3 So look to him, all of you people in the land who worship him faithfully. You always do what he commands you to do. Continue to do what is right. Don't be proud. Then perhaps the Lord will keep you safe on the day he pours out his anger on the world.
4 Gaza will be deserted. Ashkelon will be destroyed. Ashdod will be emptied out at noon. Ekron will be pulled up by its roots.
5 How terrible it will be for you Kerethites who live by the Mediterranean Sea! Philistia, the Lord has spoken against you. What happened to Canaan will happen to you. The Lord says, "I will destroy you. No one will be left."
6 The Kerethites live in the land by the sea. It will become a place for shepherds and sheep pens.
7 It will belong to those who are still left alive among the people of Judah. They will find grasslands there. They will take over the houses in Ashkelon and live in them. The Lord their God will take care of them. He will bless them with great success again.
8 The Lord says, "I have heard Moab make fun of my people. The Ammonites also laughed at them. They told them that bad things would happen to their land.
9 So Moab will become like Sodom," announces the Lord who rules over all. "Ammon will be like Gomorrah. Weeds and salt pits will cover those countries. They will be dry and empty deserts forever. Those who are still left alive among my people will take all of their valuable things. So they will receive those lands as their own. And that is just as sure as I am alive." The Lord is the God of Israel.