A Message About the Philistines
47 A message from the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet. It was about the Philistines before Pharaoh attacked the city of Gaza.
2 The 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.
3 They 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.
4 The 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.
5 The 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!’
7 But how can his sword rest
when the Lord has given it a command?
He has ordered it
to attack Ashkelon and the Philistine coast.”