A Prophecy concerning Ethiopia

181 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 out by line, and treading down, Whose land floods have spoiled. 3 All ye inhabitants of the world, And ye dwellers of earth, At the lifting up of an ensign on hills ye look, And at the blowing of a trumpet ye hear. 4 For thus said Jehovah unto me, 'I rest, and I look on My settled place, As a clear heat on an herb. As a thick cloud of dew in the heat of harvest. 5 For before harvest, when the flower is perfect, And the blossom is producing unripe fruit, Then hath 'one' cut the sprigs with pruning hooks, And the branches he hath turned aside, cut down. 6 They are left together to the ravenous fowl of the mountains, And to the beast of the earth, And summered on them hath the ravenous fowl, And every beast of the earth wintereth on them. 7 At that time brought is a present to Jehovah of Hosts, A nation drawn out and peeled. Even of a people fearful from the beginning hitherto, A nation meting out by line, and treading down, Whose land floods have spoiled, Unto the place of the name of Jehovah of Hosts—mount Zion!'

The Oracle concerning Egypt

191 The burden of Egypt. Lo, Jehovah is riding on a swift thick cloud, And He hath entered Egypt, And moved have been the idols of Egypt at His presence, And the heart of Egypt melteth in its midst. 2 And I armed Egyptians against Egyptians, And they fought, each against his brother, And each against his neighbour, City against city, kingdom against kingdom. 3 And emptied out hath been in its midst the spirit of Egypt. And its counsel I swallow up, And they have sought unto the idols, And unto the charmers, And unto those having familiar spirits, And unto the wizards. 4 And I have delivered the Egyptians Into the hand of a hard lord, And a strong king doth rule over them, An affirmation of the Lord, Jehovah of Hosts. 5 And failed have waters from the sea, And a river is wasted and dried up. 6 And they have turned away the flowings, Weak and dried up have been brooks of the bulwark, Reed and flag have withered. 7 Exposed things by the brook, by the edge of the brook, And every sown thing of the brook, hath withered, It hath been driven away, and is not. 8 And lamented have the fishers, And mourned have all casting angle into a brook, And those spreading nets on the face of the waters have languished. 9 And ashamed have been makers of fine flax, And weavers of net-works. 10 And its foundations have been smitten, All making wages 'are' afflicted in soul. 11 Only, fools 'are' the princes of Zoan, The counsel of the wise ones of the counsellors of Pharaoh hath become brutish. How say ye unto Pharaoh, 'A son of the wise am I, a son of kings of antiquity?' 12 Where 'are' they now, thy wise ones? Yea, let them tell to thee, I pray thee, And they know what Jehovah of Hosts hath counselled against Egypt! 13 Foolish have been princes of Zoan, Lifted up have been princes of Noph, And they have caused Egypt to err, The chief of her tribes. 14 Jehovah hath mingled in her midst A spirit of perverseness, And they have caused Egypt to err in all its work, As a drunkard erreth in his vomit. 15 And there is no work to Egypt, That head or tail, branch or reed, may do. 16 In that day is Egypt like women, And it hath mourned, and been afraid, Because of the waving of the hand of Jehovah of Hosts, That He is waving over it. 17 And the land of Judah hath been to Egypt for a cause of staggering, Every one who doth mention it, for himself feareth, Because of the counsel of Jehovah of Hosts, That He is counselling against it.

18 In that day there are five cities in the land of Egypt, Speaking the lip of Canaan, And swearing to Jehovah of Hosts, 'The city of destruction,' is said of one. 19 In that day there is an altar to Jehovah In the midst of the land of Egypt, And a standing pillar near its border to Jehovah, 20 And it hath been for a sign and for a testimony, To Jehovah of Hosts in the land of Egypt, For they cry unto Jehovah from the face of oppressors, And He sendeth to them a saviour, Even a great one, and hath delivered them. 21 And known hath been Jehovah to Egypt, And the Egyptians have known Jehovah in that day, And done sacrifice and present, And vowed a vow to Jehovah, and completed 'it'. 22 And Jehovah hath smitten Egypt, smiting and healing, And they have turned back unto Jehovah, And He hath been entreated of them, And hath healed them. 23 In that day is a highway out of Egypt to Asshur, And come in have the Assyrians to Egypt, And the Egyptians into Asshur, And the Egyptians have served with the Assyrians. 24 In that day is Israel third, After Egypt, and after Asshur, A blessing in the heart of the earth. 25 In that Jehovah of Hosts did bless it, saying, 'Blessed 'is' My people—Egypt, And the work of My hands—Asshur, And Mine inheritance—Israel!'

Assyria to Conquer Egypt and Ethiopia

201 In the year of the coming in of Tartan to Ashdod, when Sargon king of Asshur sendeth him, and he fighteth against Ashdod, and captureth it, 2 at that time spake Jehovah by the hand of Isaiah son of Amoz, saying, 'Go, and thou hast loosed the sackcloth from off thy loins, and thy sandal thou dost draw from off thy foot,' and he doth so, going naked and barefoot. 3 And Jehovah saith, 'As My servant Isaiah hath gone naked and barefoot three years, a sign and a wonder for Egypt and for Cush, 4 so doth the king of Asshur lead the captivity of Egypt, and the removal of Cush, young and old, naked and barefoot, with seat uncovered—the nakedness of Egypt; 5 and they have been affrighted and ashamed of Cush their confidence, and of Egypt their beauty, 6 and the inhabitant of this isle hath said in that day—Lo, thus 'is' our trust, Whither we have fled for help, To be delivered from the king of Asshur, And how do we escape—we?'

The Oracle concerning the Desert of the Sea

211 The burden of the wilderness of the sea. 'Like hurricanes in the south for passing through, From the wilderness it hath come, From a fearful land. 2 A hard vision hath been declared to me, The treacherous dealer is dealing treacherously, And the destroyer is destroying. Go up, O Elam, besiege, O Media, All its sighing I have caused to cease. 3 Therefore filled have been my loins 'with' great pain, Pangs have seized me as pangs of a travailing woman, I have been bent down by hearing, I have been troubled by seeing. 4 Wandered hath my heart, trembling hath terrified me, The twilight of my desire He hath made a fear to me, 5 Arrange the table, watch in the watch-tower, Eat, drink, rise, ye heads, anoint the shield, 6 For thus said the Lord unto me: 'Go, station the watchman, That which he seeth let him declare.' 7 And he hath seen a chariot—a couple of horsemen, The rider of an ass, the rider of a camel, And he hath given attention—He hath increased attention! 8 And he crieth—a lion, 'On a watch-tower my lord, I am standing continually by day, And on my ward I am stationed whole nights. 9 And lo, this, the chariot of a man is coming, A couple of horsemen.' And he answereth and saith: 'Fallen, fallen hath Babylon, And all the graven images of her gods He hath broken to the earth. 10 O my threshing, and the son of my floor, That which I heard from Jehovah of Hosts, God of Israel, I have declared to you!'

The Oracle concerning Dumah

11 The burden of Dumah. Unto me is 'one' calling from Seir 'Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night?' 12 The watchman hath said, 'Come hath morning, and also night, If ye inquire, inquire ye, turn back, come.'

The Oracle concerning Arabia

13 The burden on Arabia. In a forest in Arabia ye lodge, O travellers of Dedanim. 14 To meet the thirsty brought water have Inhabitants of the land of Tema, With his bread they came before a fugitive. 15 For from the face of destructions they fled, From the face of a stretched-out sword, And from the face of a trodden bow, And from the face of the grievousness of battle. 16 For thus said the Lord unto me: 'Within a year, as years of a hireling, Consumed hath been all the honour of Kedar. 17 And the remnant of the number of bow-men, The mighty of the sons of Kedar are few, For Jehovah, God of Israel, hath spoken!'

The Oracle concerning the Valley of Vision

221 The burden of the Valley of Vision. What—to thee, now, that thou hast gone up, All of thee—to the roofs? 2 Full of stirs—a noisy city—an exulting city, Thy pierced are not pierced of the sword, Nor dead in battle. 3 All thy rulers fled together from the bow, Bound have been all found of thee, They have been kept bound together, Afar off they have fled. 4 Therefore I said, 'Look ye from me, I am bitter in my weeping, Haste not to comfort me, For the destruction of the daughter of my people.' 5 For a day of noise, and of treading down, And of perplexity, 'is' to the Lord, Jehovah of Hosts, In the valley of vision, digging down a wall, And crying unto the mountain. 6 And Elam hath borne a quiver, In a chariot of men—horsemen, And Kir hath exposed a shield. 7 And it cometh to pass, The choice of thy valleys have been full of chariots, And the horsemen place themselves diligently at the gate.

8 And one removeth the covering of Judah, And thou lookest in that day Unto the armour of the house of the forest, 9 And the breaches of the city of David ye have seen, For they have become many, And ye gather the waters of the lower pool, 10 And the houses of Jerusalem ye did number, And ye break down the houses to fence the wall. 11 And a ditch ye made between the two walls, For the waters of the old pool, And ye have not looked unto its Maker, And its Framer of old ye have not seen. 12 And call doth the Lord, Jehovah of Hosts, In that day, to weeping and to lamentation, And to baldness and to girding on of sackcloth, 13 And lo, joy and gladness, slaying of oxen, And slaughtering of sheep, Eating of flesh, and drinking of wine, Eat and drink, for to-morrow we die. 14 And revealed it hath been in mine ears, 'By' Jehovah of Hosts: Not pardoned is this iniquity to you, Till ye die, said the Lord, Jehovah of Hosts.

Shebna to Be Replaced by Eliakim

15 Thus said the Lord, Jehovah of Hosts: 'Go, enter in unto this steward, Unto Shebna, who 'is' over the house: 16 What—to thee here? And who—to thee here? That thou hast hewn out to thee here—a sepulchre? Hewing on high his sepulchre, Graving in a rock a dwelling for himself. 17 Lo, Jehovah is casting thee up and down, A casting up and down, O mighty one, 18 And thy coverer covering, wrapping round, Wrappeth thee round, O babbler, On a land broad of sides—there thou diest, And there the chariots of thine honour 'Are' the shame of the house of thy lord. 19 And I have thrust thee from thy station, And from thine office he throweth thee down. 20 And it hath come to pass, in that day, That I have called to my servant, To Eliakim son of Hilkiah. 21 And I have clothed him with thy coat, And with thy girdle I strengthen him, And thy garment I give into his hand, And he hath been for a father to the inhabitant of Jerusalem, And to the house of Judah. 22 And I have placed the key Of the house of David on his shoulder, And he hath opened, and none is shutting, And hath shut, and none is opening. 23 And I have fixed him a nail in a stedfast place, And he hath been for a throne of honour To the house of his father. 24 And they have hanged on him All the honour of the house of his father, The offspring and the issue, All vessels of small quality, From vessels of basins to all vessels of flagons. 25 In that day—an affirmation of Jehovah of Hosts, Moved is the nail that is fixed In a stedfast place, Yea, it hath been cut down, and hath fallen, And cut off hath been the burden that 'is' on it, For Jehovah hath spoken!'