Isaiah 23-27
New American Standard Bible 1995
The Fall of Tyre
23 The [a]oracle concerning (A)Tyre.
Wail, O (B)ships of (C)Tarshish,
For Tyre is destroyed, without house or [b](D)harbor;
It is reported to them from the land of [c](E)Cyprus.
2 (F)Be silent, you inhabitants of the coastland,
You merchants of Sidon;
[d]Your messengers crossed the sea
3 And were on many waters.
(G)The grain of the [e](H)Nile, the harvest of the River was her revenue;
And she was the (I)market of nations.
4 Be ashamed, O (J)Sidon;
For the sea speaks, the stronghold of the sea, saying,
“I have neither travailed nor given birth,
I have neither brought up young men nor reared virgins.”
5 When the report reaches Egypt,
They will be in (K)anguish at the report of Tyre.
6 Pass over to (L)Tarshish;
Wail, O inhabitants of the coastland.
7 Is this your (M)jubilant city,
Whose origin is from antiquity,
Whose feet used to carry her to [f]colonize distant places?
8 Who has planned this against Tyre, (N)the bestower of crowns,
Whose merchants were princes, whose traders were the honored of the earth?
9 (O)The Lord of hosts has planned it, to (P)defile the pride of all beauty,
To despise all the (Q)honored of the earth.
10 [g]Overflow your land like the Nile, O daughter of Tarshish,
There is no more [h]restraint.
11 He has (R)stretched His hand out (S)over the sea,
He has (T)made the kingdoms tremble;
The Lord has given a command concerning Canaan to (U)demolish its strongholds.
12 He has said, “(V)You shall exult no more, O crushed virgin daughter of Sidon.
Arise, pass over to [i](W)Cyprus; even there you will find no rest.”
13 Behold, the land of the Chaldeans—this is the people which was not; (X)Assyria appointed it for (Y)desert creatures—they erected their siege towers, they stripped its palaces, (Z)they made it a ruin.
14 Wail, O (AA)ships of Tarshish,
For your stronghold is destroyed.
15 Now in that day Tyre will be forgotten for (AB)seventy years like 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 your harp, walk about the city,
O forgotten harlot;
Pluck the strings skillfully, sing many songs,
That you may be remembered.
17 It will come about at (AC)the end of seventy years that the Lord will visit Tyre. Then she will go back to her harlot’s wages and will (AD)play the harlot with all the kingdoms [j]on the face of the earth. 18 Her (AE)gain and her harlot’s wages will be (AF)set apart to the Lord; it will not be stored up or hoarded, but her gain will become sufficient food and choice attire for those who dwell in the presence of the Lord.
Judgment on the Earth
24 Behold, the Lord (AG)lays the earth waste, devastates it, distorts its surface and scatters its inhabitants. 2 And the people will be like the priest, the servant like his master, the maid like her mistress, the buyer like the seller, the lender like the borrower, the (AH)creditor like the debtor. 3 The earth will be completely laid waste and completely despoiled, for the Lord has spoken this word. 4 The (AI)earth mourns and withers, the world fades and withers, the (AJ)exalted of the people of the earth fade away. 5 The earth is also (AK)polluted [k]by its inhabitants, for they transgressed laws, violated statutes, (AL)broke the everlasting covenant. 6 Therefore, a (AM)curse devours the earth, and those who live in it are held guilty. Therefore, the (AN)inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men are left.
7 The (AO)new wine mourns,
The vine decays,
All the merry-hearted sigh.
8 The (AP)gaiety of tambourines ceases,
The noise of revelers stops,
The gaiety of the harp ceases.
9 They do not drink wine with song;
(AQ)Strong drink is (AR)bitter to those who drink it.
10 The (AS)city of chaos is broken down;
(AT)Every house is shut up so that none may enter.
11 There is an (AU)outcry in the streets concerning the wine;
(AV)All joy [l]turns to gloom.
The gaiety of the earth is banished.
12 Desolation is left in the city
And the (AW)gate is battered to ruins.
13 For (AX)thus it will be in the midst of the earth among the peoples,
As the [m]shaking of an olive tree,
As the gleanings when the grape harvest is over.
14 (AY)They raise their voices, they shout for joy;
They cry out from the [n]west concerning the majesty of the Lord.
15 Therefore (AZ)glorify the Lord in the [o]east,
The (BA)name of the Lord, the God of Israel,
In the [p](BB)coastlands of the sea.
16 From the (BC)ends of the earth we hear songs, “(BD)Glory to the Righteous One,”
But I say, “[q](BE)Woe to me! [r]Woe to me! Alas for me!
The (BF)treacherous deal treacherously,
And the treacherous deal very treacherously.”
17 (BG)Terror and pit and snare
[s]Confront you, O inhabitant of the earth.
18 Then it will be that he who flees the [t]report of disaster will fall into the pit,
And he who [u]climbs out of the pit will be caught in the snare;
For the (BH)windows [v]above are opened, and the (BI)foundations of the earth shake.
19 (BJ)The earth is broken asunder,
The earth is (BK)split through,
The earth is shaken violently.
20 The earth (BL)reels to and fro like a drunkard
And it totters like a [w]shack,
For its (BM)transgression is heavy upon it,
And it will fall, (BN)never to rise again.
21 So it will happen in that day,
That the Lord will (BO)punish the host of [x]heaven on high,
And the (BP)kings of the earth on earth.
22 They will be gathered together
Like (BQ)prisoners in the [y]dungeon,
And will be confined in prison;
And after many days they will (BR)be punished.
23 Then the (BS)moon will be abashed and the sun ashamed,
For the (BT)Lord of hosts will reign on (BU)Mount Zion and in Jerusalem,
And His glory will be before His elders.
Song of Praise for God’s Favor
25 O Lord, You are (BV)my God;
I will exalt You, I will give thanks to Your name;
For You have (BW)worked wonders,
(BX)Plans formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness.
2 For You have made a city into a (BY)heap,
A (BZ)fortified city into a ruin;
A (CA)palace of strangers is a city no more,
It will never be rebuilt.
3 Therefore a strong people will (CB)glorify You;
(CC)Cities of ruthless nations will revere You.
4 For You have been a (CD)defense for the helpless,
A defense for the needy in his distress,
A (CE)refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat;
For the breath of the (CF)ruthless
Is like a rain storm against a wall.
5 Like heat in drought, You subdue the (CG)uproar of aliens;
Like heat by the shadow of a cloud, the song of the ruthless is [z]silenced.
6 (CH)The Lord of hosts will prepare a [aa]lavish banquet for (CI)all peoples on this mountain;
A banquet of [ab]aged wine, [ac]choice pieces with marrow,
And [ad]refined, aged wine.
7 And on this mountain He will swallow up the [ae](CJ)covering which is over all peoples,
Even the veil which is [af]stretched over all nations.
8 He will (CK)swallow up death for all time,
And the Lord [ag]God will (CL)wipe tears away from all faces,
And He will remove the (CM)reproach of His people from all the earth;
For the Lord has spoken.
9 And it will be said in that day,
“Behold, (CN)this is our God for whom we have (CO)waited that (CP)He might save us.
This is the Lord for whom we have waited;
(CQ)Let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation.”
10 For the hand of the Lord will rest on this mountain,
And (CR)Moab will be trodden down in his place
As straw is trodden down in the water of a manure pile.
11 And he will (CS)spread out his hands in the middle of it
As a swimmer spreads out his hands to swim,
But the Lord will (CT)lay low his pride together with the trickery of his hands.
12 The (CU)unassailable fortifications of your walls He will bring down,
Lay low and cast to the ground, even to the dust.
Song of Trust in God’s Protection
26 (CV)In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah:
“We have a (CW)strong city;
He sets up walls and ramparts for [ah](CX)security.
2 “Open the (CY)gates, that the (CZ)righteous nation may enter,
The one that [ai]remains faithful.
3 “The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect (DA)peace,
Because he trusts in You.
4 “(DB)Trust in the Lord forever,
For in [aj]God the Lord, we have an everlasting (DC)Rock.
5 “For He has brought low those who dwell on high, the (DD)unassailable city;
(DE)He lays it low, He lays it low to the ground, He casts it to the dust.
6 “(DF)The foot will trample it,
The feet of the (DG)afflicted, the steps of the helpless.”
7 The (DH)way of the righteous is smooth;
O Upright One, (DI)make the path of the righteous level.
8 Indeed, while following the way of (DJ)Your judgments, O Lord,
We have waited for You eagerly;
(DK)Your name, even Your (DL)memory, is the desire of our souls.
9 (DM)At night [ak]my soul longs for You,
Indeed, [al]my spirit within me (DN)seeks You diligently;
For when the earth [am]experiences Your judgments
The inhabitants of the world (DO)learn righteousness.
10 Though the wicked is shown favor,
He does not (DP)learn righteousness;
He (DQ)deals unjustly in the land of uprightness,
And does not perceive the majesty of the Lord.
11 O Lord, Your hand is lifted up yet they (DR)do not see it.
[an]They see (DS)Your zeal for the people and are put to shame;
Indeed, [ao](DT)fire will devour Your enemies.
12 Lord, You will establish (DU)peace for us,
Since You have also performed for us all our works.
13 O Lord our God, (DV)other masters besides You have ruled us;
But through You alone we [ap](DW)confess Your name.
14 (DX)The dead will not live, the [aq]departed spirits will not rise;
Therefore You have (DY)punished and destroyed them,
And You have wiped out all remembrance of them.
15 (DZ)You have increased the nation, O Lord,
You have increased the nation, You are glorified;
You have (EA)extended all the borders of the land.
16 O Lord, they sought You (EB)in distress;
They [ar]could only whisper a prayer,
Your chastening was upon them.
17 (EC)As the pregnant woman approaches the time to give birth,
She writhes and cries out in her labor pains,
Thus were we before You, O Lord.
18 We were pregnant, we writhed in labor,
We (ED)gave birth, as it seems, only to wind.
We could not accomplish deliverance for the earth,
Nor were (EE)inhabitants of the world [as]born.
19 Your (EF)dead will live;
[at]Their corpses will rise.
You who lie in the dust, (EG)awake and shout for joy,
For your dew is as the dew of the [au]dawn,
And the earth will [av]give birth to the [aw]departed spirits.
20 Come, my people, (EH)enter into your rooms
And close your doors behind you;
Hide for a little [ax](EI)while
Until (EJ)indignation [ay]runs its course.
21 For behold, the Lord is about to (EK)come out from His place
To (EL)punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity;
And the earth will (EM)reveal her bloodshed
And will no longer cover her slain.
The Deliverance of Israel
27 In that day (EN)the Lord will punish [az](EO)Leviathan the fleeing serpent,
With His fierce and great and mighty sword,
Even [ba]Leviathan the twisted serpent;
And (EP)He will kill the dragon who lives in the sea.
2 In that day,
“A [bb](EQ)vineyard of wine, sing of it!
3 “I, the Lord, am its keeper;
(ER)I water it every moment.
So that no one will [bc]damage it,
I (ES)guard it night and day.
4 “I have no wrath.
Should [bd]someone give Me (ET)briars and thorns in battle,
Then I would step on them, (EU)I would burn them [be]completely.
5 “Or let him [bf](EV)rely on My protection,
Let him make peace with Me,
Let him (EW)make peace with Me.”
6 [bg]In the days to come Jacob (EX)will take root,
Israel will (EY)blossom and sprout,
And they will fill the [bh]whole world with (EZ)fruit.
7 Like the striking of Him who has struck them, has (FA)He struck them?
Or like the slaughter of His slain, [bi]have they been slain?
8 You contended with them [bj]by banishing them, by (FB)driving them away.
With His fierce wind He has expelled them on the day of the (FC)east wind.
9 Therefore through this Jacob’s iniquity will be (FD)forgiven;
And this will be [bk]the full price of the [bl](FE)pardoning of his sin:
When he makes all the (FF)altar stones like pulverized chalk stones;
When [bm]Asherim and incense altars will not stand.
10 For the fortified city is (FG)isolated,
A [bn]homestead forlorn and forsaken like the desert;
(FH)There the calf will graze,
And there it will lie down and [bo]feed on its branches.
11 When its (FI)limbs are dry, they are broken off;
Women come and make a fire with them,
For they are not a people of (FJ)discernment,
Therefore (FK)their Maker (FL)will not have compassion on them.
And their Creator will not be gracious to them.
12 In that day the Lord (FM)will start His threshing from the flowing stream of the (FN)Euphrates to the brook of Egypt, and you will be (FO)gathered up one by one, O sons of Israel. 13 It will come about also in that day that a great (FP)trumpet will be blown, and those who were perishing in the land of (FQ)Assyria and who were scattered in the land of Egypt will come and (FR)worship the Lord in the holy mountain at Jerusalem.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 23:1 Or burden of
- Isaiah 23:1 Lit entering
- Isaiah 23:1 Heb Kittim
- Isaiah 23:2 So DSS; M.T. Who passed over the sea, they replenished you
- Isaiah 23:3 Heb Shihor
- Isaiah 23:7 Lit sojourn afar off
- Isaiah 23:10 Lit Pass over
- Isaiah 23:10 Perhaps girdle or shipyard
- Isaiah 23:12 Heb Kittim
- Isaiah 23:17 Lit of the earth on the face of the land
- Isaiah 24:5 Lit under
- Isaiah 24:11 Lit is darkened
- Isaiah 24:13 Lit striking
- Isaiah 24:14 Lit sea
- Isaiah 24:15 Lit region of light
- Isaiah 24:15 Or islands
- Isaiah 24:16 Lit Wasting to me!
- Isaiah 24:16 Lit Wasting to me!
- Isaiah 24:17 Lit Are upon you
- Isaiah 24:18 Lit sound of terror
- Isaiah 24:18 Lit goes up from the midst of
- Isaiah 24:18 Lit from the height; i.e. heaven
- Isaiah 24:20 Or hut
- Isaiah 24:21 Lit the height in the height
- Isaiah 24:22 Lit pit
- Isaiah 25:5 Lit humbled
- Isaiah 25:6 Lit feast of fat things; i.e. abundance
- Isaiah 25:6 Lit wine on the lees
- Isaiah 25:6 Lit fat pieces
- Isaiah 25:6 Lit wine refined on the lees
- Isaiah 25:7 Lit face of the covering
- Isaiah 25:7 Lit woven
- Isaiah 25:8 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Isaiah 26:1 Or salvation
- Isaiah 26:2 Lit keeps faithfulness
- Isaiah 26:4 Heb Yah, usually rendered Lord
- Isaiah 26:9 Lit with my soul I long
- Isaiah 26:9 Lit with my spirit...I seek
- Isaiah 26:9 Lit has
- Isaiah 26:11 Or Let them see...and be
- Isaiah 26:11 Or let the fire for Your adversaries devour them
- Isaiah 26:13 Or cause to be remembered
- Isaiah 26:14 Or shades
- Isaiah 26:16 Lit sound forth a whisper
- Isaiah 26:18 Lit fallen
- Isaiah 26:19 So with some ancient versions; Heb My
- Isaiah 26:19 Lit lights
- Isaiah 26:19 Lit cause to fall
- Isaiah 26:19 Or shades
- Isaiah 26:20 Lit moment
- Isaiah 26:20 Lit passes over
- Isaiah 27:1 Or sea monster
- Isaiah 27:1 Or sea monster
- Isaiah 27:2 Some mss read a vineyard of delight
- Isaiah 27:3 Lit punish
- Isaiah 27:4 Lit who
- Isaiah 27:4 Lit altogether
- Isaiah 27:5 Lit take hold of
- Isaiah 27:6 Lit Those coming
- Isaiah 27:6 Lit face of
- Isaiah 27:7 Lit he was slain
- Isaiah 27:8 Some ancient versions read by exact measure
- Isaiah 27:9 Lit all the fruit
- Isaiah 27:9 Lit removing
- Isaiah 27:9 I.e. wooden symbols of a female deity
- Isaiah 27:10 Lit pasture
- Isaiah 27:10 Lit consume
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.