Isaiah 18 - New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Message to Ethiopia

18 Woe, land of whirring wings
Which lies beyond the rivers of [a](A)Cush,
2 Which sends messengers by the sea,
Even in (B)papyrus vessels on the surface of the waters.
Go, swift messengers, to a nation [b](C)tall and smooth,
To a people (D)feared [c]far and wide,
A powerful and oppressive nation
Whose land the rivers divide.
3 (E)All you who inhabit the world, and live on earth,
As soon as a flag is raised on the mountains, (F)you will see it,
And as soon as the trumpet is blown, you will hear it.

4 For this is what the Lord has told me:

“I will quietly look [d]from My (G)dwelling place
Like dazzling heat in the [e](H)sunshine,
Like a cloud of (I)dew in the heat of harvest.”
5 For (J)before the harvest, as soon as the bud [f]blossoms
And the flower becomes a ripening grape,
He will cut off the shoots with pruning knives,
And remove and tear away the spreading branches.
6 They will be left together for mountain birds (K)of prey,
And for the animals of the earth;
And the birds of prey will spend the summer feeding on them,
And all the animals of the earth will spend harvest time on them.
7 At that time a gift of tribute will be brought to the Lord of armies
[g]From a (L)people [h]tall and smooth,
From a people feared [i]far and wide,
A powerful and oppressive nation,
Whose land the rivers divide—
To the (M)place of the name of the Lord of armies, to Mount Zion.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 18:1 Or Ethiopia
  2. Isaiah 18:2 Lit drawn out
  3. Isaiah 18:2 Lit from it and beyond
  4. Isaiah 18:4 Lit in
  5. Isaiah 18:4 Lit light
  6. Isaiah 18:5 Lit is finished
  7. Isaiah 18:7 Some ancient versions and DSS; MT implies Consisting of a people
  8. Isaiah 18:7 Lit drawn out
  9. Isaiah 18:7 Lit from it and beyond

Cross references

  1. Isaiah 18:1 : 2 Kin 19:9; Is 20:3-5; Ezek 30:4, 5, 9; Zeph 2:12; 3:10
  2. Isaiah 18:2 : Ex 2:3
  3. Isaiah 18:2 : Is 18:7
  4. Isaiah 18:2 : Gen 10:8, 9; 2 Chr 12:2-4; 14:9; 16:8
  5. Isaiah 18:3 : Ps 49:1; Mic 1:2
  6. Isaiah 18:3 : Is 26:11
  7. Isaiah 18:4 : Is 26:21; Hos 5:15
  8. Isaiah 18:4 : 2 Sam 23:4
  9. Isaiah 18:4 : Prov 19:12; Is 26:19; Hos 14:5
  10. Isaiah 18:5 : Is 17:10, 11; Ezek 17:6-10
  11. Isaiah 18:6 : Is 46:11; 56:9; Jer 7:33; Ezek 32:4-6; 39:17-20
  12. Isaiah 18:7 : Ps 68:31; Is 45:14; Zeph 3:10; Acts 8:27-38
  13. Isaiah 18:7 : Zech 14:16, 17

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Isaiah 18 - Young's Literal Translation (YLT)

18 Ho, land shadowed [with] wings, That [is] beyond the rivers of Cush, 2 That is sending by sea ambassadors, Even with implements of reed on the face of the waters, -- Go, ye light messengers, Unto a nation drawn out and peeled, Unto a people fearful from its beginning and onwards, A nation meeting...
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Isaiah 18 - Wycliffe Bible (WYC)

18 Woe to the land, (where) the cymbal(-sound) of wings (is heard), which is beyond the flood of Ethiopia (which land is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia); 2 that sendeth messengers by the sea, and in vessels of papyrus on waters. Go, ye messengers, to the folk drawn up and rent; to a fearedful people,...
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Isaiah 18 - World English Bible (WEB)

18 Ah, the land of the rustling of wings, which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia; 2 that sends ambassadors by the sea, even in vessels of papyrus on the waters, saying, “Go, you swift messengers, to a nation tall and smooth, to a people awesome from their beginning onward, a nation that measures ou...
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Isaiah 18 - The Voice (VOICE)

18 O land abuzz with the whirring of wings, far away past the Ethiopian rivers,2 With papyrus-reed boats shuttling ambassadors back and forth! Go quickly, you messengers, to those impressive people,Those fearsome and terrifying people so lank and smooth. Theirs is a powerful nation divided by rivers...
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Isaiah 18 - Tree of Life Version (TLV)

Ode of Ethiopia18 Oy! The land of whirring wings,which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia,2 that sends ambassadors by sea,in papyrus vessels upon the water.Go, swift messengers, to a nation tall and smooth-skinned, to a people feared far and wide, a nation powerful and oppressive, whose land the river...
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Isaiah 18 - Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)

An Oracle concerning Ethiopia18 Ah, land of whirring wings which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia;2 which sends ambassadors by the Nile, in vessels of papyrus upon the waters!Go, you swift messengers, to a nation, tall and smooth,to a people feared near and far, a nation mighty and conquering, whose...
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Isaiah 18 - Revised Standard Version (RSV)

An Oracle concerning Ethiopia18 Ah, land of whirring wings which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia;2 which sends ambassadors by the Nile, in vessels of papyrus upon the waters!Go, you swift messengers, to a nation, tall and smooth,to a people feared near and far, a nation mighty and conquering, whose...
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Isaiah 18 - New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised (NRSVA)

An Oracle concerning Ethiopia18 Ah, land of whirring wings beyond the rivers of Ethiopia,[a]2 sending ambassadors by the Nile in vessels of papyrus on the waters!Go, you swift messengers, to a nation tall and smooth,to a people feared near and far, a nation mighty and conquering, whose land the rive...
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Isaiah 18 - New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

An Oracle concerning Cush18 Woe, land of buzzing[a] wings beyond the rivers of Cush,(A)2 sending ambassadors by the Nile in vessels of papyrus on the waters!Go, you swift messengers, to a nation tall and smooth,to a people feared near and far, a nation mighty[b] and conquering, whose land the rivers...
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Isaiah 18 - New Living Translation (NLT)

A Message about Ethiopia18 Listen, Ethiopia[a]—land of fluttering sails[b] that lies at the headwaters of the Nile,2 that sends ambassadors in swift boats down the river.Go, swift messengers!Take a message to a tall, smooth-skinned people, who are feared far and widefor their conquests and destructi...
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Isaiah 18 - New Life Version (NLV)

Word about Cush18 Trouble will come to the land on the other side of the rivers of Cush where the sound of wings is heard. 2 From that land men are sent by the sea in boats made from tall river-grass. Go, you fast men, to a nation tall and smooth, to a people who fill others with fear both near and...
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Isaiah 18 - New King James Version (NKJV)

Proclamation Against Ethiopia18 Woe (A)to the land shadowed with buzzing wings,Which is beyond the rivers of [a]Ethiopia,2 Which sends ambassadors by sea,Even in vessels of reed on the waters, saying,“Go, swift messengers, to a nation tall and smooth of skin,To a people terrible from their beginning...
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Isaiah 18 - New International Version - UK (NIVUK)

A prophecy against Cush18 Woe to the land of whirring wings[a] along the rivers of Cush,[b]2 which sends envoys by sea in papyrus boats over the water.Go, swift messengers,to a people tall and smooth-skinned, to a people feared far and wide,an aggressive nation of strange speech, whose land is divid...
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Isaiah 18 - New International Version (NIV)

A Prophecy Against Cush18 Woe(A) to the land of whirring wings[a] along the rivers of Cush,[b](B)2 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, w...
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Isaiah 18 - New International Reader's Version (NIRV)

A Prophecy Against Cush18 How terrible it will be for the land whose armies are like large numbers of flying insects! That land is along the rivers of Cush.2 Its people send messengers on the Nile River. They travel over the water in papyrus boats. Messengers, hurry back home! Go back to your people...
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Isaiah 18 - New English Translation (NET)

The Lord Will Judge a Distant Land in the South18 Beware, land of buzzing wings,[a]the one beyond the rivers of Cush,2 that sends messengers by sea,who glide over the water’s surface in boats made of papyrus.Go, you swift messengers,to a nation of tall, smooth-skinned people,[b]to a people that are ...
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