A Message About the Philistines
1A message from the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet. It was about the Philistines before Pharaoh attacked the city of Gaza.
2The Lord said,
“The armies of Babylon are like waters rising in the north.
They will become a great flood.
They will flow over the land and everything in it.
They will flow over the towns and those who live in them.
The people will cry out.
All those who live in the land will weep.
3They will weep when they hear galloping horses.
They will weep at the noise of enemy chariots.
They will weep at the rumble of their wheels.
Parents will not even try to help their children.
Their hands will not be able to help them.
4The day has come
to destroy all the Philistines.
The time has come to remove all those
who could help Tyre and Sidon.
I am about to destroy the Philistines.
I will not leave anyone alive
who came from the coasts of Crete.
5The people of Gaza will be so sad
they will shave their heads.
And Ashkelon’s people will be silent.
You who remain on the plain,
how long will you cut yourselves?
6“ ‘Sword of the Lord!’ you cry out.
‘How long will it be until you rest?
Return to the place you came from.
Stop killing us! Be still!’
7But how can his sword rest
when the Lord has given it a command?
He has ordered it
to attack Ashkelon and the Philistine coast.”
Profeti imod filistrene
1Det følgende budskab om filistrene i Gaza modtog jeg, før byen blev erobret af egypterhæren.
2Herren siger: „En flodbølge fra nord vil oversvømme filistrenes land, og den vil ødelægge byerne med alle deres indbyggere. Folk vil skrige af rædsel, og alle i landet vil græde. 3Hør hestenes trampen og vognhjulenes rumlen, mens de suser fremad. Forældre vil springe for livet uden at få deres hjælpeløse børn med. 4Nu er timen kommet, hvor filistrene og deres forbundsfæller fra Tyrus og Sidon skal udryddes. Ja, Herren udrydder filistrene, den sidste rest af indvandrerne fra Kreta. 5Gazas indbyggere rager håret af i sorg. Ashkalons folk er stumme af rædsel. Resten af det tidligere så mægtige folk snitter sig i huden af bar fortvivlelse.
6Det hjælper ikke, at de råber til mig om at standse fjendens nedslagtninger, 7for det er mig, der har sendt dem. Jeg har beordret dem til at slå ned på Ashkalon, ja, alle dem, der bor langs havet.”
