Isaiah 23
23
The City of Tyre Will Be Punished
1 #
Ez 26.1—28.19; Jl 3.4-8; Am 1.9,10; Zec 9.1-4; Mt 11.21,22; Lk 10.13,14. This is a message from distant islands about the city of Tyre:#23.1 Tyre: A fortress city built on an island in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of what is now Lebanon.
Cry, you seagoing ships!#23.1 seagoing ships: See the note at 2.16.
Tyre and its houses
lie in ruins.#23.1 Tyre … ruins: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
2Mourn in silence,
you shop owners of Sidon,#23.2 Sidon: A coastal city just north of Tyre.
you people on the coast.
Your sailors crossed oceans,
making your city rich.
3Your merchants sailed the seas,
making you wealthy by trading
with nation after nation.
They brought back grain
that grew along the Nile.#23.3 along the Nile: The Hebrew text has “grain of Shihor, the harvest of the Nile,” but Shihor is probably a name for a region near the lower part of the Nile.
4Sidon, you are a mighty fortress
built along the sea.
But you will be disgraced
like a married woman
who never had children.#23.4 children: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
5When Egypt hears about Tyre,
it will tremble.
6All of you along the coast
had better cry and sail
far across the ocean.#23.6 far across the ocean: The Hebrew text has “to Tarshish,” probably meaning a long distance.
7Can this be the happy city
that has stood for centuries?
Its people have spread
to distant lands;
8its merchants were kings
honored all over the world.
Who planned to destroy Tyre?
9The Lord All-Powerful planned it
to bring shame and disgrace
to those who are honored
by everyone on earth.
10People of Tyre,#23.10 People of Tyre: The Hebrew text has “the people of Tarshish,” which stands for the colonies of Tyre.
your harbor is destroyed!
You will have to become farmers
just like the Egyptians.#23.10 Egyptians: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 10.
Tyre Will Be Forgotten
11The Lord's hand has reached
across the sea,
upsetting the nations.
He has given a command
to destroy fortresses
in the land of Canaan.
12The Lord has said
to the people of Sidon,
“Your celebrating is over—
you are crushed.
Even if you escape to Cyprus,
you won't find peace.”
13Look what the Assyrians have done to Babylonia! They have attacked, destroying every palace in the land. Now wild animals live among the ruins.#23.13 ruins: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 13. 14Not a fortress will be left standing, so tell all the seagoing ships#23.14 seagoing ships: See the note at 2.16. to mourn.
15The city of Tyre will be forgotten for 70 years, which is the lifetime of a king. Then Tyre will be like that evil woman in the song:
16You're gone and forgotten,
you evil woman!
So strut through the town,
singing and playing
your favorite tune
to be remembered again.
17At the end of those 70 years, the Lord will let Tyre get back into business. The city will be like a woman who sells her body to everyone of every nation on earth, 18but none of what is earned will be kept in the city. That money will belong to the Lord, and it will be used to buy more than enough food and good clothes for those who worship the Lord.
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Isaiah 23: CEV
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Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)
© 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.
Isaiah 23
23
Oracle against Tyre
1The oracle of Tyre:
Wail, ships of Tarshish, for the house is destroyed so that no one can enter;#Literally “it is destroyed from a house from entering”
it is announced to them from the land of Cyprus.
2Be still, inhabitants of the coast,
merchant of Sidon, who travels over the sea, they filled you.
3And on the great waters is the seed of Shihor,
the harvest of the Nile is its produce,
and she was the merchandise of the nations.
4Be ashamed, Sidon, for the sea,
the fortress of the sea said, saying,
“I was not in labor,
and I have not given birth,
and I have not reared young men,
brought#Or “I have brought” up young women.”
5When the report comes to Egypt, they will be in anguish at the report about#Literally “of” Tyre.
6Cross over to Tarshish!
Wail, inhabitants of the coast!
7Is this your exultant one,#Literally “this to you, exultant” her origin from the days of long ago?
Her feet brought her to dwell afar as an alien.
8Who has planned this against Tyre, the bestower of crowns,#Hebrew “crown”
whose merchants were princes,
her traders the honored ones of the earth?
9Yahweh of hosts has planned it:
to defile the pride of all glory,
to humble all the honored ones of the earth.
10Cross over your own land like the Nile, daughter of Tarshish;
there is no longer a harbor.#Hebrew “waistband” is emended to “harbor” by transposing two consonants
11He has stretched his hand out over the sea;
he has made kingdoms shake.
Yahweh has commanded concerning Canaan to destroy her fortresses.
12And he said,
“You will not continue#Literally “do again longer” to exult, crushed one, virgin#Literally “virgin of the” daughter of Sidon.
Arise, cross over to Cyprus! There will be no rest for you even there.”
13Look at the land of the Chaldeans! This people no longer exists.
Assyria destined#Literally “this people was not Assyria destined,” which could be translated “It was this people! It was not Assyria. They destined” it for wild animals.
They erected its siege towers;
they demolished its citadel fortresses.
It made her like a ruin.
14Wail, ships of Tarshish! For your fortress is destroyed.
15And this will happen on that day:
And Tyre will be forgotten seventy years,#Hebrew “year”
like the days of one king.
At the end of seventy years,#Hebrew “year” it will be for Tyre like the song of the prostitute:
16“Take a harp,
go around the city, forgotten prostitute!
Do it well, playing a stringed instrument!
Make numerous songs,#Hebrew “song” that you may be remembered.”
17And this shall happen:
at the end of seventy years,#Hebrew “year” Yahweh will visit Tyre,
and she will return to her harlot’s wages,
and she will commit fornication
with all the kingdoms of the world on the face of the earth.
18And this shall happen:
her merchandise and her harlot’s wages will be set apart for Yahweh;
it will not be stored up,
and it will not be hoarded,
but her merchandise will be for those who live before the presence#Literally “face” of Yahweh,
for eating to satiation and for fine clothing.
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