Isaiah 18 – NIV & NIRV

New International Version

Isaiah 18:1-7

A Prophecy Against Cush

1Woe to the land of whirring wings18:1 Or of locusts

along the rivers of Cush,18:1 That is, the upper Nile region

2which 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 divided by rivers.

3All you people of the world,

you who live on the earth,

when a banner is raised on the mountains,

you will see it,

and when a trumpet sounds,

you will hear it.

4This is what the Lord says to me:

“I will remain quiet and will look on from my dwelling place,

like shimmering heat in the sunshine,

like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.”

5For, before the harvest, when the blossom is gone

and the flower becomes a ripening grape,

he will cut off the shoots with pruning knives,

and cut down and take away the spreading branches.

6They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey

and to the wild animals;

the birds will feed on them all summer,

the wild animals all winter.

7At that time gifts will be brought to the Lord Almighty

from a people tall and smooth-skinned,

from a people feared far and wide,

an aggressive nation of strange speech,

whose land is divided by rivers—

the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion, the place of the Name of the Lord Almighty.

New International Reader’s Version

Isaiah 18:1-7

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.