Isaiah 23-27

New International Version

Wail,^(B) you ships^(C) of Tarshish!^(D)
    For Tyre is destroyed^(E)
    and left without house or harbor.
From the land of Cyprus
    word has come to them.

² Be silent,^(F) you people of the island
    and you merchants^(G) of Sidon,^(H)
    whom the seafarers have enriched.
³ On the great waters
    came the grain of the Shihor;^(I)
the harvest of the Nile^[a](J) was the revenue of Tyre,^(K)
    and she became the marketplace of the nations.

⁴ Be ashamed, Sidon,^(L) and you fortress of the sea,
    for the sea has spoken:
“I have neither been in labor nor given birth;^(M)
    I have neither reared sons nor brought up daughters.”
⁵ When word comes to Egypt,
    they will be in anguish^(N) at the report from Tyre.^(O)

⁶ Cross over to Tarshish;^(P)
    wail, you people of the island.
⁷ Is this your city of revelry,^(Q)
    the old, old city,
whose feet have taken her
    to settle in far-off lands?
⁸ Who planned this against Tyre,
    the bestower of crowns,
whose merchants^(R) are princes,
    whose traders^(S) are renowned in the earth?
⁹ The Lord Almighty planned^(T) it,
    to bring down^(U) her pride in all her splendor
    and to humble^(V) all who are renowned^(W) on the earth.

¹⁰ Till^[b] your land as they do along the Nile,
    Daughter Tarshish,
    for you no longer have a harbor.
¹¹ The Lord has stretched out his hand^(X) over the sea
    and made its kingdoms tremble.^(Y)
He has given an order concerning Phoenicia
    that her fortresses be destroyed.^(Z)
12 He said, “No more of your reveling,^(AA)
    Virgin Daughter^(AB) Sidon, now crushed!

“Up, cross over to Cyprus;^(AC)
    even there you will find no rest.”
¹³ Look at the land of the Babylonians,^[c](AD)
    this people that is now of no account!
The Assyrians^(AE) have made it
    a place for desert creatures;^(AF)
they raised up their siege towers,^(AG)
    they stripped its fortresses bare
    and turned it into a ruin.^(AH)

¹⁴ Wail, you ships^(AI) of Tarshish;^(AJ)
    your fortress is destroyed!^(AK)

¹⁶ “Take up a harp, walk through the city,
    you forgotten prostitute;^(AN)
play the harp well, sing many a song,
    so that you will be remembered.”

⁴ The earth dries up^(BD) and withers,^(BE)
    the world languishes and withers,
    the heavens^(BF) languish with the earth.^(BG)
5 The earth is defiled^(BH) by its people;
    they have disobeyed^(BI) the laws,
violated the statutes
    and broken the everlasting covenant.^(BJ)
6 Therefore a curse^(BK) consumes the earth;
    its people must bear their guilt.
Therefore earth’s inhabitants are burned up,^(BL)
    and very few are left.
⁷ The new wine dries up^(BM) and the vine withers;^(BN)
    all the merrymakers groan.^(BO)
8 The joyful timbrels^(BP) are stilled,
    the noise^(BQ) of the revelers^(BR) has stopped,
    the joyful harp^(BS) is silent.^(BT)
9 No longer do they drink wine^(BU) with a song;
    the beer is bitter^(BV) to its drinkers.
¹⁰ The ruined city^(BW) lies desolate;^(BX)
    the entrance to every house is barred.
¹¹ In the streets they cry out^(BY) for wine;^(BZ)
    all joy turns to gloom,^(CA)
    all joyful sounds are banished from the earth.
¹² The city is left in ruins,^(CB)
    its gate^(CC) is battered to pieces.
¹³ So will it be on the earth
    and among the nations,
as when an olive tree is beaten,^(CD)
    or as when gleanings are left after the grape harvest.^(CE)

¹⁴ They raise their voices, they shout for joy;^(CF)
    from the west^(CG) they acclaim the Lord’s majesty.
¹⁵ Therefore in the east^(CH) give glory^(CI) to the Lord;
    exalt^(CJ) the name^(CK) of the Lord, the God of Israel,
    in the islands^(CL) of the sea.
¹⁶ From the ends of the earth^(CM) we hear singing:^(CN)
    “Glory^(CO) to the Righteous One.”^(CP)

But I said, “I waste away, I waste away!^(CQ)
    Woe^(CR) to me!
The treacherous^(CS) betray!
    With treachery the treacherous betray!^(CT)”
¹⁷ Terror^(CU) and pit and snare^(CV) await you,
    people of the earth.^(CW)
18 Whoever flees^(CX) at the sound of terror
    will fall into a pit;^(CY)
whoever climbs out of the pit
    will be caught in a snare.^(CZ)

The floodgates of the heavens^(DA) are opened,
    the foundations of the earth shake.^(DB)
19 The earth is broken up,^(DC)
    the earth is split asunder,^(DD)
    the earth is violently shaken.
²⁰ The earth reels like a drunkard,^(DE)
    it sways like a hut^(DF) in the wind;
so heavy upon it is the guilt of its rebellion^(DG)
    that it falls^(DH)—never to rise again.^(DI)

²¹ In that day^(DJ) the Lord will punish^(DK)
    the powers^(DL) in the heavens above
    and the kings^(DM) on the earth below.
²² They will be herded together
    like prisoners^(DN) bound in a dungeon;^(DO)
they will be shut up in prison
    and be punished^[d] after many days.^(DP)
23 The moon will be dismayed,
    the sun^(DQ) ashamed;
for the Lord Almighty will reign^(DR)
    on Mount Zion^(DS) and in Jerusalem,
    and before its elders—with great glory.^(DT)

⁶ On this mountain^(EO) the Lord Almighty will prepare
    a feast^(EP) of rich food for all peoples,
a banquet of aged wine—
    the best of meats and the finest of wines.^(EQ)
7 On this mountain he will destroy
    the shroud^(ER) that enfolds all peoples,^(ES)
the sheet that covers all nations;
⁸     he will swallow up death^(ET) forever.
The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears^(EU)
    from all faces;
he will remove his people’s disgrace^(EV)
    from all the earth.
The Lord has spoken.^(EW)

“Surely this is our God;^(EY)
    we trusted^(EZ) in him, and he saved^(FA) us.
This is the Lord, we trusted in him;
    let us rejoice^(FB) and be glad in his salvation.”^(FC)

¹⁰ The hand of the Lord will rest on this mountain;^(FD)
    but Moab^(FE) will be trampled in their land
    as straw is trampled down in the manure.
¹¹ They will stretch out their hands in it,
    as swimmers stretch out their hands to swim.
God will bring down^(FF) their pride^(FG)
    despite the cleverness^[e] of their hands.
¹² He will bring down your high fortified walls^(FH)
    and lay them low;^(FI)
he will bring them down to the ground,
    to the very dust.

We have a strong city;^(FL)
    God makes salvation
    its walls^(FM) and ramparts.^(FN)
2 Open the gates^(FO)
    that the righteous^(FP) nation may enter,
    the nation that keeps faith.
³ You will keep in perfect peace^(FQ)
    those whose minds are steadfast,
    because they trust^(FR) in you.
⁴ Trust^(FS) in the Lord forever,^(FT)
    for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock^(FU) eternal.
⁵ He humbles those who dwell on high,
    he lays the lofty city low;
he levels it to the ground^(FV)
    and casts it down to the dust.^(FW)
6 Feet trample^(FX) it down—
    the feet of the oppressed,^(FY)
    the footsteps of the poor.^(FZ)

⁷ The path of the righteous is level;^(GA)
    you, the Upright One,^(GB) make the way of the righteous smooth.^(GC)
8 Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your laws,^[f](GD)
    we wait^(GE) for you;
your name^(GF) and renown
    are the desire of our hearts.
⁹ My soul yearns for you in the night;^(GG)
    in the morning my spirit longs^(GH) for you.
When your judgments^(GI) come upon the earth,
    the people of the world learn righteousness.^(GJ)
10 But when grace is shown to the wicked,^(GK)
    they do not learn righteousness;
even in a land of uprightness they go on doing evil^(GL)
    and do not regard^(GM) the majesty of the Lord.
¹¹ Lord, your hand is lifted high,^(GN)
    but they do not see^(GO) it.
Let them see your zeal^(GP) for your people and be put to shame;^(GQ)
    let the fire^(GR) reserved for your enemies consume them.

¹² Lord, you establish peace^(GS) for us;
    all that we have accomplished you have done^(GT) for us.
¹³ Lord our God, other lords^(GU) besides you have ruled over us,
    but your name^(GV) alone do we honor.^(GW)
14 They are now dead,^(GX) they live no more;
    their spirits^(GY) do not rise.
You punished them and brought them to ruin;^(GZ)
    you wiped out all memory of them.^(HA)
15 You have enlarged the nation, Lord;
    you have enlarged the nation.^(HB)
You have gained glory for yourself;
    you have extended all the borders^(HC) of the land.

¹⁶ Lord, they came to you in their distress;^(HD)
    when you disciplined^(HE) them,
    they could barely whisper^(HF) a prayer.^[g]
17 As a pregnant woman about to give birth^(HG)
    writhes and cries out in her pain,
    so were we in your presence, Lord.
¹⁸ We were with child, we writhed in labor,
    but we gave birth^(HH) to wind.
We have not brought salvation^(HI) to the earth,
    and the people of the world have not come to life.^(HJ)

¹⁹ But your dead^(HK) will live, Lord;
    their bodies will rise—
let those who dwell in the dust^(HL)
    wake up and shout for joy—
your dew^(HM) is like the dew of the morning;
    the earth will give birth to her dead.^(HN)

²⁰ Go, my people, enter your rooms
    and shut the doors^(HO) behind you;
hide^(HP) yourselves for a little while
    until his wrath^(HQ) has passed by.^(HR)
21 See, the Lord is coming^(HS) out of his dwelling^(HT)
    to punish^(HU) the people of the earth for their sins.
The earth will disclose the blood^(HV) shed on it;
    the earth will conceal its slain no longer.

the Lord will punish with his sword^(HX)—
    his fierce, great and powerful sword—
Leviathan^(HY) the gliding serpent,^(HZ)
    Leviathan the coiling serpent;
he will slay the monster^(IA) of the sea.

“Sing^(IC) about a fruitful vineyard:^(ID)
3     I, the Lord, watch over it;
    I water^(IE) it continually.
I guard^(IF) it day and night
    so that no one may harm^(IG) it.
⁴     I am not angry.
If only there were briers and thorns confronting me!
    I would march against them in battle;
    I would set them all on fire.^(IH)
5 Or else let them come to me for refuge;^(II)
    let them make peace^(IJ) with me,
    yes, let them make peace with me.”

⁶ In days to come Jacob will take root,^(IK)
    Israel will bud and blossom^(IL)
    and fill all the world with fruit.^(IM)

⁷ Has the Lord struck her
    as he struck^(IN) down those who struck her?
Has she been killed
    as those were killed who killed her?
⁸ By warfare^[h] and exile^(IO) you contend with her—
    with his fierce blast he drives her out,
    as on a day the east wind^(IP) blows.
⁹ By this, then, will Jacob’s guilt be atoned^(IQ) for,
    and this will be the full fruit of the removal of his sin:^(IR)
When he makes all the altar stones^(IS)
    to be like limestone crushed to pieces,
no Asherah poles^[i](IT) or incense altars^(IU)
    will be left standing.
¹⁰ The fortified city stands desolate,^(IV)
    an abandoned settlement, forsaken^(IW) like the wilderness;
there the calves graze,^(IX)
    there they lie down;^(IY)
    they strip its branches bare.
¹¹ When its twigs are dry, they are broken off^(IZ)
    and women come and make fires^(JA) with them.
For this is a people without understanding;^(JB)
    so their Maker has no compassion on them,
    and their Creator^(JC) shows them no favor.^(JD)