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Read the Bible

Easy-to-Read Version

Isaiah 23:16

"Oh, woman who men forgot, take your harp and walk through the city. Play your song well and sing it often. Maybe someone will remember you."

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Harlot (Prostitute);   Harp;   Music;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Tyre;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Dancing;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Preaching;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Harlot;   Music;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Harlot;   Music, Instruments, Dancing;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Harlot;   Isaiah, Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Harp ;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Nile;   Tyre;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Minstrel;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Crime;   Harlot;   Melody;   Singers;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Harp and Lyre;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Pick up your lyre,stroll through the city,you forgotten prostitute.Play skillfully,sing many a songso that you will be remembered.
Hebrew Names Version
Take a harp, go about the city, you prostitute that has been forgotten; make sweet melody, sing many songs, that you may be remembered.
King James Version
Take an harp, go about the city, thou harlot that hast been forgotten; make sweet melody, sing many songs, that thou mayest be remembered.
English Standard Version
"Take a harp; go about the city, O forgotten prostitute! Make sweet melody; sing many songs, that you may be remembered."
New American Standard Bible
Take your harp, wander around the city, You forgotten prostitute; Pluck the strings skillfully, sing many songs, That you may be remembered.
New Century Version
"Oh woman, you are forgotten. Take your harp and walk through the city. Play your harp well. Sing your song often. Then people will remember you."
Amplified Bible
Take a harp, walk around the city, O forgotten prostitute; Play the strings skillfully, sing many songs, That you may be remembered.
World English Bible
Take a harp, go about the city, you prostitute that has been forgotten; make sweet melody, sing many songs, that you may be remembered.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Take an harpe and go about the citie: (thou harlot thou hast beene forgotten) make sweete melodie, sing moe songes that thou maiest be remembred.
Legacy Standard Bible
Take your harp, walk about the city,O forgotten harlot;Pluck the strings skillfully, sing many songs,That you may be remembered.
Berean Standard Bible
Take up your harp, stroll through the city, O forgotten harlot; make sweet melody, sing many a song, so you will be remembered.
Contemporary English Version
You're gone and forgotten, you evil woman! So strut through the town, singing and playing your favorite tune to be remembered again.
Complete Jewish Bible
"Take a lyre, walk the city, you poor, forgotten whore! Play sweetly, sing all your songs, so that they will remember you!"
Darby Translation
Take a harp, go about the city, thou forgotten harlot! Make sweet melody, sing many songs, that thou mayest be remembered.
George Lamsa Translation
Take a harp, go about the city, O you harlot that has been forgotten; play sweet melodies, sing many songs, that you may be remembered.
Good News Translation
Take your harp, go round the town, you poor forgotten whore! Play and sing your songs again to bring men back once more.
Lexham English Bible
"Take a harp, go around the city, forgotten prostitute! Do it well, playing a stringed instrument! Make numerous songs, that you may be remembered."
Literal Translation
Take a harp; go about the city, O forgotten harlot. Do well to play; make many songs, that you may be remembered.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Take thy lute (saie men to her) and go aboute the citie, thou art yet an vnknowne wensche, make pastyme with dyuerse balettes, wherby thou mayest come in to acquantaunce.
American Standard Version
Take a harp, go about the city, thou harlot that hast been forgotten; make sweet melody, sing many songs, that thou mayest be remembered.
Bible in Basic English
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.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Take a harp, go about the city, thou harlot long forgotten; make sweet melody, sing many songs, that thou mayest be remembered.
King James Version (1611)
Take an harpe, goe about the city thou harlot, that hast beene forgotten, make sweet melody, sing many songs, that thou mayest be remembred.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Take an harpe and go about the citie thou harlot that hast ben forgotten, make sweete melodie, sing mo songes, that thou mayest be had in remembraunce.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Take a harp, go about, O city, thou harlot that hast been forgotten; play well on the harp, sing many songs, that thou mayest be remembered.
English Revised Version
Take an harp, go about the city, thou harlot that hast been forgotten; make sweet melody, sing many songs, that thou mayest be remembered.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Thou hoore, youun to foryetyng, take an harpe, cumpasse the citee; synge thou wel, vse thou ofte a song, that mynde be of thee.
Update Bible Version
Take a harp, go about the city, you prostitute that has been forgotten; make sweet melody, sing many songs, that you may be remembered.
Webster's Bible Translation
Take a harp, go about the city, thou harlot that hast been forgotten; make sweet melody, sing many songs, that thou mayest be remembered.
New English Translation
"Take the harp, go through the city, forgotten prostitute! Play it well, play lots of songs, so you'll be noticed!"
New King James Version
"Take a harp, go about the city, You forgotten harlot; Make sweet melody, sing many songs, That you may be remembered."
New Living Translation
Take a harp and walk the streets, you forgotten harlot. Make sweet melody and sing your songs so you will be remembered again.
New Life Bible
"Take your harp and walk through the city, O forgotten woman who sells the use of her body. Play the strings well. Sing many songs, that you may be remembered."
New Revised Standard
Take a harp, go about the city, you forgotten prostitute! Make sweet melody, sing many songs, that you may be remembered.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Take thou a lyre, Go round the city, O harlot forgotten, - Sweetly touch the strings Lengthen out the song, That thou mayest be called to mind.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Take a harp, go about the city, harlot that hast been forgotten: sing well, sing many a song, that thou mayst be remembered.
Revised Standard Version
"Take a harp, go about the city, O forgotten harlot! Make sweet melody, sing many songs, that you may be remembered."
Young's Literal Translation
Take a harp, go round the city, O forgotten harlot, play well, Multiply song that thou mayest be remembered.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Take your harp, walk about the city, O forgotten harlot; Pluck the strings skillfully, sing many songs, That you may be remembered.

Contextual Overview

15 People will forget about Tyre for 70 years—that is, about the length of a king's rule. After 70 years, Tyre will be like the prostitute in this song: 16 "Oh, woman who men forgot, take your harp and walk through the city. Play your song well and sing it often. Maybe someone will remember you." 17 After 70 years, the Lord will review Tyre's case, and he will give her a decision. Tyre will again have trade. She will be like a prostitute for all the nations on earth. 18 But Tyre will not keep the money she earns. The profit from her trade will be saved for the Lord . Tyre will give that money to the people who serve the Lord to buy good food and nice clothes.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Proverbs 7:10-12, Jeremiah 30:14

Reciprocal: Isaiah 24:8 - General Ezekiel 16:35 - O harlot Ezekiel 25:10 - may Ezekiel 26:13 - General Ezekiel 28:13 - emerald

Cross-References

Genesis 23:15
"Sir, listen to me. Ten pounds of silver mean nothing to you or me. Take the land and bury your dead wife."
Genesis 43:21
On the way home, we opened our sacks and found our money in every sack. We don't know how it got there, but we brought that money with us to give it back to you. And we have brought more money to pay for the food that we want to buy this time."
Exodus 30:13
Each man who is counted must pay 1/2 shekel of silver. (That is 1/2 shekel by the official measure. This shekel weighs 20 gerahs.) This half shekel is an offering to the Lord .
Job 28:15
You cannot buy wisdom with even the purest gold. There's not enough silver in the world to pay for it.
Jeremiah 32:9
I bought the field at Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel. I weighed out 17 shekels of silver for him.
Ezekiel 45:12
A shekel must equal 20 gerahs. A mina must equal 60 shekels. It must be equal to 20 shekels plus 25 shekels plus 15 shekels.
Zechariah 11:12
Then I said, "If you want to pay me, pay me. If not, don't!" So they paid me 30 pieces of silver.
Matthew 7:12
"Do for others what you would want them to do for you. This is the meaning of the Law of Moses and the teaching of the prophets.
Romans 13:8
You should owe nothing to anyone, except that you will always owe love to each other. The person who loves others has done all that the law commands.
Philippians 4:8
Brothers and sisters, continue to think about what is good and worthy of praise. Think about what is true and honorable and right and pure and beautiful and respected.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Take a harp, go about the city,.... As harlots used to do, that by their music, both vocal and instrumental, they might allure men into their company to commit fornication with them; so Tyre is directed to, or rather this is a prophecy that she should take very artful and ensnaring methods to restore her commerce and merchandise:

thou harlot that hast been forgotten; :-:

make sweet melody; or, "do well by striking" k; that is, the harp in her hand; strike it well with art and skill, so as to make melody, and give pleasure:

sing many songs; or, "multiply a song" l; sing one after another, till the point is carried aimed at:

that thou mayest be remembered; men may took at thee again, and trade with thee as formerly, who had been so long forgotten and neglected.

k הטיבי נגן "benefac pulsando", Junius; "belle pulsa", Piscator. l הרבי שיר "multiplica cantum", Piscator.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Take an harp - This is a continuation of the figure commenced in the previous verse, a direct command to Tyre as an harlot, to go about the city with the usual expressions of rejoicing. Thus Donatus, in Terent. Eunuch., iii. 2, 4, says:

Fidicinam esse meretricum est;’

And thus Horace:

Nec meretrix tibicina, cujus

Ad strepitum salias.’

1 Epis. xiv. 25.

Thou harlot that hast been forgotten - For seventy years thou hast lain unknown, desolate, ruined.

Make sweet melody ... - Still the prophet keeps up the idea of the harlot that had been forgotten, and that would now call her lovers again to her dwelling. The sense is, that Tyre would rise to her former splendor, and that the nations would be attracted by the proofs of returning prosperity to renew their commercial contact with her.


 
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