1 This is a message from distant islands about the city of Tyre:Cry, you seagoing ships!Tyre and its houseslie in ruins.
2 Mourn in silence,you shop owners of Sidon,you people on the coast.Your sailors crossed oceans,making your city rich.
3 Your merchants sailed the seas,making you wealthy by tradingwith nation after nation.They brought back grainthat grew along the Nile.
4 Sidon, you are a mighty fortressbuilt along the sea.But you will be disgracedlike a married womanwho never had children.
5 When Egypt hears about Tyre,it will tremble.
6 All of you along the coasthad better cry and sailfar across the ocean.
7 Can this be the happy citythat has stood for centuries?Its people have spreadto distant lands;
8 its merchants were kingshonored all over the world.Who planned to destroy Tyre?
9 The Lord All-Powerful planned itto bring shame and disgraceto those who are honoredby everyone on earth.
10 People of Tyre,your harbor is destroyed!You will have to become farmersjust like the Egyptians.
11 The Lord's hand has reachedacross the sea,upsetting the nations.He has given a commandto destroy fortressesin the land of Canaan.
12 The Lord has saidto the people of Sidon,“Your celebrating is over—you are crushed.Even if you escape to Cyprus,you won't find peace.”
13 Look what the Assyrians have done to Babylonia! They have attacked, destroying every palace in the land. Now wild animals live among the ruins.
14 Not a fortress will be left standing, so tell all the seagoing ships to mourn.
15 The city of Tyre will be forgotten for 70 years, which is the lifetime of a king. Then Tyre will be like that evil woman in the song:
16 You're gone and forgotten,you evil woman!So strut through the town,singing and playingyour favorite tuneto be remembered again.
17 At the end of those 70 years, the Lord will let Tyre get back into business. The city will be like a woman who sells her body to everyone of every nation on earth,
18 but none of what is earned will be kept in the city. That money will belong to the Lord, and it will be used to buy more than enough food and good clothes for those who worship the Lord.