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.

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

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.

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.”

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

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

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

8 Who planned this against Tyre, the bestower of crowns, whose traders are princes, whose merchants are renowned on the earth?

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

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

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.

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.”

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.

14 Wail, O ships of Tarshish, for your harbor 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:

16 “Take up your harp, stroll through the city, O forgotten harlot. Make sweet melody, sing many a song, so you will 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.

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.

1 ¶ 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 Chittim it is revealed to them.

2 Be still, ye inhabitants of the isle; thou whom the merchants of Zidon, that pass over the sea, have replenished.

3 And by great waters the seed of Sihor, the harvest of the river, [is] her revenue; and she is a mart of nations.

4 Be thou ashamed, O Zidon: for the sea hath spoken, [even] the strength of the sea, saying, I travail not, nor bring forth children, neither do I nourish up young men, [nor] bring up virgins.

5 As at the report concerning Egypt, [so] shall they be sorely pained at the report of Tyre.

6 Pass ye over to Tarshish; howl, ye inhabitants of the isle.

7 [Is] this your joyous [city], whose antiquity [is] of ancient days? her own feet shall carry her afar off to sojourn.

8 Who hath taken this counsel against Tyre, the crowning [city], whose merchants [are] princes, whose traffickers [are] the honourable of the earth?

9 The LORD of hosts hath purposed it, to stain the pride of all glory, [and] to bring into contempt all the honourable of the earth.

10 Pass through thy land as a river, O daughter of Tarshish: [there is] no more strength.

11 He stretched out his hand over the sea, he shook the kingdoms: the LORD hath given a commandment against the merchant [city], to destroy the strong holds thereof.

12 And he said, Thou shalt no more rejoice, O thou oppressed virgin, daughter of Zidon: arise, pass over to Chittim; there also shalt thou have no rest.

13 Behold the land of the Chaldeans; this people was not, [till] the Assyrian founded it for them that dwell in the wilderness: they set up the towers thereof, they raised up the palaces thereof; [and] he brought it to ruin.

14 Howl, ye ships of Tarshish: for your strength is laid waste.

15 ¶ 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 shall Tyre sing as an harlot.

16 Take an harp, go about the city, thou harlot that hast been forgotten; make sweet melody, sing many songs, that thou mayest be remembered.

17 And it shall come to pass after the end of seventy years, that the LORD will visit Tyre, and she shall turn to her hire, and shall commit fornication with all the kingdoms of the world upon the face of the earth.

18 And her merchandise and her hire shall be holiness to the LORD: it shall not be treasured nor laid up; for her merchandise shall be for them that dwell before the LORD, to eat sufficiently, and for durable clothing.

1 This is the burden of Tyre: Hie ye down, ye ships of the sea: for it is destroyed; there is no house, neither doth any man go thither. They shall know it out of the land of Chittim.

2 The inhabitants of the isles have become quiet. The merchants of Zidon, which passed through the sea, filled thee.

3 And the fruit that grew by Sihor, and the corn that grew by the waters, were brought in unto her by great waters: and thou wast the market of the heathen.

4 Thou shalt be afraid, O Zidon. For the sea, even the firmament of the sea, saith, I am no more with child, I bear no more: so I raise no young men, neither bring up virgins.

5 As men were afraid when they heard of Egypt, so shall they be afraid when they hear of Tyre.

6 Go ye to the sea; howl, ye inhabitants of the isles.

7 Is this your joyful city, which boasted of her age? Her feet shall lead her afar off to wander.

8 Who would have thought that it should be so with Tyre the crown, when her merchants are princes, and her merchants the chiefest in the land?

9 Thus hath the LORD of hosts purposed, that he might diminish all the glory of the goodly city, and bring into contempt all the glories of the land.

10 Pass through thy land like a river, thou daughter of the sea: there is no more girdle.

11 He stretcheth out his hand over the sea, and terrifieth the kingdoms. The LORD hath commanded Canaan to destroy her mighty ones,

12 And saith, Thou shalt not rejoice any more, thou violated virgin, thou daughter of Zidon. O Chittim, arise, and depart: for thou shalt not abide there,

13 But in the land of the Chaldeans, which was not a nation, but Assyria hath prepared it for ships, and have set up strong towers within, and built palaces. But it is set to be pulled down.

14 Hail, ye ships of the sea: for your power is destroyed.

15 In that day shall Tyre be forgotten seventy years, as long as a king may live. But after seventy years they will sing of Tyre a harlot's song:

16 Take the harp, go about in the city, thou forgotten harlot: play well upon the strings, and sing with confidence, that thou mayest be remembered.

17 For after threescore and ten years the LORD will visit Tyre, and she shall return to the wages of her harlotry, and shall commit fornication with all the kingdoms of the earth.

18 But their merchandise and their wages shall be holy unto the LORD. They shall not be treasured, neither shall they be hid: but they that dwell before the LORD shall have their merchandise, that they may eat, and be full, and be well clothed.