The Lord's Message about Philistia

1 Before the king of Egypt attacked Gaza, the Lord spoke to me about Philistia. 2He 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.

3They 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.

4The 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.

5Great sorrow has come to the people of Gaza,

and Ashkelon's people are silent.

How long will the rest of Philistia mourn?

6You cry out, ‘Sword of the Lord!

How long will you go on slashing?

Go back to your scabbard,

stay there and rest!’

7But 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.”