²⁹ “Do not be glad, O ^(A)Philistia, all of you,
Because the rod that ^(B)struck you is broken;
For from the serpent’s root a ^(C)viper will come out,
And its fruit will be a ^(D)flying fiery serpent.
^30 [a]And the foremost ^(E)of the poor will eat,
And the needy will lie down in security;
I will put to death your root with ^(F)famine,
And it will kill off your remnant.
³¹ Wail, O ^(G)gate; cry, O city;
^[b]Melt away, O ^(H)Philistia, all of you;
For smoke comes from the ^(I)north,
And ^(J)there is no straggler in his ranks.

“Behold, waters are going to rise from ^(C)the north
And become an overflowing torrent,
And ^(D)overflow the land as well as its fullness,
The city and those who inhabit it;
And the men will ^(E)cry out,
And every inhabitant of the land will wail.
³ Because of the noise of the ^[a](F)galloping hoofs of his ^[b]valiant steeds,
The quaking of his chariots, and the tumult of his wheels,
The fathers have not turned back for their children,
Because of the limpness of their hands,
⁴ On account of the day that is coming
To ^(G)destroy all the Philistines,
To cut off from ^(H)Tyre and Sidon
Every ally that is left;
For Yahweh is going to destroy the Philistines,
The remnant of the coastland of ^(I)Caphtor.
^5 (J)Baldness has come upon Gaza;
^(K)Ashkelon has been ruined.
O remnant of their valley,
How long will you ^(L)gash yourself?
⁶ Ah, ^(M)sword of Yahweh,
How long will you not be quiet?
Withdraw into your sheath;
^[c]Be at rest and stay still.
⁷ How can ^[d]it be quiet?
Yahweh has ^(N)given it a command;
Against Ashkelon and against the seacoast—
There He has ^(O)assigned it.”

“For three transgressions of ^(A)Gaza and for four
I will not turn back its punishment
Because they took away into exile the whole community of exiles
To ^(B)deliver it up to Edom.
⁷ So I will send fire upon the wall of Gaza,
And it will consume her citadels.
⁸ I will also cut off the inhabitant from ^(C)Ashdod
And him who holds the scepter from ^(D)Ashkelon;
I will even turn My hand against Ekron,
And the remnant of the ^(E)Philistines will perish,”
Says Lord Yahweh.

⁵ Ashkelon will see it and be afraid.
Gaza too will writhe in great pain;
Also Ekron, for her hope has been put to shame.
Moreover, the king will perish from Gaza,
And Ashkelon will not be inhabited.
⁶ And those of illegitimate birth will inhabit ^(A)Ashdod,
And I will cut off the pride of the Philistines.
⁷ And I will remove their blood from their mouth
And their detestable things from between their teeth.
Then they also will be a remnant for our God,
And be like a ^[a]clan in Judah,
And Ekron like a Jebusite.