Isaiah 23

1The 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 Kittim it is revealed to them.

1This is a message about the city of Tyre: Cry out in grief, you large trading ships of Tarshish! For your harbor and your homes are destroyed. The news reached the sailors while they were at Cyprus.

2Be still, ye inhabitants of the coast, thou whom the merchants of Sidon, that pass over the sea, have replenished.

2Be silent in shock, you people who live by the coast—you merchants of Sidon, whose traders crossed the sea and made you rich.

3And on great waters the seed of the Shihor, the harvest of the Nile, was her revenue; and she was the mart of nations.

3Across the great waters came the grain of Shihor; the harvest of the Nile was Tyre’s income, making her the marketplace of the nations.

4Be thou ashamed, O Sidon; for the sea hath spoken, the stronghold of the sea, saying, I have not travailed, nor brought forth, neither have I nourished young men, nor brought up virgins.

4Be ashamed, Sidon! For the sea and the fortress of the sea have spoken, saying, 'I have never been in labor or given birth; I have not raised young men or brought up young women.'

5When the report cometh to Egypt, they shall be sorely pained at the report of Tyre.

5When the news of Tyre's fall reaches Egypt, the people there will be in great pain.

6Pass ye over to Tarshish; wail, ye inhabitants of the coast.

6Cross over to Tarshish in flight! Cry out in grief, you inhabitants of the coast!

7Is this your joyous city, whose antiquity is of ancient days, whose feet carried her afar off to sojourn?

7Is this your once-happy city? Is this the ancient city whose people traveled far and wide to settle in distant lands?

8Who hath purposed this against Tyre, the bestower of crowns, whose merchants are princes, whose traffickers are the honorable of the earth?

8Who planned this disaster against Tyre, the city that handed out crowns, whose merchants were like princes and whose traders were the most honored people on earth?

9Jehovah of hosts hath purposed it, to stain the pride of all glory, to bring into contempt all the honorable of the earth.

9The Lord of Heaven’s Armies planned it. He did it to destroy their pride in all their beauty and to humble those who are famous throughout the world.

10Pass through thy land as the Nile, O daughter of Tarshish; there is no restraint any more.

10Go through your land like the Nile River, people of Tarshish; there is no harbor to hold you back anymore.

11He hath stretched out his hand over the sea, he hath shaken the kingdoms: Jehovah hath given commandment concerning Canaan, to destroy the strongholds thereof.

11The Lord has reached out his hand over the sea and shaken the kingdoms. He has given an order to destroy the fortresses of Phoenicia.

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

12He said, 'You will rejoice no more, crushed daughter of Sidon! Get up and cross over to Cyprus; even there you will find no rest.'

13Behold, the land of the Chaldeans: this people was not; the Assyrian founded it for them that dwell in the wilderness; they set up their towers; they overthrew the palaces thereof; they made it a ruin.

13Look at the land of the Babylonians; these people no longer exist. The Assyrians gave that land to the creatures of the desert. They built siege towers, tore down its palaces, and turned the city into a pile of ruins.

14Howl, ye ships of Tarshish; for your stronghold is laid waste.

14Cry out in grief, you large trading ships of Tarshish, for the fortress that protected you is destroyed!

15And 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 it shall be unto Tyre as in the song of the harlot.

15At that time, Tyre will be forgotten for seventy years, which is the length of a king's life. At the end of seventy years, Tyre will be like the woman in the 'Song of the Prostitute':

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

16'Take your harp and walk through the city, you forgotten prostitute! Play your music well and sing many songs so that people will remember you again.'

17And it shall come to pass after the end of seventy years, that Jehovah will visit Tyre, and she shall return to her hire, and shall play the harlot with all the kingdoms of the world upon the face of the earth.

17At the end of seventy years, the Lord will restore Tyre. She will return to her business as a world trader and sell herself to all the kingdoms on the face of the earth.

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

18But eventually, her profits and her earnings will be set apart for the Lord. They will not be hoarded or saved up. Instead, her wealth will provide plenty of food and beautiful clothing for those who live in the presence of the Lord.