1. A message came to me from the Lord. It was about the Philistines before Pharaoh attacked Gaza.
2. The Lord said, "The armies of Babylonia 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 sob.
3. They will sob when they hear galloping horses. They will sob at the noise of enemy chariots. They will sob at the rumble of their wheels. Fathers 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 of the Philistines. The time has come to cut off 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 flatlands, 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 my sword rest when I have given it a command? I have ordered it to attack Ashkelon and the Philistine coast."