1
Alas, oh land of whirring wings Which lies beyond the rivers of aCush,
2
Which sends envoys by the sea, Even in apapyrus vessels on the surface of the waters. Go, swift messengers, to a nation btall and smooth, To a people cfeared far and wide, A powerful and oppressive nation Whose land the rivers divide.
3
aAll you inhabitants of the world and dwellers on earth, As soon as a standard is raised on the mountains, byou will see it, And as soon as the trumpet is blown, you will hear it.
4
For thus the Lord has told me, "I will look from My adwelling place quietly Like dazzling heat in the bsunshine, Like a cloud of cdew in the heat of harvest."
5
For abefore the harvest, as soon as the bud blossoms And the flower becomes a ripening grape, Then He will cut off the sprigs with pruning knives And remove and cut away the spreading branches.
6
They will be left together for mountain birds aof prey, And for the beasts of the earth; And the birds of prey will spend the summer feeding on them, And all the beasts of the earth will spend harvest time on them.
7
At that time a gift of homage will be brought to the Lord of hosts From a apeople tall and smooth, Even from a people feared far and wide, A powerful and oppressive nation, Whose land the rivers divide-- To the bplace of the name of the Lord of hosts, even Mount Zion.
