Isaiah 23:1-14

Other Translations of Isaiah 23:1-14

King James Version

The Oracle concerning Tyre

23¹ 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, still: Heb. silent 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 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.

English Standard Version

The Oracle concerning Tyre

23¹ The oracle concerning Tyre. Wail, O ships of Tarshish, for Tyre is laid waste, without house or harbor! From the land of CyprusHebrew Kittim; also verse 12 it is revealed to them. ² Be still, O inhabitants of the coast; the merchants of Sidon, who cross the sea, have filled you. ³ And on many waters your revenue was the grain of Shihor, the harvest of the Nile; you were the merchant of the nations. 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

The Message

The Oracle concerning Tyre

23¹ Wail, ships of Tarshish, your strong seaports all in ruins! When the ships returned from Cyprus, they saw the destruction. ² Hold your tongue, you who live on the seacoast, merchants of Sidon. Your people sailed the deep seas, buying and selling, ³ Making money on wheat from Shihor, grown along the Nile - multinational broker in grains! 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

New King James Version

The Oracle concerning Tyre

23¹ The burden against Tyre. Wail, you ships of Tarshish! For it is laid waste, So that there is no house, no harbor; From the land of Cyprus it is revealed to them. ² Be still, you inhabitants of the coastland, You merchants of Sidon, Whom those who cross the sea have filled. ³ And on great waters the grain of Shihor, The harvest of the River, is her revenue; And she is a marketplace for the nations. 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

New Living Translation

The Oracle concerning Tyre

23¹ This message came to me concerning Tyre: Wail, you trading ships of Tarshish, for the harbor and houses of Tyre are gone! The rumors you heard in Cyprus are all true. ² Mourn in silence, you people of the coast and you merchants of Sidon. Your traders crossed the sea, ³ sailing over deep waters. They brought you grain from Egypt and harvests from along the Nile. You were the marketplace of the world. 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!