Isaiah 23:4-37

Other Translations of Isaiah 23:4-37

King James Version

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 to stain: Heb. to pollute 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. strength: Heb. girdle 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 shall Tyre...: Heb. it shall be unto Tyre as the song of an harlot 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 durable: Heb. old clothing.

English Standard Version

⁴ Be ashamed, O Sidon, for the sea has spoken, the stronghold of the sea, saying: "I have neither labored nor given birth, I have neither reared young men nor brought up young women." ⁵ When the report comes to Egypt, they will be in anguishHebrew they will have labor pains over the report about Tyre. ⁶ Cross over to Tarshish; wail, O inhabitants of the coast! ⁷ Is this your exultant city whose origin is from days of old, whose feet carried her to settle far away? ⁸ Who has purposed this against Tyre, the bestower of crowns, whose merchants were princes, whose traders were the honored of the earth? ⁹ The Lord of hosts has purposed it, to defile the pompous pride of all glory,The Hebrew words for glory and hosts sound alike to dishonor all the honored of the earth. ¹⁰ Cross over your land like the Nile, O daughter of Tarshish; there is no restraint anymore. ¹¹ He has stretched out his hand over the sea; he has shaken the kingdoms; the Lord has given command concerning Canaan to destroy its strongholds. ¹² And he said: "You will no more exult, O oppressed virgin daughter of Sidon; arise, cross over to Cyprus, even there you will have no rest." ¹³ Behold the land of the Chaldeans! This is the people that was not;Or that has become nothing Assyria destined it for wild beasts. They erected their siege towers, they stripped her palaces bare, they made her a ruin. ¹⁴ Wail, O ships of Tarshish, for your stronghold is laid waste

¹⁵ In that day Tyre will be forgotten for seventy years, like the daysOr lifetime of one king. At the end of seventy years, it will happen to Tyre as in the song of the prostitute: ¹⁶ "Take a harp; go about the city, O forgotten prostitute! Make sweet melody; sing many songs, that you may be remembered." ¹⁷ At the end of seventy years, the Lord will visit Tyre, and she will return to her wages and will prostitute herself with all the kingdoms of the world on the face of the earth. ¹⁸ Her merchandise and her wages will be holy to the Lord. It will not be stored or hoarded, but her merchandise will supply abundant food and fine clothing for those who dwell before the Lord.

The Message

⁴ Hang your head in shame, Sidon. The Sea speaks up, the powerhouse of the ocean says, "I've never had labor pains, never had a baby, never reared children to adulthood, Never gave life, never worked with life. It was all numbers, dead numbers, profit and loss. ⁵ When Egypt gets the report on Tyre, what wailing! what wringing of hands! Nothing Left Here to Be Proud Of ⁶ Visit Tarshish, you who live on the seacoast. Take a good, long look and wail - yes, cry buckets of tears! ⁷ Is this the city you remember as energetic and alive, bustling with activity, this historic old city, Expanding throughout the globe, buying and selling all over the world? ⁸ And who is behind the collapse of Tyre, the Tyre that controlled the world markets? Tyre's merchants were the business tycoons. Tyre's traders called all the shots. ⁹ God-of-the-Angel-Armies ordered the crash to show the sordid backside of pride and puncture the inflated reputations. ¹⁰ Sail for home, O ships of Tarshish. There are no docks left in this harbor. ¹¹ God reached out to the sea and sea traders, threw the sea kingdoms into turmoil. God ordered the destruction of the seacoast cities, the centers of commerce. ¹² God said, "There's nothing left here to be proud of, bankrupt and bereft Sidon. Do you want to make a new start in Cyprus? Don't count on it. Nothing there will work out for you either." ¹³ Look at what happened to Babylon: There's nothing left of it. Assyria turned it into a desert, into a refuge for wild dogs and stray cats. They brought in their big siege engines, tore down the buildings, and left nothing behind but rubble. ¹⁴ Wail, ships of Tarshish, your strong seaports all in ruins

¹⁵ For the next seventy years, a king's lifetime, Tyre will be forgotten. At the end of the seventy years, Tyre will stage a comeback, but it will be the comeback of a worn-out whore, as in the song: ¹⁶ "Take a harp, circle the city, unremembered whore. Sing your old songs, your many old songs. Maybe someone will remember." ¹⁷ At the end of the seventy years, God will look in on Tyre. She'll go back to her old whoring trade, selling herself to the highest bidder, doing anything with anyone - promiscuous with all the kingdoms of earth - for a fee. ¹⁸ But everything she gets, all the money she takes in, will be turned over to God. It will not be put in banks. Her profits will be put to the use of God-Aware, God-Serving-People, providing plenty of food and the best of clothing.

New King James Version

⁴ Be ashamed, O Sidon; For the sea has spoken, The strength of the sea, saying, "I do not labor, nor bring forth children; Neither do I rear young men, Nor bring up virgins. ⁵ When the report reaches Egypt, They also will be in agony at the report of Tyre. ⁶ Cross over to Tarshish; Wail, you inhabitants of the coastland! ⁷ Is this your joyous city, Whose antiquity is from ancient days, Whose feet carried her far off to dwell? ⁸ Who has taken this counsel against Tyre, the crowning city, Whose merchants are princes, Whose traders are the honorable of the earth? ⁹ The Lord of hosts has purposed it, To bring to dishonor the pride of all glory, To bring into contempt all the honorable of the earth. ¹⁰ Overflow through your land like the 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 has given a commandment against Canaan To destroy its strongholds. ¹² And He said, "You will rejoice no more, O you oppressed virgin daughter of Sidon. Arise, cross over to Cyprus; There also you will have no rest." ¹³ Behold, the land of the Chaldeans, This people which was not; Assyria founded it for wild beasts of the desert. They set up its towers, They raised up its palaces, And brought it to ruin. ¹⁴ Wail, you ships of Tarshish! For your strength is laid waste

¹⁵ Now it shall come to pass in that day that Tyre will be forgotten seventy years, according to the days of one king. At the end of seventy years it will happen to Tyre as in the song of the harlot: ¹⁶ "Take a harp, go about the city, You forgotten harlot; Make sweet melody, sing many songs, That you may be remembered." ¹⁷ And it shall be, at the end of seventy years, that the Lord will visit Tyre. She will return to her hire, and commit fornication with all the kingdoms of the world on the face of the earth. ¹⁸ Her gain and her pay will be set apart for the Lord; it will not be treasured nor laid up, for her gain will be for those who dwell before the Lord, to eat sufficiently, and for fine clothing.

New Living Translation

⁴ But now you are put to shame, city of Sidon, for Tyre, the fortress of the sea, says, "Now I am childless; I have no sons or daughters." ⁵ When Egypt hears the news about Tyre, there will be great sorrow. ⁶ Send word now to Tarshish! Wail, you people who live in distant lands! ⁷ Is this silent ruin all that is left of your once joyous city? What a long history was yours! Think of all the colonists you sent to distant places. ⁸ Who has brought this disaster on Tyre, that great creator of kingdoms? Her traders were all princes, her merchants were nobles. ⁹ The Lord of Heaven's Armies has done it to destroy your pride and bring low all earth's nobility. ¹⁰ Come, people of Tarshish, sweep over the land like the flooding Nile, for Tyre is defenseless. ¹¹ The Lord held out his hand over the sea and shook the kingdoms of the earth. He has spoken out against Phoenicia, ordering that her fortresses be destroyed. ¹² He says, "Never again will you rejoice, O daughter of Sidon, for you have been crushed. Even if you flee to Cyprus, you will find no rest." ¹³ Look at the land of Babylonia - the people of that land are gone! The Assyrians have handed Babylon over to the wild animals of the desert. They have built siege ramps against its walls, torn down its palaces, and turned it to a heap of rubble. ¹⁴ Wail, you ships of Tarshish, for your harbor is destroyed!

¹⁵ For seventy years, the length of a king's life, Tyre will be forgotten. But then the city will come back to life as in the song about the prostitute: ¹⁶ Take a harp and walk the streets, you forgotten harlot. Make sweet melody and sing your songs so you will be remembered again. ¹⁷ Yes, after seventy years the Lord will revive Tyre. But she will be no different than she was before. She will again be a prostitute to all kingdoms around the world. ¹⁸ But in the end her profits will be given to the Lord . Her wealth will not be hoarded but will provide good food and fine clothing for the Lord 's priests.