Jeremiah 47
English Standard Version
Judgment on the Philistines
47 The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet (A)concerning the Philistines, before Pharaoh struck down (B)Gaza.
2 “Thus says the Lord:
(C)Behold, waters are rising (D)out of the north,
(E)and shall become an overflowing torrent;
they shall overflow (F)the land and all that fills it,
the city and those who dwell in it.
Men shall cry out,
and every inhabitant of the land shall wail.
3 At the noise of the stamping of the hoofs of his stallions,
(G)at the rushing of his chariots, at the rumbling of their wheels,
the fathers (H)look not back to their children,
so feeble are their hands,
4 because of the day that is coming to destroy
all (I)the Philistines,
to cut off from (J)Tyre and Sidon
every helper that remains.
For the Lord is destroying the Philistines,
(K)the remnant of the coastland of (L)Caphtor.
5 (M)Baldness has come upon Gaza;
(N)Ashkelon has perished.
O remnant of their valley,
(O)how long will you gash yourselves?
6 (P)Ah, sword of the Lord!
How long till you are quiet?
Put yourself into your scabbard;
rest and be still!
7 How can it[a] be quiet
(Q)when the Lord has given it a charge?
Against (R)Ashkelon and against the seashore
(S)he has appointed it.”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 47:7 Septuagint, Vulgate; Hebrew you
Jeremiah 47
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 47
Against the Philistines. 1 The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the Philistines, before Pharaoh attacked Gaza:(A)
2 Thus says the Lord:
[a] See: waters are rising from the north,
to become a torrent in flood;
They shall flood the land and all it contains,
the cities and their inhabitants.
People will howl and wail,
every inhabitant of the land.
3 At the noise of the pounding hooves of his steeds,
the clanking chariots, the rumbling wheels,
Parents do not turn back for their children;
their hands hang helpless,
4 Because of the day that is coming
to destroy all the Philistines
And cut off from Tyre and Sidon[b]
the last of their allies.
Yes, the Lord is destroying the Philistines,
the remnant from the coasts of Caphtor.(B)
5 Baldness is visited upon Gaza,(C)
Ashkelon is reduced to silence;
Ashdod, remnant of their strength,
how long will you gash yourself?[c]
6 Ah! Sword of the Lord!
When will you find rest?
Return to your scabbard;
stop, be still!
7 How can it find rest
when the Lord has commanded it?
Against Ashkelon and the seacoast,
there he has appointed it.(D)
Footnotes
- 47:2–7 Nebuchadnezzar’s military campaign against Ashkelon in 604 B.C. may provide some historical background for this poem.
- 47:4 Tyre and Sidon: Phoenician seaports allied commercially with the Philistines and often rebelling against Nebuchadnezzar; cf. 27:1–4. After the capture of Jerusalem, Nebuchadnezzar carried out a partially successful thirteen-year siege of Tyre. Caphtor: Crete and other Aegean islands, points of origin for the Philistines and other sea peoples; cf. Am 9:7.
- 47:5 Baldness…gash yourself: close-cropped hair, silence, and ritual slashing of the body express mourning and grief and here represent the mourner’s awareness that chaos has overcome order (cf. 41:5).
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