An Oracle Concerning Cush

18 Ah, land of (A)whirring wings
    that is beyond the rivers of (B)Cush,[a]
which (C)sends ambassadors by the sea,
    in vessels of papyrus on the waters!
Go, you swift messengers,
    to a nation (D)tall and smooth,
to a people feared near and far,
    a nation (E)mighty and conquering,
    whose land the rivers divide.

All you inhabitants of the world,
    you who dwell on the earth,
when (F)a signal is raised on the mountains, look!
    When a trumpet is blown, hear!
For thus the Lord said to me:
“I will quietly look (G)from my dwelling
    like clear heat in sunshine,
    like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.”
(H)For before the harvest, when the blossom is over,
    and the flower becomes a ripening grape,
he cuts off the shoots with pruning hooks,
    and the spreading branches he lops off and clears away.
(I)They shall all of them be left
    to the birds of prey of the mountains
    and to the beasts of the earth.
And the birds of prey will summer on them,
    and all the beasts of the earth will winter on them.

(J)At that time tribute will be brought to the Lord of hosts

from a people (K)tall and smooth,
    from a people feared near and far,
a nation mighty and conquering,
    whose land the rivers divide,

to (L)Mount Zion, the place of the (M)name of the Lord of hosts.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 18:1 Probably Nubia

A Prophecy Against Cush

18 Woe(A) to the land of whirring wings[a]
    along the rivers of Cush,[b](B)
which sends envoys(C) by sea
    in papyrus(D) boats over the water.

Go, swift messengers,
to a people tall and smooth-skinned,(E)
    to a people feared far and wide,
an aggressive(F) nation of strange speech,
    whose land is divided by rivers.(G)

All you people of the world,(H)
    you who live on the earth,
when a banner(I) is raised on the mountains,
    you will see it,
and when a trumpet(J) sounds,
    you will hear it.
This is what the Lord says to me:
    “I will remain quiet(K) and will look on from my dwelling place,(L)
like shimmering heat in the sunshine,(M)
    like a cloud of dew(N) in the heat of harvest.”
For, before the harvest, when the blossom is gone
    and the flower becomes a ripening grape,
he will cut off(O) the shoots with pruning knives,
    and cut down and take away the spreading branches.(P)
They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey(Q)
    and to the wild animals;(R)
the birds will feed on them all summer,
    the wild animals all winter.

At that time gifts(S) will be brought to the Lord Almighty

from a people tall and smooth-skinned,(T)
    from a people feared(U) far and wide,
an aggressive nation of strange speech,
    whose land is divided by rivers(V)

the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion, the place of the Name of the Lord Almighty.(W)

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 18:1 Or of locusts
  2. Isaiah 18:1 That is, the upper Nile region

Asupra Etiopiei

18 Vai de tine, ţară(A), în care răsună zăngănit de arme şi care eşti dincolo de râurile Etiopiei! Tu, care trimiţi soli pe mare, în corăbii de papură, care plutesc pe luciul apelor! Duceţi-vă, soli iuţi, la neamul(B) acela tare şi puternic, la poporul acela înfricoşat de la începutul lui, neam puternic care zdrobeşte totul şi a cărui ţară este tăiată de râuri. Voi, toţi locuitori ai lumii, şi voi, locuitori ai pământului, luaţi seama când(C) se înalţă steagul pe munţi şi ascultaţi când sună trâmbiţa! Căci aşa mi-a vorbit Domnul: „Eu privesc liniştit din locuinţa Mea pe căldura arzătoare a luminii soarelui şi pe aburul de rouă, în vipia secerişului. Dar, înainte de seceriş, când cade floarea şi rodul se face aguridă, el taie îndată mlădiţele cu cosoare, ba taie chiar lăstarii şi-i aruncă…” Şi asirienii vor fi lăsaţi astfel pradă păsărilor răpitoare din munţi şi fiarelor pământului; păsările de pradă vor petrece vara pe trupurile lor moarte, şi fiarele pământului vor ierna pe ele. În vremea aceea, se vor aduce(D) daruri de mâncare Domnului oştirilor, de poporul cel tare şi puternic, de poporul cel înfricoşat de la începutul lui, neam puternic, care zdrobeşte totul şi a cărui ţară este tăiată de râuri: vor fi aduse acolo unde locuieşte Numele Domnului oştirilor, pe Muntele Sionului.