לֶאֱכֹ֥ל לְשָׂבְעָ֖ה וְלִמְכַסֶּ֥ה עָתִֽיק׃ פ

< Isaiah 23 >