Isaiah 18:7The MessageThen tribute will be brought to God-of-the-Angel-Armies, brought from this people tall and handsome, This people once held in respect everywhere, this people once mighty and merciless, From the land crisscrossed with rivers, to Mount Zion, God’s place. See the chapter |
“Dispatch a gift of lambs,” says Moab, “to the leaders in Jerusalem— Lambs from Sela sent across the desert to buy the goodwill of Jerusalem. The towns and people of Moab are at a loss, New-hatched birds knocked from the nest, fluttering helplessly At the banks of the Arnon River, unable to cross: ‘Tell us what to do, help us out! Protect us, hide us! Give the refugees from Moab sanctuary with you. Be a safe place for those on the run from the killing fields.’”
For here’s what God told me: “I’m not going to say anything, but simply look on from where I live, Quiet as warmth that comes from the sun, silent as dew during harvest.” And then, just before harvest, after the blossom has turned into a maturing grape, He’ll step in and prune back the new shoots, ruthlessly hack off all the growing branches. He’ll leave them piled on the ground for birds and animals to feed on— Fodder for the summering birds, fodder for the wintering animals.