The Complete Jewish Bible CJB
The Bible in Basic English BBE
1 A prophecy about Tzor: Howl, you "Tarshish" ships, because the harbor is destroyed! On returning from Kittim, they discover they cannot enter it.
1
The word about Tyre. Let a cry of sorrow go up, O ships of Tarshish, because your strong place is made waste; on the way back from the land of Kittim the news is given to them.
2 Silence, you who live on the coast, you who have been enriched by the merchants of Tzidon crossing the sea.
2
Send out a cry of grief, you men of the sea-land, traders of Zidon, who go over the sea, whose representatives are on great waters;
3 By the great water the grain of Shichor, the harvest of the Nile, brought you profits. She was marketplace for the nations.
3
Who get in the seed of Shihor, whose wealth is the trade of the nations.
4 Shame, Tzidon, for the sea speaks; the fortress of the sea says, "I no longer have labor pains or bear children, yet I have raised neither boys nor girls.
4
Be shamed, O Zidon: for the sea, the strong place of the sea has said, I have not been with child, or given birth; I have not taken care of young men, or kept watch over the growth of virgins
5 When the report reaches Egypt, they will be in anguish at the fate of Tzor.
5
When the news comes to Egypt they will be bitterly pained at the fate of Tyre.
6 Cross over to Tarshish! Howl, you who live on the coast!
6
Go over to Tarshish; give cries of sorrow, O men of the sea-land.
7 Is this your boisterous city, whose feet long ago in antiquity carried her off to found distant colonies?
7
Is this the town which was full of joy, whose start goes back to times long past, whose wanderings took her into far-off countries?
8 Who planned this against Tzor, the city that once bestowed crowns, whose merchants are princes, whose traders are honored throughout the earth?
8
By whom was this purposed against Tyre, the crowning town, whose traders are chiefs, whose business men are honoured in the land?
9 ADONAI-Tzva'ot planned it to break the pride of all the arrogant, to humiliate all those who are honored everywhere on earth.
9
It was the purpose of the Lord of armies to put pride to shame, to make sport of the glory of those who are honoured in the earth.
10 People of Tarshish! Nothing restricts you now. You can flow freely over your land just like the Nile River.
10
Let your land be worked with the plough, O daughter of Tarshish; there is no longer any harbour.
11 He has stretched out his hand against the sea, he has shaken kingdoms; ADONAI has ordered that Kena'an's fortresses be destroyed.
11
His hand is stretched out over the sea, the kingdoms are shaking: the Lord has given orders about Canaan, to make waste its strong places.
12 He has said, "Exult no more, oppressed virgin daughter of Tzidon. Arise, cross to Kittim; even there you will find no rest."
12
And he said, There is no more joy for you, O crushed virgin daughter of Zidon: up! go over to Kittim; even there you will have no rest.
13 Look at the land of the Kasdim! This was the people who did not exist when Ashur destined it for desert creatures. They erected their siege towers and tore down her palaces, so that it has been made a ruin.
13
...
14 Howl, you "Tarshish" ships, because your fortress is destroyed
14
Let a cry of sorrow go up, O ships of Tarshish: because your strong place is made waste
15 When that day comes, Tzor will be forgotten for seventy years, the lifetime of a king. After seventy years, its fate will be the same as that of the prostitute in this song:
15
And it will be in that day that Tyre will go out of mind for seventy years, that is, the days of one king: after the end of seventy years it will be for Tyre as in the song of the loose woman.
16 "Take a lyre, walk the city, you poor, forgotten whore! Play sweetly, sing all your songs, so that they will remember you!"
16
Take an instrument of music, go about the town, O loose woman who has gone out from the memory of man; make sweet melody with songs, so that you may come back to men's minds.
17 After seventy years are over ADONAI will remember Tzor. She will receive her wages again and prostitute herself to all the world's kingdoms on the face of the earth.
17
And it will be after the end of seventy years, that the Lord will have mercy on Tyre, and she will go back to her trade, acting as a loose woman with all the kingdoms of the world on the face of the earth.
18 But her merchandise and profits will be dedicated to ADONAI; they will not be stored up or hoarded, because her profits will be for those living in ADONAI's presence, so that they can eat their fill and wear fine clothing.
18
And her goods and her trade will be holy to the Lord: they will not be kept back or stored up; for her produce will be for those living in the Lord's land, to give them food for their needs, and fair clothing.
Complete Jewish Bible Copyright 1998 by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.