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.”
A message about the Philistines
1This is the word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the Philistines before Pharaoh attacked Gaza:
2This is what the Lord says:
‘See how the waters are rising in the north;
they will become an overflowing torrent.
They will overflow the land and everything in it,
the towns and those who live in them.
The people will cry out;
all who dwell in the land will wail
3at the sound of the hooves of galloping steeds,
at the noise of enemy chariots
and the rumble of their wheels.
Parents will not turn to help their children;
their hands will hang limp.
4For the day has come
to destroy all the Philistines
and to remove all survivors
who could help Tyre and Sidon.
The Lord is about to destroy the Philistines,
the remnant from the coasts of Caphtor.47:4 That is, Crete
5Gaza will shave her head in mourning;
Ashkelon will be silenced.
You remnant on the plain,
how long will you cut yourselves?
6‘ “Alas, sword of the Lord,
how long till you rest?
Return to your sheath;
cease and be still.”
7But how can it rest
when the Lord has commanded it,
when he has ordered it
to attack Ashkelon and the coast?’
