1 The burden of Tyre. Howl, you ships of Tarshish! For it is laid waste, so that there is no house, no entering in. From the land of Kittim it is revealed to them.
2 Be still, you inhabitants of the coast, you whom the merchants of Sidon, that pass over the sea, have replenished.
3 On great waters, the seed of the Shihor, the harvest of the Nile, was her revenue. She was the market of nations.
4 Be ashamed, Sidon; for the sea has spoken, the stronghold of the sea, saying, "I have not travailed, nor brought forth, neither have I nourished young men, nor brought up virgins."
5 When the report comes to Egypt, they will be in anguish at the report of Tyre.
6 Pass over to Tarshish! Wail, you inhabitants of the coast!
7 Is this your joyous city, whose antiquity is of ancient days, whose feet carried her far away to travel?
8 Who has planned this against Tyre, the giver of crowns, whose merchants are princes, whose traffickers are the honorable of the earth?
9 The Lord of hosts has planned it, to stain the pride of all glory, to bring into contempt all the honorable of the earth.
10 Pass through your land like the Nile, daughter of Tarshish. There is no restraint any more.
11 He has stretched out his hand over the sea. He has shaken the kingdoms. The Lord has ordered the destruction of Canaan's strongholds.
12 He said, "You shall rejoice no more, you oppressed virgin daughter of Sidon. Arise, pass over to Kittim. Even there you will have no rest."
13 Behold, the land of the Chaldeans. This people was not. The Assyrians founded it for those who dwell in the wilderness. They set up their towers. They overthrew its palaces. They made it a ruin.
14 Howl, you ships of Tarshish, for your stronghold is laid waste!
15 It will come to pass in that day that Tyre will be forgotten seventy years, according to the days of one king. After the end of seventy years it will be to Tyre like in the song of the prostitute.
16 Take a harp; go about the city, you prostitute that has been forgotten. Make sweet melody. Sing many songs, that you may be remembered.
17 It will happen after the end of seventy years that the Lord will visit Tyre, and she shall return to her wages, and will play the prostitute with all the kingdoms of the world on the surface of the earth.
18 Her merchandise and her wages will be holiness to the Lord. It will not be treasured nor laid up; for her merchandise will be for those who dwell before the Lord, to eat sufficiently, and for durable clothing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the 'burden of Tyre' about in Isaiah chapter 23?
What's the point of God's stated purpose in verse 9, 'to stain the pride of all glory'?
What happens to Tyre after the seventy years mentioned in verses 15-18?
Today's Verse
But if they be prophets, and if the word of Jehovah be with them, let them now make intercession to Jehovah of hosts, that the vessels which are left in the house of Jehovah, and in the house of the king of Judah, and at Jerusalem, go not to Babylon.
Verse Of The DayIsaiah predicts Tyre will be forgotten for seventy years like a hired singer before her trade is restored, this time devoted to the LORD rather than kept for herself. The prophecies against the nations continue in Isaiah 24, and the broader message can be traced from the Isaiah overview.
