The Lord's Message about Philistia
1 Before the king of Egypt attacked Gaza, the Lord spoke to me about Philistia. 2 He said:
“Look! Waters are rising in the north
and will rush like a river in flood.
They will cover the land and everything on it,
cities and the people who live there.
People will call out for help;
everyone on earth will cry bitterly.
3 They will hear the hoofbeats of horses,
the clatter of chariots,
the rumble of wheels.
Parents will not turn back for their children;
their hands will hang limp at their sides.
4 The time has come to destroy Philistia,
to cut off from Tyre and Sidon
all the help that remains.
I, the Lord, will destroy the Philistines,
all who came from the shores of Crete.
5 Great sorrow has come to the people of Gaza,
and Ashkelon's people are silent.
How long will the rest of Philistia mourn?
6 You cry out, ‘Sword of the Lord!
How long will you go on slashing?
Go back to your scabbard,
stay there and rest!’
7 But how can it rest,
when I have given it work to do?
I have commanded it to attack Ashkelon
and the people who live on the coast.”
What the Lord Says about the Philistines
1 Before the king of Egypt attacked the town of Gaza, the Lord told me to say to the Philistines:
2 I, the Lord, tell you
that your land will be flooded
with an army from the north.
It will destroy your towns
and sweep you away,
moaning and screaming.
3 When you hear the thunder
of horses and chariots,
your courage will vanish,
and parents will even abandon
their own children.
4 You refugees from Crete,
your time has now come,
and I will destroy you.
None of you will be left
to help the cities
of Tyre and Sidon.
5 The Anakim who survive
in Gaza and Ashkelon
will mourn for you
by shaving their heads
and sitting in silence.
6 You ask how long will I continue
to attack you with my sword,
then you tell me to put it away
and leave you alone.
7 But how can my sword rest,
when I have commanded it
to attack Ashkelon
and the seacoast?
