Isaiah 18:4-6

The Voice

Eternal One: I am in control—calm and serene.
        I am watching quietly from where I dwell
    Just as surely as the heat shimmers in the blazing sun
        and the dewy mists cool the warmth of a harvest day.

⁵ For even before the harvest begins, when the buds blossom
    and the flowers make way for the ripening grapes,
God will cut back their shoots with pruning shears,
    lop off and clear away the spreading branches.
⁶ He will leave the trimmings for the birds of prey
    and the wild animals on the mountain.
The vultures will feed on their flesh during the summer,
    and the wild animals will be nourished on their bones through the winter.