نبوءة ضد مملكة كوش
1وَيْلٌ لأَرْضِ حَفِيفِ الأَجْنِحَةِ فِي عَبْرِ أَنْهَارِ كُوشَ، 2الَّتِي تَبْعَثُ رُسُلاً فِي الْبَحْرِ فِي قَوَارِبِ الْبَرْدِيِّ السَّابِحَةِ فَوْقَ الْمِيَاهِ، امْضُوا أَيُّهَا الرُّسُلُ الْمُسْرِعُونَ إِلَى شَعْبٍ طِوَالِ الْقَامَةِ جُرْدٍ، إِلَى شَعْبٍ بَثَّ الرُّعْبَ فِي الْقَاصِي وَالدَّانِي، إِلَى قَوْمٍ أَقْوِيَاءَ وَقَاهِرِينَ تَشْطُرُ الأَنْهَارُ أَرْضَهُمْ. 3يَا جَمِيعَ أَهْلِ الأَرْضِ وَالسَّاكِنِينَ فِيهَا، عِنْدَمَا تَرْتَفِعُ رَايَةٌ عَلَى الْجِبَالِ فَانْظُرُوا، وَعِنْدَمَا يُدَوِّي نَفِيرُ بُوقٍ فَاسْمَعُوا.
4لأَنَّهُ هَكَذَا قَالَ الرَّبُّ لِي: سَأَمْكُثُ هَادِئاً نَاظِراً مِنْ مَقَرِّ سُكْنَايَ، كَحَرٍّ صَافٍ تَحْتَ أَشِعَّةِ الشَّمْسِ أَوْ كَسَحَابِ الطَّلِّ فِي حَرِّ الْحَصَادِ 5لأَنَّهُ قَبْلَ الْحَصَادِ عِنْدَمَا يَتِمُّ تَفَتُّحُ الزَّهْرِ، وَيَتَحَوَّلُ الزَّهْرُ إِلَى عِنَبٍ نَاضِجٍ، فَإِنَّهُ يَقْطَعُ الْفُرُوعَ بِالْمَنَاجِلِ، وَيَنْزَعُ الأَغْصَانَ الْمُمْتَدَّةَ وَيَطْرَحُهَا، 6وَتُتْرَكُ كُلُّهَا لِجَوَارِحِ الْجِبَالِ وَوُحُوشِ الأَرْضِ، فَتَلْتَهِمُهَا الْجَوَارِحُ فِي الصَّيْفِ، وَتَتَغَذَّى بِها الْوُحُوشُ فِي الشِّتَاءِ».
7فِي ذَلِكَ الْوَقْتِ يُقَدِّمُ الشَّعْبُ الطَّوِيلُ الْقَامَةِ الأَجْرَدُ، الَّذِي بَثَّ الرُّعْبَ فِي الْقَاصِي وَالدَّانِي، الأُمَّةُ الْقَوِيَّةُ الْقَاهِرَةُ الَّتِي تَشْطُرُ الأَنْهَارُ أَرْضَهَا، هَدَايَا إِلَى الرَّبِّ الْقَدِيرِ فِي جَبَلِ صِهْيَوْنَ، مَوْضِعِ اسْمِ الرَّبِّ الْقَدِيرِ.
A Prophecy Against Cush
1How terrible it will be for the land
whose armies are like large numbers of flying insects!
That land is along the rivers of Cush.
2Its people send messengers on the Nile River.
They travel over the water in papyrus boats.
Messengers, hurry back home!
Go back to your people,
who are tall and have smooth skin.
Everyone is afraid of them.
They are warriors whose language is different from ours.
Their land is divided up by rivers.
3Pay attention, all you people of the world!
Listen, all you who live on earth!
Banners will be lifted up on the mountains.
And you will see them.
Trumpets will be blown.
And you will hear them.
4The Lord says to me,
“I will look down from heaven, where I live.
I will be as quiet as summer heat in the sunshine.
I will be as quiet as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.”
5A farmer cuts off new growth with pruning knives.
He cuts down spreading branches and takes them away.
He does it before the grapes are harvested.
That’s when the blooms are gone and the grapes are ripe.
In the same way, the Lord will cut off the nations
that are gathered against his people.
6Their dead bodies will be left for the birds of the mountains to eat.
They will be left for the wild animals.
The birds will eat the dead bodies all summer long.
The wild animals will eat them all through the winter.
7At that time gifts will be brought to the Lord who rules over all.
The people who are tall and have smooth skin will bring them.
Everyone is afraid of those people.
They are warriors whose language is different from ours.
Their land is divided up by rivers.
They will bring their gifts to Mount Zion. That’s where the Lord who rules over all has put his Name.
