Isaiah 23

A Prophecy Against Tyre 1Here is a prophecy against Tyre that the LORD gave me. Men in the ships of Tarshish, cry out! The city of Tyre is destroyed. Its houses and harbor are gone. That’s the message you have received from the island of Cyprus.

2People on the island of Tyre, be silent. Traders from the city of Sidon, be quiet. Those who sail on the Mediterranean Sea have made you rich.

3Grain from Egypt came across the mighty waters. The harvest of the Nile River brought wealth to Tyre. It became the market place of the nations.

4Sidon, be ashamed. Mighty Tyre out in the sea, be ashamed. The sea has spoken. It has said, “It’s as if I had never felt labor pains or had children. It’s as if I had never brought up sons or daughters. It’s as if the city of Tyre had never existed.”

5The Egyptians will hear about what has happened to Tyre. They’ll be very sad and troubled.

6People of the island of Tyre, cry out! Go across the sea to Tarshish.

7Just look at Tyre. It’s no longer the old, old city that was known for its wild parties. It no longer sends its people out to make their homes in lands far away.

8Tyre was a city that produced kings. Its traders were princes. They were honored all over the earth. So who planned to destroy such a city?

9The LORD who rules over all planned to do it. He wanted to bring down all its pride and glory. He wanted to shame those who were honored all over the earth.

10People of Tarshish, farm your land as they do along the Nile River. That’s because you don’t have a harbor anymore.

11The LORD has reached his powerful hand out over the sea. He has made its kingdoms tremble with fear. He has given a command concerning Phoenicia. He has ordered that its forts be destroyed.

12He said, “No more wild parties for you! People of Sidon, you are now destroyed! “Leave your city. Go across the sea to Cyprus. Even there you will not find any rest.”

13Look at the land of the Babylonians. No one lives there anymore. The Assyrians have turned it into a place for desert creatures. They built their towers in order to attack it. They took everything out of its forts. They knocked down all its buildings.

14Men in the ships of Tarshish, cry out! Mighty Tyre is destroyed!

15A time is coming when people will forget about Tyre for 70 years. That’s the length of a king’s life. But at the end of those 70 years, Tyre will be like the prostitute that people sing about. They say,

16“Forgotten prostitute, pick up a harp. Walk through the city. Play the harp well. Sing many songs. Then you will be remembered.” 17At the end of the 70 years, the LORD will punish Tyre. He will let it return to its way of life as a prostitute. It will earn its living with all the kingdoms on the face of the earth. 18But the money it earns will be set apart for the LORD . The money won’t be stored up or kept for Tyre. Instead, it will go to those who live the way the LORD wants them to. It will pay for plenty of food and fine clothes for them.