An Oracle Concerning Tyre and Sidon

23 The (A)oracle concerning (B)Tyre.

Wail, O (C)ships of Tarshish,
    for Tyre is laid waste, (D)without house or harbor!
From (E)the land of Cyprus[a]
    it is revealed to them.
Be still, O inhabitants of the coast;
    the merchants of (F)Sidon, who cross the sea, have filled you.
And on many waters
your revenue was the grain of Shihor,
    the harvest of the Nile;
    you were (G)the merchant of the nations.
Be ashamed, O (H)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.”
When the report comes to Egypt,
    they will be in anguish[b] over the report about Tyre.
(I)Cross over to Tarshish;
    wail, O inhabitants of the coast!
Is this your exultant city
    (J)whose origin is from days of old,
whose feet carried her
    to settle far away?
Who has purposed this
    against Tyre, the bestower of crowns,
whose merchants were princes,
    whose traders were the honored of the earth?
The Lord of hosts has purposed it,
    (K)to defile the pompous pride of all glory,[c]
    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 (L)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 (M)Sidon;
arise, (N)cross over to (O)Cyprus,
    even there you will have no rest.”

13 Behold the land of (P)the Chaldeans! This is the people that was not;[d] Assyria destined it for wild beasts. They erected (Q)their siege towers, they stripped her palaces bare, they made her a ruin.

14 (R)Wail, O ships of Tarshish,
    for your stronghold is laid waste.

15 In that day Tyre will be forgotten for (S)seventy years, like the days[e] of one king. At the end of (T)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 (U)seventy years, the Lord will visit Tyre, and she will return to her wages and (V)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.

Judgment on the Whole Earth

24 Behold, (W)the Lord will empty the earth[f] and make it desolate,
    and he will twist its surface and scatter its inhabitants.
(X)And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest;
    as with the slave, so with his master;
    as with the maid, so with her mistress;
(Y)as with the buyer, so with the seller;
    as with the lender, so with the borrower;
    (Z)as with the creditor, so with the debtor.
(AA)The earth shall be utterly empty and utterly plundered;
    (AB)for the Lord has spoken this word.

(AC)The earth mourns and withers;
    the world languishes and withers;
    the highest people of the earth languish.
The earth lies (AD)defiled
    under its inhabitants;
for (AE)they have transgressed the laws,
    violated the statutes,
    broken the everlasting covenant.
Therefore (AF)a curse devours the earth,
    and its inhabitants (AG)suffer for their guilt;
therefore the inhabitants of the earth are scorched,
    and few men are left.
(AH)The wine mourns,
    the vine languishes,
    all the merry-hearted sigh.
(AI)The mirth of the tambourines is stilled,
    the noise of the jubilant has ceased,
    the mirth of the lyre is stilled.
No more do they drink wine (AJ)with singing;
    strong drink is bitter to those who drink it.
10 (AK)The wasted city is broken down;
    (AL)every house is shut up so that none can enter.
11 (AM)There is an outcry in the streets for lack of wine;
    (AN)all joy has grown dark;
    the gladness of the earth is banished.
12 Desolation is left in the city;
    the gates are battered into ruins.
13 For thus it shall be in the midst of the earth
    among the nations,
(AO)as when an olive tree is beaten,
    as at the gleaning when the grape harvest is done.

14 They lift up their voices, they sing for joy;
    over the majesty of the Lord they shout from the west.[g]
15 (AP)Therefore in the east[h] give glory to the Lord;
    in the coastlands of the sea, give glory to the name of the Lord, the God of Israel.
16 (AQ)From the ends of the earth we hear songs of praise,
    of glory to (AR)the Righteous One.
But I say, “I waste away,
    I waste away. Woe is me!
For (AS)the traitors have betrayed,
    with betrayal the traitors have betrayed.”

17 (AT)Terror and the pit and the snare[i]
    are upon you, O inhabitant of the earth!
18 (AU)He who flees at the sound of the terror
    shall fall into the pit,
and he who climbs out of the pit
    shall be caught in the snare.
For (AV)the windows of heaven are opened,
    and (AW)the foundations of the earth tremble.
19 The earth is utterly broken,
    the earth is split apart,
    the earth is violently shaken.
20 The earth (AX)staggers like a drunken man;
    it sways like a hut;
(AY)its transgression lies heavy upon it,
    and it falls, and will not rise again.

21 On that day the Lord will punish
    the host of heaven, in heaven,
    and (AZ)the kings of the earth, on the earth.
22 (BA)They will be gathered together
    as prisoners in a pit;
they will be shut up in a prison,
    and after many days (BB)they will be punished.
23 (BC)Then the moon will be confounded
    and the sun ashamed,
for (BD)the Lord of hosts reigns
    on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem,
and his glory will be before his elders.

God Will Swallow Up Death Forever

25 O Lord, (BE)you are my God;
    (BF)I will exalt you; I will praise your name,
for you have done wonderful things,
    (BG)plans formed of old, faithful and sure.
For you have made the city (BH)a heap,
    the fortified city a ruin;
the foreigners' palace is a city no more;
    it will never be rebuilt.
(BI)Therefore strong peoples will glorify you;
    cities of ruthless nations will fear you.
(BJ)For you have been a stronghold to the poor,
    a stronghold to the needy in his distress,
    (BK)a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat;
(BL)for the breath of the ruthless is like a storm against a wall,
    (BM)like heat in a dry place.
You subdue the noise of the foreigners;
    as heat by the shade of a cloud,
    so the song of the ruthless is put down.

(BN)On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples
    a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine,
    (BO)of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined.
And he will swallow up (BP)on this mountain
    the covering that is cast over all peoples,
    (BQ)the veil that is spread over all nations.
    (BR)He will swallow up death forever;
and (BS)the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces,
    and (BT)the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth,
    (BU)for the Lord has spoken.
It will be said on that day,
    “Behold, this is our God; (BV)we have waited for him, that he might save us.
    This is the Lord; we have waited for him;
    (BW)let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”
10 For the hand of the Lord will rest (BX)on this mountain,
    and (BY)Moab shall be trampled down in his place,
    as straw is trampled down in a dunghill.[j]
11 (BZ)And he will spread out his hands in the midst of it
    as a swimmer spreads his hands out to swim,
    but the Lord (CA)will lay low his pompous pride together with the skill[k] of his hands.
12 And the high fortifications of his walls he will bring down,
    lay low, and cast to the ground, to the dust.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 23:1 Hebrew Kittim; also verse 12
  2. Isaiah 23:5 Hebrew they will have labor pains
  3. Isaiah 23:9 The Hebrew words for glory and hosts sound alike
  4. Isaiah 23:13 Or that has become nothing
  5. Isaiah 23:15 Or lifetime
  6. Isaiah 24:1 Or land; also throughout this chapter
  7. Isaiah 24:14 Hebrew from the sea
  8. Isaiah 24:15 Hebrew in the realm of light, or with the fires
  9. Isaiah 24:17 The Hebrew words for terror, pit, and snare sound alike
  10. Isaiah 25:10 The Hebrew words for dunghill and for the Moabite town Madmen (Jeremiah 48:2) sound alike
  11. Isaiah 25:11 Or in spite of the skill

A Prophecy Against Tyre

23 A prophecy against Tyre:(A)

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.

Be silent,(F) you people of the island
    and you merchants(G) of Sidon,(H)
    whom the seafarers have enriched.
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.

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.”
When word comes to Egypt,
    they will be in anguish(N) at the report from Tyre.(O)

Cross over to Tarshish;(P)
    wail, you people of the island.
Is this your city of revelry,(Q)
    the old, old city,
whose feet have taken her
    to settle in far-off lands?
Who planned this against Tyre,
    the bestower of crowns,
whose merchants(R) are princes,
    whose traders(S) are renowned in the earth?
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)

15 At that time Tyre(AL) will be forgotten for seventy years,(AM) the span of a king’s life. But at the end of these seventy years, it will happen to Tyre as in the song of the prostitute:

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.”

17 At the end of seventy years,(AO) the Lord will deal with Tyre. She will return to her lucrative prostitution(AP) and will ply her trade with all the kingdoms on the face of the earth.(AQ) 18 Yet her profit and her earnings will be set apart for the Lord;(AR) they will not be stored up or hoarded. Her profits will go to those who live before the Lord,(AS) for abundant food and fine clothes.(AT)

The Lord’s Devastation of the Earth

24 See, the Lord is going to lay waste the earth(AU)
    and devastate(AV) it;
he will ruin its face
    and scatter(AW) its inhabitants—
it will be the same
    for priest as for people,(AX)
    for the master as for his servant,
    for the mistress as for her servant,
    for seller as for buyer,(AY)
    for borrower as for lender,
    for debtor as for creditor.(AZ)
The earth will be completely laid waste(BA)
    and totally plundered.(BB)
The Lord has spoken(BC) this word.

The earth dries up(BD) and withers,(BE)
    the world languishes and withers,
    the heavens(BF) languish with the earth.(BG)
The earth is defiled(BH) by its people;
    they have disobeyed(BI) the laws,
violated the statutes
    and broken the everlasting covenant.(BJ)
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.
The new wine dries up(BM) and the vine withers;(BN)
    all the merrymakers groan.(BO)
The joyful timbrels(BP) are stilled,
    the noise(BQ) of the revelers(BR) has stopped,
    the joyful harp(BS) is silent.(BT)
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)

Praise to the Lord

25 Lord, you are my God;(DU)
    I will exalt you and praise your name,(DV)
for in perfect faithfulness(DW)
    you have done wonderful things,(DX)
    things planned(DY) long ago.
You have made the city a heap of rubble,(DZ)
    the fortified(EA) town a ruin,(EB)
the foreigners’ stronghold(EC) a city no more;
    it will never be rebuilt.(ED)
Therefore strong peoples will honor you;(EE)
    cities of ruthless(EF) nations will revere you.
You have been a refuge(EG) for the poor,(EH)
    a refuge for the needy(EI) in their distress,
a shelter from the storm(EJ)
    and a shade from the heat.
For the breath of the ruthless(EK)
    is like a storm driving against a wall
    and like the heat of the desert.
You silence(EL) the uproar of foreigners;(EM)
    as heat is reduced by the shadow of a cloud,
    so the song of the ruthless(EN) is stilled.

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)
On this mountain he will destroy
    the shroud(ER) that enfolds all peoples,(ES)
the sheet that covers all nations;
    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)

In that day(EX) they will say,

“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.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 23:3 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scrolls Sidon, / who cross over the sea; / your envoys are on the great waters. / The grain of the Shihor, / the harvest of the Nile,
  2. Isaiah 23:10 Dead Sea Scrolls and some Septuagint manuscripts; Masoretic Text Go through
  3. Isaiah 23:13 Or Chaldeans
  4. Isaiah 24:22 Or released
  5. Isaiah 25:11 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.

17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what (A)the will of the Lord is. 18 And (B)do not get drunk with wine, for that is (C)debauchery, but (D)be filled with the Spirit, 19 addressing one another in (E)psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, 20 (F)giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father (G)in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 (H)submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Wives and Husbands

22 (I)Wives, (J)submit to your own husbands, (K)as to the Lord. 23 For (L)the husband is the head of the wife even as (M)Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is (N)himself its Savior.

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17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.(A) 18 Do not get drunk on wine,(B) which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit,(C) 19 speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit.(D) Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks(E) to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Instructions for Christian Households(F)

21 Submit to one another(G) out of reverence for Christ.

22 Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands(H) as you do to the Lord.(I) 23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church,(J) his body, of which he is the Savior.

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