Isaiah 18:2
That sendeth ambassadors by the sea, even in vessels of bulrushes upon the waters, saying, Go, ye swift messengers, to a nation scattered and peeled, to a people terrible from their beginning hitherto; a nation meted out and trodden down, whose land the rivers have spoiled!
Cross-references
Isaiah 18:7 describes the same tall, smooth nation bringing tribute to Zion — a later positive development after the initial embassy here.
Isaiah 19:5-7 describes the drying up of the Nile and withering of reeds — the same papyrus used for the vessels in 18:2, linking the two prophecies against Egypt and Cush.
Isaiah 19:6 specifically mentions reeds and flags withering — the very material of the bulrush vessels, creating an ironic contrast between their use and their destruction.
Isaiah 30:2-4 also describes sending ambassadors to Egypt for help — a parallel to the swift messengers sent to a distant nation here.
Ezekiel 30:9 also features messengers in ships sent to Cush, mirroring the swift messengers in papyrus boats here.
2 Chronicles 16:8 reminds Asa of God's deliverance from the Cushite horde — reinforcing the portrayal of Cush as a formidable yet defeated people.