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:
2I, 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.
3When you hear the thunder
of horses and chariots,
your courage will vanish,
and parents will even abandon
their own children.
4You 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.
5The Anakim who survive
in Gaza and Ashkelon
will mourn for you
by shaving their heads
and sitting in silence.
6You ask how long will I continue
to attack you with my sword,
then you tell me to put it away
and leave you alone.
7But how can my sword rest,
when I have commanded it
to attack Ashkelon
and the seacoast?