< Isaiah 18 >
1 Ah, the land of the rustling of wings, which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia;
Wo to the lond, the cymbal of wyngis, which is biyende the flood of Ethiopie; that sendith messangeris bi the see,
2 that sends ambassadors by the sea, even in vessels of papyrus on the waters, saying, “Go, you swift messengers, to a nation tall and smooth, to a people awesome from their beginning onward, a nation that measures out and treads down, whose land the rivers divide!”
and in vessels of papirus on watris. Go, ye messangeris, to the folk drawun up and to-rent; to a ferdful puple, aftir which is noon other; to the folk abidynge and defoulid, whos lond the flodis han rauyschid; to the hil of the name of the Lord of oostis, to the hil of Sion.
3 All you inhabitants of the world, and you dwellers on the earth, when a banner is lifted up on the mountains, look! When the trumpet is blown, listen!
Alle ye dwelleris of the world, that dwellen in the lond, schulen se whanne a signe schal be reisid in the hillis, and ye schulen here the cry of a trumpe.
4 For Yahweh said to me, “I will be still, and I will see in my dwelling place, like clear heat in sunshine, like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.”
For whi the Lord seith these thingis to me, Y schal reste, and Y schal biholde in my place, as the myddai liyt is cleer, and as a cloude of dew in the dai of heruest.
5 For before the harvest, when the blossom is over, and the flower becomes a ripening grape, he will cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks, and he will cut down and take away the spreading branches.
For whi al flouride out bifore heruest, aud vnripe perfeccioun buriownede; and the litle braunchis therof schulen be kit doun with sithis, and tho that ben left, schulen be kit awei. Thei schulen be schakun out,
6 They will be left together for the ravenous birds of the mountains, and for the animals of the earth. The ravenous birds will eat them in the summer, and all the animals of the earth will eat them in the winter.
and schulen be left togidere to the briddis of hillis, and to the beestis of erthe; and briddis schulen be on hym by a somer euerlastinge, and alle the beestis of erthe schulen dwelle bi wyntir on hym.
7 In that time, a present will be brought to Yahweh of Armies from a people tall and smooth, even from a people awesome from their beginning onward, a nation that measures out and treads down, whose land the rivers divide, to the place of the name of Yahweh of Armies, Mount Zion.
In that tyme a yifte schal be brouyt to the Lord of oostis, of the puple drawun up and to-rent; of the puple ferdful, aftir which was noon other; of the folk abidynge and defoulid, whos lond floodis rauyschiden; the yifte schal be brouyt to the place of the name of the Lord of oostis, to the hil of Sion.