1 Woe to the land of whirring wings, which lies beyond the rivers of Cush!

Woe to the land shadowing with wings, which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia:

2 A land that sends envoys over the sea in papyrus vessels, gliding on the waters. Go, swift messengers, to a people tall and smooth-skinned, a people feared far and wide, a mighty and conquering nation divided by rivers.

That sendeth ambassadors by the sea, even in vessels of bulrushes upon the waters, saying, Go, ye swift messengers, to a nation scattered and peeled, to a people terrible from their beginning hitherto; a nation meted out and trodden down, whose land the rivers have spoiled!

3 All you inhabitants of the world, you who dwell on the earth, when a banner is raised on the mountains, you will see it; when the trumpet sounds, you will hear it.

All ye inhabitants of the world, and dwellers on the earth, see ye, when he lifteth up an ensign on the mountains; and when he bloweth a trumpet, hear ye.

4 This is what the LORD said to me, 'I will remain quiet and observe from my dwelling place, like the heat shimmering in sunlight, like a cloud of dew during the heat of harvest.'

For so the LORD said unto me, I will take my rest, and I will consider in my dwelling place like a clear heat upon herbs, and like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.

5 For before the harvest, when the blossom is gone and the flower becomes a ripening grape, the branches will be cut with pruning knives, and the spreading branches will be removed and discarded.

For afore the harvest, when the bud is perfect, and the sour grape is ripening in the flower, he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks, and take away and cut down the branches.

6 They will all be left for the birds of prey on the mountains and the wild animals of the earth. The birds will spend the summer feeding on them, and all the wild animals will winter upon them.

They shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains, and to the beasts of the earth: and the fowls shall summer upon them, and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them.

7 At that time, gifts will be brought to the LORD of Hosts from a people tall and smooth-skinned, a people feared far and wide, a mighty and conquering nation divided by rivers, to the place of the name of the LORD of Hosts, to Mount Zion.

In that time shall the present be brought unto the LORD of hosts of a people scattered and peeled, and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto; a nation meted out and trodden under foot, whose land the rivers have spoiled, to the place of the name of the LORD of hosts, the mount Zion.