Isaiah 23:1-18 - Oracle Against Tyre

¹ A message concerning Tyre. "Wail, you ships of Tarshish, for Tyre is destroyed and is without house or harbor! From the land of Cyprus it was revealed to them. ² "Be silent, you inhabitants of the coast, you merchants of Sidon, whose messengers crossed over the sea, ³ and were on mighty waters. Her revenue was the grain of Shihor, the harvest of the Nile; and she became the marketplace of nations. ⁴ Be ashamed, Sidon, because the sea has spoken, the fortress of the sea: I have neither been in labor nor given birth, I have neither reared young men nor brought up young women." ⁵ When the news reaches Egypt, they will be in anguish at the report about Tyre. ⁶ "You who are crossing over to Tarshish Wail, you inhabitants of the coast! ⁷ Is this your exciting city, that was founded long ago, whose feet carried her to settle in far-off lands? ⁸ Who has planned this against Tyre, that bestower of crowns, whose merchants were princes, whose traders were the most renowned on earth? ⁹ The LORD of the Heavenly Armies has planned it to neutralize all the hubris of grandeur, to discredit all the renowned men of earth. ¹⁰ "Cultivate your land like the Nile, you daughter of Tarshish; for there is no longer a harbor. ¹¹ He has stretched out his hand over the sea; he has made kingdoms tremble. The LORD has issued orders concerning Canaan to destroy its strongholds. ¹² And he said: "You will revel no longer, you virgin daughter of Sidon, now crushed. Get up, cross over to Cyprus but even there you will find no rest.'" ¹³ "Look at the land of the Chaldeans! This is a people that no longer exist; Assyria destined her for desert creatures. They raised up her siege towers, they stripped her fortresses bare and turned her into a ruin. ¹⁴ Wail, you ships of Tarshish, because your stronghold is destroyed!"

¹⁵ It will happen at that time that Tyre will be forgotten for 70 years, the span of a king's life. Then, at the end of those 70 years, it will turn out for Tyre as in the prostitute's song:

¹⁶ "Take a harp; walk around the city, you forgotten whore! Make sweet melody; sing many songs, and perhaps you'll be remembered."

¹⁷ At the end of 70 years, the LORD will deal with Tyre, at which time she'll return to her courtesan's trade, and prostitute herself with the kingdoms of the world on the surface of the earth. ¹⁸ Nevertheless, her profits and her earnings will be dedicated to the LORD; they will not be stored up or hoarded but her profits will go to those who live in the LORD's presence, for abundant food and choice clothing.