Isaiah 18:1-7

Ah, the land of whirring wings, that is beyond the rivers of Cush, sending their messengers by the way of the Nile in papyrus vessels gliding on the water! Go, you swift messengers, to a tall, smooth-skinned people feared far and wide, to a mighty conquering nation whose land the rivers divide. Everyone everywhere, all who dwell on the earth, when a signal flag is raised on the mountain, take notice! When the shofar is blown, listen! Here is what the Lord YAHWEH said to me: “I will rest calm and confident as I look from my dwelling place, serene as on a pleasant summer day or as a cool, refreshing cloud in the heat of harvest.” Before the harvest, when the bud is ripening and the flower finishes, he will take his pruning hooks and cut off the shoots and remove them. They will all be left for the birds of prey on the mountains and for the wild animals to devour. Birds will eat them throughout the summer, and the animals will gnaw on the bones of the fallen all winter. At that time, a tall, smooth-skinned people will bring gifts of tribute to the Lord YAHWEH, Commander of Angel Armies. They are a people feared far and wide, a mighty conquering nation whose land the rivers divide. They will bring their gifts to Mount Zion, the place of the name of the Lord YAHWEH, Commander of Angel Armies.