“See, waters are rising from the north [^Crepresenting the overwhelming force of the Babylonians].
    They will become like an overflowing ·stream [torrent]
and will cover the whole country ·like a flood [^Land its fullness],
    even the towns and the people living in them.
Everyone living in that country
    will cry for help;
    the people will ·cry painfully [wail].
³ They will hear the sound of the ·running horses [^Lhoofs of the chargers]
    and the noisy chariots
    and the rumbling chariot wheels.
·Parents [Fathers] will not ·help their children to safety [turn back for their children],
    because ·they will be too weak to help [^Ltheir hands will be weak].
⁴ The ·time [^Lday] has come
    to destroy all the Philistines.
It is time to ·destroy [^Lcut off] all who ·are left alive [survive]
    who could help the cities of Tyre and Sidon [^Cthe two most important Phoenician cities; the Philistines, Egypt’s allies, could no longer help them].
The Lord will soon destroy the Philistines,
    ·those left alive from the island of Crete [^Lthe remnant of the coastline of Caphtor].
⁵ ·The people from the city of Gaza will be sad and shave their heads [^LBaldness will come to Gaza].
    The people from the city of Ashkelon will be made silent.
·Those left alive [Remnant] from the valley,
    how long will you ·cut [gash] yourselves [^Ca mourning ritual]?

⁶ “·You cry [^LAh], ‘Sword of the Lord,
    how long ·will you keep fighting [^Lbefore you rest]?
Return to your ·holder [sheath].
    Stop and be still.’
⁷ But how can his sword rest
    when the Lord has given it a command?
He has ·ordered [assigned] it
    to attack Ashkelon and the seacoast.”