Isaiah 23  Christian Standard Bible Anglicised

Wail, ships of Tarshish,^(C)
for your haven has been destroyed.
Word has reached them from the land of Cyprus.^[a](D)
2 Mourn, inhabitants of the coastland,
you merchants of Sidon;^(E)
your agents have crossed the sea^[b]
3 over deep water.
Tyre’s revenue was the grain from Shihor –
the harvest of the Nile.
She was the merchant among the nations.^(F)
4 Be ashamed, Sidon, the stronghold of the sea,
for the sea has spoken:
‘I have not been in labour or given birth.
I have not raised young men
or brought up young women.’
⁵ When the news reaches Egypt,
they will be in anguish over the news about Tyre.^(G)
6 Cross over to Tarshish;
wail, inhabitants of the coastland!
⁷ Is this your jubilant city,
whose origin was in ancient times,
whose feet have taken her
to reside far away?
⁸ Who planned this against Tyre,
the bestower of crowns,
whose traders are princes,
whose merchants are the honoured ones of the earth?
⁹ The Lord of Armies planned it,
to desecrate all its glorious beauty,
to disgrace all the honoured ones of the earth.
¹⁰ Overflow^[c] your land like the Nile, daughter of Tarshish;
there is no longer anything to restrain you.^[d]
11 He stretched out his hand over the sea;^(H)
he made kingdoms tremble.
The Lord has commanded
that the Canaanite fortresses be destroyed.
¹² He said,
‘You will not celebrate any more,
ravished young woman, daughter of Sidon.
Get up and cross over to Cyprus^(I) –
even there you will have no rest! ’
¹³ Look at the land of the Chaldeans –
a people who no longer exist.
Assyria destined it for desert creatures.
They set up their siege towers
and stripped its palaces.
They made it a ruin.
¹⁴ Wail, ships of Tarshish,
because your fortress is destroyed!

¹⁶ Pick up your lyre,
stroll through the city,
you forgotten prostitute.
Play skilfully,
sing many a song
so that you will be remembered.