Isaiah 23
Expanded Bible
God’s Message to Lebanon
23 This is a ·message [prophecy; oracle; burden] about Tyre [C port city in Phoenicia, north of Israel; present-day Lebanon]:
You ·trading ships [L ships of Tarshish; C western port city, probably in Spain; 2:16], ·cry [wail]!
The houses and harbor of Tyre are ·destroyed [devastated; laid waste].
This news came to the ships
from the land of ·Cyprus [L the Kittim; C the people of Cyprus, an island west of Israel].
2 ·Be silent [or Mourn in silence], you who live on the ·island of Tyre [or coastland];
you merchants of Sidon [C port city of Phoenica], be silent.
·Sailors have made you rich [or …whose messengers have crossed the sea].
3 They traveled ·the sea [the great waters; or many seas] to bring ·grain from Egypt [L the grain of Shihor; C the east branch of the Nile in Egypt];
the harvest of the Nile was Tyre’s ·profit [revenue];
she was the marketplace of the nations.
4 Sidon, be ashamed.
·Strong city [Fortress] of the sea, be ashamed, because the sea says:
“I have not ·felt the pain of giving birth [gone into labor or given birth];
I have not reared young men or women.”
5 Egypt will hear the news about Tyre,
and it will make Egypt ·hurt with sorrow [be in anguish].
6 ·You ships should return [Travel; or Send word; L Cross over] to Tarshish [v. 1].
·Be sad [Wail], you people ·living near the sea [of the coast].
7 ·Look at [L Is this…?] your ·once happy [boisterous] city,
·founded so long ago [whose beginning was from days of antiquity].
·People from that city have traveled […whose feet have taken her]
far away to live.
8 Who planned Tyre’s destruction?
Tyre ·made others rich [bestower of crowns; or wearer of crowns].
Its merchants ·were treated like [L were; or are] princes,
and its traders were ·greatly respected [L the honored/renowned of the earth].
9 It was the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] who planned this.
He decided to ·make these proud people unimportant [L bring down the pride of all her glory/splendor];
he decided to ·disgrace [humble] ·those who were greatly respected [L the honored/renowned of the earth].
10 Go through[a] [or Cultivate; Till] your land, ·people [L daughter] of Tarshish [v. 1],
like ·the Nile goes through Egypt [or they do along the Nile].
There is no ·harbor [or marketplace; or restraint; or strength] for you now!
11 The Lord has stretched his hand over the sea
and made its kingdoms tremble.
He commands that Canaan’s
·strong, walled cities [fortresses; strongholds] be destroyed.
12 He said, “·Sidon [L Virgin daughter Sidon], you will not ·rejoice [celebrate] any longer,
because you are ·destroyed [crushed; oppressed].
·Even if you cross the sea [L Arise, cross over] to ·Cyprus [L Kittim],
[but] you will not find a place to rest.”
13 Look at the land of the ·Babylonians [Chaldeans];
·it is not a country now [this people is no more].
Assyria has made it a place for ·wild [desert] animals.
Assyria built ·towers to attack it [siege towers];
the soldiers ·took all the treasures from its cities [stripped bare/tore down its fortresses/palaces],
and they turned it into ruins.
14 ·So be sad [Wail], you ·trading ships [L ships of Tarshish; v. 1; 2:16],
because your ·strong city [fortress; stronghold] is destroyed.
15 ·At that time [L In that day] Tyre will be forgotten for seventy years, which is the length of a king’s life. ·After [L At the end of] seventy years, Tyre will be like the prostitute in this song:
16 “Oh ·woman [prostitute; harlot], you are forgotten.
Take your harp and walk through the city.
Play your harp well. Sing ·your song often [many songs].
Then people will remember you.”
17 ·After [L At the end of] seventy years the Lord will ·deal with [visit] Tyre, and it will again ·have trade [earn wages]. It will be like a prostitute for all the ·nations [kingdoms] of the earth. 18 The profits will be ·saved [set apart; holy] for the Lord. Tyre will not ·keep [store up or hoard] the money she earns but will give them to the people who ·serve [worship; L dwell before] the Lord, so they will have plenty of food and ·nice clothes [beautiful coverings].
Footnotes
- Isaiah 23:10 Go through Hebrew copies read “Go through.” The Dead Sea Scrolls and some Greek copies read “Cultivate.”
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.
