Old Testament · Prophets

Isaiah chapter 23

A about : Wail, you ! Your harbor is destroyed— no house, no port of entry. From the land of , the word has reached them.Fall silent, you who live along the coast, you merchants of , whose traders crossed the sea and filled your coffers.Over the great waters came the grain of the Nile, the harvest of the was her revenue. She became the .Be ashamed, Sidon—the sea has spoken, declares: “I have not labored or given birth, never raised young men or brought up young women.”When the report reaches Egypt, they will at the news of Tyre.Cross over to — wail, you coastland dwellers!Is this your , whose origins stretch back to ancient days, whose feet once carried her to settle in distant lands?Who planned this against Tyre, the city that , whose merchants were princes, whose traders were honored across the earth? planned it— to shatter the of , to humiliate every honored name on earth.Overflow your land like the Nile, — there is no restraint anymore.He has stretched his hand out over the sea, he has shaken kingdoms. Yahweh has given the order against ’s merchant-land: demolish her fortresses.He said: “You will celebrate no more, daughter of Sidon. Get up, cross over to Cyprus— but even there you will find no rest.”Look at the land of the — this people that did not exist before. Assyria assigned it to desert creatures. They raised their , stripped her palaces bare, and turned her into rubble.Wail, you ships of Tarshish— your fortress is destroyed!On that day, Tyre will be forgotten for —the span of one king’s lifetime. At the end of seventy years, Tyre’s song will be like the prostitute’s song:“Pick up your , walk the streets, forgotten prostitute. Play it sweet, sing it again and again— maybe someone will remember you.”At the end of seventy years, Yahweh will turn his attention to Tyre. She will return to her trade and to every kingdom on the face of the earth.But her profits and her earnings will . They will not be hoarded or stored away. Her revenue will go to , for abundant food and fine clothing.