Skip to main content

Isaiah chapter 23 in Hebrew and English

18 verses, about 2 minutes to read aloud. The Hebrew has its vowel points and the English stands under each verse.

The whole chapter is here, a verse to a line.

מַשָּׂא צֹר הֵילִילוּ אֳנִיּוֹת תַּרְשִׁישׁ כִּי־שֻׁדַּד מִבַּיִת מִבּוֹא מֵאֶרֶץ כִּתִּים נִגְלָה־לָֽמוֹ׃

The burden of Tyre. Howl, ye ships of Tarshish, For it is laid waste, so that there is no house, no entering in; From the land of Kittim it is revealed to them.

דֹּמּוּ יֹשְׁבֵי אִי סֹחֵר צִידוֹן עֹבֵר יָם מִלְאֽוּךְ׃

Be still, ye inhabitants of the coast-land; Thou whom the merchants of Zidon, that pass over the sea, have replenished.

וּבְמַיִם רַבִּים זֶרַע שִׁחֹר קְצִיר יְאוֹר תְּבוּאָתָהּ וַתְּהִי סְחַר גּוֹיִֽם׃

And on great waters the seed of Shihor, The harvest of the Nile, was her revenue; And she was the mart of nations.

בּוֹשִׁי צִידוֹן כִּי־אָמַר יָם מָעוֹז הַיָּם לֵאמֹר לֹא־חַלְתִּי וְלֹא־יָלַדְתִּי וְלֹא גִדַּלְתִּי בַּחוּרִים רוֹמַמְתִּי בְתוּלֽוֹת׃

Be thou ashamed, O Zidon; for the sea hath spoken, The stronghold of the sea, saying: ‘I have not travailed, nor brought forth, Neither have I reared young men, nor brought up virgins.’

כַּאֲשֶׁר־שֵׁמַע לְמִצְרָיִם יָחִילוּ כְּשֵׁמַע צֹֽר׃

When the report cometh to Egypt, They shall be sorely pained at the report of Tyre.

עִבְרוּ תַּרְשִׁישָׁה הֵילִילוּ יֹשְׁבֵי אִֽי׃

Pass ye over to Tarshish; howl, ye inhabitants of the coast-land.

הֲזֹאת לָכֶם עַלִּיזָה מִימֵי־קֶדֶם קַדְמָתָהּ יֹבִלוּהָ רַגְלֶיהָ מֵרָחוֹק לָגֽוּר׃

Is this your joyous city, Whose feet in antiquity, In ancient days, Carried her afar off to sojourn?

מִי יָעַץ זֹאת עַל־צֹר הַמַּעֲטִירָה אֲשֶׁר סֹחֲרֶיה שָׂרִים כִּנְעָנֶיהָ נִכְבַדֵּי־אָֽרֶץ׃

Who hath devised this against Tyre, the crowning city, Whose merchants are princes, Whose traffickers are the honourable of the earth?

יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת יְעָצָהּ לְחַלֵּל גְּאוֹן כָּל־צְבִי לְהָקֵל כָּל־נִכְבַּדֵּי־אָֽרֶץ׃

The LORD of hosts hath devised it, To pollute the pride of all glory, To bring into contempt all the honourable of the earth.

עִבְרִי אַרְצֵךְ כַּיְאֹר בַּת־תַּרְשִׁישׁ אֵין מֵזַח עֽוֹד׃

Overflow thy land as the Nile, O daughter of Tarshish! there is no girdle any more.

יָדוֹ נָטָה עַל־הַיָּם הִרְגִּיז מַמְלָכוֹת יְהוָה צִוָּה אֶל־כְּנַעַן לַשְׁמִד מָעֻזְנֶֽיהָ׃

He hath stretched out His hand over the sea, He hath shaken the kingdoms; The LORD hath given commandment concerning Canaan, To destroy the strongholds thereof;

וַיֹּאמֶר לֹא־תוֹסִיפִי עוֹד לַעְלוֹז הַמְעֻשָּׁקָה בְּתוּלַת בַּת־צִידוֹן כִּתִּים קוּמִי עֲבֹרִי גַּם־שָׁם לֹא־יָנוּחַ לָֽךְ׃

And He said: ‘Thou shalt no more rejoice.’ O thou oppressed virgin daughter of Zidon, Arise, pass over to Kittim; Even there shalt thou have no rest.

הֵן אֶרֶץ כַּשְׂדִּים זֶה הָעָם לֹא הָיָה אַשּׁוּר יְסָדָהּ לְצִיִּים הֵקִימוּ בַחוּנָיו עֹרְרוּ אַרְמְנוֹתֶיהָ שָׂמָהּ לְמַפֵּלָֽה׃

Behold, the land of the Chaldeans - this is the people that was not, when Asshur founded it for shipmen - they set up their towers, they overthrew the palaces thereof; it is made a ruin.

הֵילִילוּ אֳנִיּוֹת תַּרְשִׁישׁ כִּי שֻׁדַּד מָעֻזְּכֶֽן׃

Howl, ye ships of Tarshish, For your stronghold is laid waste.

וְהָיָה בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא וְנִשְׁכַּחַת צֹר שִׁבְעִים שָׁנָה כִּימֵי מֶלֶךְ אֶחָד מִקֵּץ שִׁבְעִים שָׁנָה יִהְיֶה לְצֹר כְּשִׁירַת הַזּוֹנָֽה׃

And it shall come to pass in that day, that Tyre shall be forgotten seventy years, according to the days of one king; after the end of seventy years it shall fare with Tyre as in the song of the harlot:

קְחִי כִנּוֹר סֹבִּי עִיר זוֹנָה נִשְׁכָּחָה הֵיטִיבִי נַגֵּן הַרְבִּי־שִׁיר לְמַעַן תִּזָּכֵֽרִי׃

Take a harp, Go about the city, Thou harlot long forgotten; Make sweet melody, Sing many songs, That thou mayest be remembered.

וְהָיָה מִקֵּץ שִׁבְעִים שָׁנָה יִפְקֹד יְהוָה אֶת־צֹר וְשָׁבָה לְאֶתְנַנָּה וְזָנְתָה אֶת־כָּל־מַמְלְכוֹת הָאָרֶץ עַל־פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָֽה׃

And it shall come to pass after the end of seventy years, that the LORD will remember Tyre, and she shall return to her hire, and shall have commerce with all the kingdoms of the world upon the face of the earth.

וְהָיָה סַחְרָהּ וְאֶתְנַנָּהּ קֹדֶשׁ לַיהוָה לֹא יֵאָצֵר וְלֹא יֵחָסֵן כִּי לַיֹּשְׁבִים לִפְנֵי יְהוָה יִהְיֶה סַחְרָהּ לֶאֱכֹל לְשָׂבְעָה וְלִמְכַסֶּה עָתִֽיק׃

And her gain and her hire shall be holiness to the LORD; it shall not be treasured nor laid up; for her gain shall be for them that dwell before the LORD, to eat their fill, and for stately clothing.

The Hebrew is the Leningrad Codex, free to view and copy, compared letter by letter with a second edition, Miqra according to the Masorah, under the CC BY-SA licence. The English is the Jewish Publication Society translation of 1917, in the public domain.

Where this chapter stands in the Tanakh.

  • Chapter 23 of the 66 chapters of Isaiah
  • Isaiah is one of the Latter Prophets
  • 18 verses, 217 words, about 2 minutes to read

Isaiah has 66 chapters, and each one has its own page.

All of Isaiah·All the books of the Tanakh·Psalms and prayers

Questions about this chapter

How many verses does Isaiah chapter 23 have?

Isaiah chapter 23 has 18 verses and 217 words.

How does Isaiah chapter 23 begin?

The first verse begins in Hebrew with the words משא צר הילילו אניות.

Where does Isaiah chapter 23 stand in the Tanakh?

It is chapter 23 of the 66 chapters of Isaiah, which is one of the Latter Prophets.

How long does it take to read Isaiah chapter 23?

About 2 minutes, at a steady pace.