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11 The Lord stretched out his hand over the sea,[a]
he shook kingdoms;
he[b] gave the order
to destroy Canaan’s fortresses.[c]
12 He said,
“You will no longer celebrate,
oppressed[d] virgin daughter Sidon!
Get up, travel to Cyprus,
but you will find no relief there.”[e]
13 Look at the land of the Chaldeans,
these people who have lost their identity![f]
The Assyrians have made it a home for wild animals.
They erected their siege towers,[g]
demolished[h] its fortresses,
and turned it into a heap of ruins.[i]

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 23:11 tn Heb “his hand he stretched out over the sea.”
  2. Isaiah 23:11 tn Heb “the Lord.” For stylistic reasons the pronoun (“he”) has been used in the translation here.
  3. Isaiah 23:11 tn Heb “concerning Canaan, to destroy her fortresses.” NIV, NLT translate “Canaan” as “Phoenicia” here.
  4. Isaiah 23:12 tn Or “violated, raped,” the point being that Daughter Sidon has lost her virginity in the most brutal manner possible.
  5. Isaiah 23:12 tn Heb “[to the] Kittim, get up, cross over; even there there will be no rest for you.” On “Kittim” see the note on “Cyprus” at v. 1.
  6. Isaiah 23:13 tn Heb “this people [that] is not.”
  7. Isaiah 23:13 tn For the meaning of this word, see HALOT 118 s.v. *בַּחוּן.
  8. Isaiah 23:13 tn Or “laid bare.” For the meaning of this word, see HALOT 889 s.v. ערר.
  9. Isaiah 23:13 sn This verse probably refers to the Assyrian destruction of Babylon.

11 The Lord has stretched out his hand(A) over the sea
    and made its kingdoms tremble.(B)
He has given an order concerning Phoenicia
    that her fortresses be destroyed.(C)
12 He said, “No more of your reveling,(D)
    Virgin Daughter(E) Sidon, now crushed!

“Up, cross over to Cyprus;(F)
    even there you will find no rest.”
13 Look at the land of the Babylonians,[a](G)
    this people that is now of no account!
The Assyrians(H) have made it
    a place for desert creatures;(I)
they raised up their siege towers,(J)
    they stripped its fortresses bare
    and turned it into a ruin.(K)

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 23:13 Or Chaldeans