Isaiah 23

Modern

Literal

The Burden against Tyre

¹This is the burden against Tyre:

Wail, O ships of Tarshish,^a

for Tyre is laid waste,

without house or harbor.

Word has reached them

from the land of Cyprus.^b

¹The Burden of Tyre: Wail, O ships of Tarshish, for it is laid waste—without house, without harbor! From the land of Kittim it has been revealed to them.

²Be silent, O dwellers of the coastland,

you merchants of Sidon,

whose traders have crossed the sea.^a

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

³On 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.

³And on great waters is the seed of Sihor; the harvest of the River is her revenue, and she is a marketplace of nations.

⁴Be 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.”

⁴Be ashamed, O Sidon, for the sea has spoken, the strength of the sea, saying: “I have not been pained and I have not brought forth children, and I have not nourished young men or brought up young women.”

⁵When the report reaches Egypt,

they will writhe in agony over the news of Tyre.

⁵When the report comes to Egypt they will writhe in agony at the report of Tyre.

⁶Cross over to Tarshish;

wail, O inhabitants of the coastland!

⁶Pass over to Tarshish; Wail, O dwellers of the coastland.

⁷Is this your jubilant city,

whose origin is from antiquity,

whose feet have taken her

to settle far away?

⁷Is this your jubilant one, whose origin is from days of old? Her own feet carried her to settle far away.

⁸Who planned this against Tyre,

the bestower of crowns,

whose traders are princes,

whose merchants are renowned on the earth?

⁸Who has taken counsel this against Tyre, the crowning one, whose merchants are princes; her traders are the honorable ones of the earth?

⁹The LORD of Hosts planned it,

to defile all its glorious beauty,

to disgrace all the renowned of the earth.

⁹Yhwh of hosts has purposed it—to dishonor the pride of all glory, to shame all the honorable ones of the earth.

¹⁰Cultivate^a your land like the Nile, O Daughter of Tarshish;

there is no longer a harbor.

¹⁰Cultivate your land like the Nile, O daughter of Tarshish; there is no girdle anymore.

¹¹The 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.

¹¹He has stretched out His hand over the sea, He has shaken the kingdoms. Yhwh has commanded against Canaan to destroy her strongholds.

¹²He 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.”

¹²And He said, “You will not add again to exult, O oppressed virgin daughter of Sidon. To Kittim arise, pass over—even there is no rest unto you.”

¹³Look at the land of the Chaldeans—^a

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.

¹³Behold the land of the Chaldeans—this people was not. Assyria has founded it for the desert creatures; they set up its towers, they raised up its palaces—He has appointed her to ruin.

¹⁴Wail, O ships of Tarshish,

for your harbor has been destroyed!

¹⁴Wail, O ships of Tarshish, for your refuge has been destroyed!

¹⁵At 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:

¹⁵And it will come to pass in that day, that Tyre will be forgotten seventy years—as the days of one king. At the end of seventy years, it will come to pass to Tyre as 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.”

¹⁶“Take a harp, go about the city, O forgotten harlot; make sweet melody, sing many a song, so that you may be remembered.”

¹⁷And 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.

¹⁷And it will come to pass at the end of seventy years, that YHWH will visit Tyre, and she will return to her hire and commit fornication with all the kingdoms of the world on the face of the earth.

¹⁸Yet 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.

¹⁸And her gain and her pay will be set apart for YHWH; it will not be stored up and not laid up, for unto those sitting before YHWH will be her gain, to eat to satisfaction, and for a surpassing covering.