Isa 18 | LEB | STEP | Ah! land of the whirring of wings, which is beyond the rivers of Cush,

Isaiah 18

Oracle of Judgment on Cush

1 Ah! land of the whirring of wings,
which is beyond the rivers of Cush,
2 that sends messengers by the sea
and in vessels of papyrus on the surface of the waters!
Go, swift messengers, to a ⌞tall⌟ ^{▼▼Literally “stretched out”} and ⌞smooth⌟ ^{▼▼Literally “peeled,” “wiped clean,” or “hairless”} nation,
to a people feared ⌞near and far⌟, ^{▼▼Literally “from this and beyond”}
a ⌞mighty, mighty⌟ ^{▼▼Perhaps this is a gibberish phrase in Hebrew, qaw-qaw} and trampling ^{▼▼Meaning uncertain} nation,
whose land rivers divide.
3 All you inhabitants of the world
and dwellers of the earth,
⌞when a signal is raised on the⌟ ^{▼▼Literally “as a raising of a signal”} mountains, you must look,
and ⌞when a trumpet is blown⌟, ^{▼▼Literally “as a blowing of a trumpet”} you must listen!

4 For Yahweh said this to me:

“I will be quiet,
and I will look from my dwelling place
like ⌞clear heat because of light⌟, ^{▼▼The meaning of this phrase is uncertain; perhaps the “light” is sunlight}
like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.”
5 For before the harvest, ⌞when the blossom is complete⌟ ^{▼▼Literally “as a completion of a blossom”}
and a blossom becomes ripening fruit,
and one cuts off the shoots with pruning hooks,
and one removes, tears away the tendrils.
6 They shall ⌞all be left⌟ ^{▼▼Literally “be left together”} for birds ^{▼▼Hebrew “bird”} of prey of the mountains
and for the animals ^{▼▼Hebrew “animal”} of the earth.
And the birds ^{▼▼Hebrew “bird”} of prey will pass the summer on it,
and every animal of the earth will winter on it.

7 At that time, a gift ^{▼▼Perhaps tribute is meant} will be brought to Yahweh of hosts

from a ⌞tall⌟ ^{▼▼Literally “stretched out”} and ⌞smooth⌟ ^{▼▼Literally “peeled,” “wiped clean,” or “hairless”} people,
and from a people feared near and far,
a mighty, mighty and trampling nation,
whose land the rivers divide,
to the place of the name of Yahweh of hosts,
the mountain of Zion.