Ashkelon will see and be afraid; Gaza will be in great anguish, as will Ekron, for her hope will have been dried up.<n id="1" /> Gaza will lose her king, and Ashkelon will no longer be inhabited.

<p class="poetry">The people of Gaza will shave their heads in mourning.p> <p class="poetry">The people of Ashkelon will be struck dumb.p> <p class="poetry">How long will you gash yourselves to show your sorrow,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">you who remain of Philistia&#8217;s power?<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">But how can it rest<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">when I, the <sc>Lordsc>, have<n id="2" /> given it orders?p> <p class="poetry">I have ordered it to attackp> <p class="poetry">the people of Ashkelon and the seacoast.<n id="3" />p>

<t /><p class="poetry">Indeed,<n id="1" /> Gaza will be deserted<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">and Ashkelon will become a heap of ruins.<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">Invaders will drive away the people of Ashdod by noon,<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">and Ekron will be overthrown.<n id="5" />p>

The men of Judah captured Gaza, Ashkelon, Ekron, and the territory surrounding each of these cities.<n id="1" />p>

<p class="bodytext">These are the gold sores that the Philistines brought as a guilt offering to the <sc>Lordsc> &#8211; one for each of the following cities: Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron.

<p class="poetry">Don&#8217;t report it in Gath,p> <p class="poetry">don&#8217;t spread the news in the streets of Ashkelon,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">or the daughters of the Philistines will rejoice,p> <p class="poetry">the daughters of the uncircumcised will celebrate!p>

<p class="poetry">I will remove<n id="1" /> the ruler<n id="2" /> from Ashdod,<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">the one who holds the royal scepter from Ashkelon.<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">I will strike Ekron<n id="5" /> with my hand;<n id="6" />p> <p class="poetry">the rest of the Philistines will also die.&#8221;<n id="7" />p> <p class="poetry">The sovereign <sc>Lordsc> has spoken!p>

<p class="poetry">Those who are left from the kingdom of Judah<n id="1" /> will take possession of it.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">By the sea<n id="3" /> they<n id="4" /> will graze,p> <p class="poetry">in the houses of Ashkelon they will lie down in the evening,p> <p class="poetry">for the <sc>Lordsc> their God will intervene for them<n id="5" /> and restore their prosperity.<n id="6" />p>

<p class="bodytext">The <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s spirit empowered him. He went down to Ashkelon and murdered thirty men. He took their clothes<n id="1" /> and gave them<n id="2" /> to the men who had solved the riddle. He was furious as he went back home.<n id="3" />

the foreigners living in Egypt;<n id="1" /> all the kings of the land of Uz;<n id="2" /> all the kings of the land of the Philistines,<n id="3" /> the people of Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, the people who had been left alive from Ashdod;<n id="4" />