1The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah, against the Philistines, before Pharaoh attacked Gaza. 2This is what the LORD says: “See how the waters rise out of the north, and shall become an overwhelming flood, and shall overflow the land, and all that is in it, the towns, and those who dwell in them. Then the men shall cry, and all the inhabitants of the land shall wail. 3At the sound of galloping horses, and rushing of enemy chariots, and their rumbling wheels, parents will not turn to help their children as their hands are rendered feeble, 4Because the day of the destruction of all the Philistines, and any remaining ally from Tyre and Sidon, has come; for the LORD will destroy the Philistines that remain in the country of Caphtor. 5Gaza will shave her head in mourning; Ashkelon will be silenced. You who remain in their valley (plain); how long will you cut yourself in mourning? 6O sword of the LORD, how long will it be before you rest again? Return into your scabbard, rest, and be still. 7But how can it rest when the LORD has given it an order to attack Ashkelon, and the sea coast?”