A Prophecy Against Cush

18 Woey to the land of whirring wingsa

along the rivers of Cush,b z

2 which sends envoysa by sea

in papyrusb boats over the water.

Go, swift messengers,

to a people tall and smooth-skinned,c

to a people feared far and wide,

an aggressived nation of strange speech,

whose land is divided by rivers.e

3 All you people of the world,f

you who live on the earth,

when a bannerg is raised on the mountains,

you will see it,

and when a trumpeth sounds,

you will hear it.

4 This is what the Lord says to me:

“I will remain quieti and will look on from my dwelling place,j

like shimmering heat in the sunshine,k

like a cloud of dewl in the heat of harvest.”

5 For, before the harvest, when the blossom is gone

and the flower becomes a ripening grape,

he will cut offm the shoots with pruning knives,

and cut down and take away the spreading branches.n

6 They will all be left to the mountain birds of preyo

and to the wild animals;p

the birds will feed on them all summer,

the wild animals all winter.

7 At that time giftsq will be brought to the Lord Almighty

from a people tall and smooth-skinned,r

from a people feareds far and wide,

an aggressive nation of strange speech,

whose land is divided by riverst—

the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion, the place of the Name of the Lord Almighty.u