Summary
The chapter opens with a lament about a foreign nation beyond Ethiopia that sends ambassadors and is described as a scattered, terrible people whose land is ruined by rivers. It urges all inhabitants of the world to notice when a great ensign is raised on the mountains and when a trumpet sounds, and to listen. The LORD declares His intention to rest, using poetic images of heat on herbs and dew in harvest season. He further describes the process of pruning—cutting sprigs with hooks and removing branches—before the harvest. These actions are meant to prepare the land for the fowls and beasts, symbolizing the restoration of nature. Finally, the passage announces that the present state will be brought before the LORD of hosts and delivered to Zion, implying redemption for the scattered people.