A message about Philistia

1Yahweh gave to the prophet Jeremiah a message about the people of Philistia. The message was given to me before Gaza city in Philistia was captured by the army of Egypt.

2This is what Yahweh said: “An army [MET] will be coming from the northeast that will cover the land like a flood. They will destroy the land and everything in it; they will destroy people and cities. People will scream; everyone in the land will wail.

3They will hear the sound of the hooves of the enemy horses, and they will hear the rumble/noise of the wheels of their enemies’ chariots. Men will run away; they will not stop to help their children;
they will be completely weak and helpless [MTY].

4It will be the time for all the people of Philistia to be destroyed, and the time to prevent the remaining soldiers from helping the people of Tyre and Sidon cities. I, Yahweh, will get rid of the people of Philistia, those whose ancestors long ago came from Crete island.

5The people of Gaza will be humiliated; they will shave off all the hair on their heads to indicate that they are ashamed. The people of Ashkelon city will all be silent because they will be mourning.
All you people who live along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea who are still alive, how long [RHQ] will you gash yourselves because you are mourning?”

6The people of Philistia say, “Yahweh, when [RHQ] will you tell our enemies to stop killing us with [PRS] their swords? Tell them to [PRS] put them back into their sheaths and keep them there!”

7But it would not be right [RHQ] for their swords to stay there, because Yahweh has commanded their enemies to do something more; Yahweh intends to tell them to attack all the people living in Ashkelon and in other cities along the coast.