The Lord's Message about Philistia
1 Before the king of Egypt attacked Gaza, the Lord spoke to me about Philistia. 2 He said:
“Look! Waters are rising in the north
and will rush like a river in flood.
They will cover the land and everything on it,
cities and the people who live there.
People will call out for help;
everyone on earth will cry bitterly.
3 They will hear the hoofbeats of horses,
the clatter of chariots,
the rumble of wheels.
Parents will not turn back for their children;
their hands will hang limp at their sides.
4 The time has come to destroy Philistia,
to cut off from Tyre and Sidon
all the help that remains.
I, the Lord, will destroy the Philistines,
all who came from the shores of Crete.
5 Great sorrow has come to the people of Gaza,
and Ashkelon's people are silent.
How long will the rest of Philistia mourn?
6 You cry out, ‘Sword of the Lord!
How long will you go on slashing?
Go back to your scabbard,
stay there and rest!’
7 But how can it rest,
when I have given it work to do?
I have commanded it to attack Ashkelon
and the people who live on the coast.”
Ndayidzo ngekwe Bafilisitiya
1 Dama la Yahwe lakazha kuna Jeremiya nlebesambeli ngekwe Bafilisitiya Faro asathu katapa nzi we Gaza liti,
2 “Yahwe bakati,
‘Bonani vula inopubuka idwa ku bunandzwa,
ngono inowobe nkuku wakasizikana,
inowosizikana mu shango ne pamwe ne pamwe kwayo,
mu mizi mikulu na ibabo banogala muili.
Bathu banowomimila,
ne bagali bose be shango banowolila.
3 Ku misindo ye kutshamba kwe mbizi ndume dzakalabuka,
mu kulabuka kwe koloyi dzidze dze ngwa,
mukupitukana kwe makumbgwana adzo,
botate abatowoshanduka bakalinga bana babo,
maboko abo anotetema koga,
4 ngekwe zhuba laswika
kuwolobesa Bafilisitiya bose,
ne kubulaya kudwa mu Tire ne Sidoni
babhatshi bose bakasala.
Ngoti Yahwe banolobesa Bafilisitiya,
limbelimbe le tjekelo dze gungwa dze Khafithori.
5 Gaza yatjibe bhalo loga,
Ashikeloni yalobesiwa.
Iwe limbelimbe le nkuku wabo,
unowozwitjeka kuswikila lini kene?
6 “ ‘Yee mme wee thumo la Yahwe!
Lowotola tjibaka tjingapani kuti linyaluluke kene?
Bgwilila mu gobhodo lilo,
nyaluluka udzikame!’
7 Koga linga nyaluluka tjini wali,
apa Yahwe bakalidwa,
bakali laula
kuti linginilile Ashikeloni ne gungwa kene?”