Isaiah 18:1-2

Contemporary English Version

Ethiopia Will Be Punished

18 ^(A) Downstream from Ethiopia^[a]
lies the country of Egypt,
    swarming with insects.^[b]
²Egypt sends messengers
up the Nile River
    on ships made of reeds.^[c]
Send them fast to Ethiopia,
whose people are tall
    and have smooth skin.
Their land is divided by rivers;
they are strong and brutal,
    feared all over the world.^[d]

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Footnotes

18.1 Ethiopia: See the note at 11.11.
18.1 insects: Or “sailing ships.”
18.2 reeds: Ancient Egypt was famous for the papyrus reeds that grew in the Nile Delta.
18.2 world: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 2.