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For before the harvest, when the season of[a] budding is over,
    and sour grapes ripen into mature grapes,[b]
he cuts off the shoots with pruning knives,
    clearing away the spreading branches
        as he lops them off.
And[c] they will all be left
    for birds of prey that live on the mountains[d]
        and for wild animals.[e]
Birds of prey will pass the summer feeding on them,
    and all the wild animals[f] will pass the winter feeding[g] on them.

At that time tribute will be brought to the Lord of the Heavenly Armies
    from[h] a tall and smooth-skinned people,
from a people feared far and wide,
    a nation that metes out[i] punishment[j] and oppresses,
whose land the rivers divide,
    to Mount Zion,
        the place that bears[k] the name of the Lord.[l]

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 18:5 1QIsaa MT lack season of
  2. Isaiah 18:5 Lit. flowers
  3. Isaiah 18:6 So 1QIsaa MT LXX; 4QIsab lacks And
  4. Isaiah 18:6 So 4QIsab; 1QIsaa MT read of mountains; LXX reads mountains of heaven
  5. Isaiah 18:6 Lit. for beasts of the earth; i.e. non-domesticated animals, as opposed to domesticated livestock;
  6. Isaiah 18:6 Lit. the beasts of the earth; so 1QIsaa; i.e. non-domesticated animals, as opposed to domesticated livestock; MT LXX read every beast of the field
  7. Isaiah 18:6 1QIsaa MT lack feeding
  8. Isaiah 18:7 So 1QIsaa LXX; 4QIsab MT lack from
  9. Isaiah 18:7 Or nation of strange speech; so 1QIsaa MT; LXX reads nation with hope
  10. Isaiah 18:7 1QIsaa MT LXX lack punishment
  11. Isaiah 18:7 Lit. place of
  12. Isaiah 18:7 So 1QIsaa; 4QIsab MT LXX read the Lord of the Heavenly Armies

For, before the harvest, when the blossom is gone
    and the flower becomes a ripening grape,
he will cut off(A) the shoots with pruning knives,
    and cut down and take away the spreading branches.(B)
They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey(C)
    and to the wild animals;(D)
the birds will feed on them all summer,
    the wild animals all winter.

At that time gifts(E) will be brought to the Lord Almighty

from a people tall and smooth-skinned,(F)
    from a people feared(G) far and wide,
an aggressive nation of strange speech,
    whose land is divided by rivers(H)

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

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