For Gaza shall be forsaken, and Ashkelon a desolation: they shall drive out Ashdod at the noon day, and Ekron shall be rooted up.

That they may possess the remnant of Edom, and of all the heathen, which are called by my name, saith the LORD that doeth this. {which...: Heb. upon whom my name is called}

Men shall buy fields for money, and subscribe evidences, and seal {them}, and take witnesses in the land of Benjamin, and in the places about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, and in the cities of the mountains, and in the cities of the valley, and in the cities of the south: for I will cause their captivity to return, saith the LORD.

And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land:

Whereas Edom saith, We are impoverished, but we will return and build the desolate places; thus saith the LORD of hosts, They shall build, but I will throw down; and they shall call them, The border of wickedness, and, The people against whom the LORD hath indignation for ever.

Again I will build thee, and thou shalt be built, O virgin of Israel: thou shalt again be adorned with thy tabrets, and shalt go forth in the dances of them that make merry. {tabrets: or, timbrels}

And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.

Prophesy therefore concerning the land of Israel, and say unto the mountains, and to the hills, to the rivers, and to the valleys, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I have spoken in my jealousy and in my fury, because ye have borne the shame of the heathen:

This {is} the land that yet remaineth: all the borders of the Philistines, and all Geshuri,

Now these {are} the names of the tribes. From the north end to the coast of the way of Hethlon, as one goeth to Hamath, Hazarenan, the border of Damascus northward, to the coast of Hamath; for these are his sides east {and} west; a {portion for} Dan. {a portion: Heb. one portion}

And in the days of Artaxerxes wrote Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of their companions, unto Artaxerxes king of Persia; and the writing of the letter {was} written in the Syrian tongue, and interpreted in the Syrian tongue. {Bishlam: or, in peace} {companions: Heb. societies}

{And} in the valley, Eshtaol, and Zoreah, and Ashnah,

And half Gilead, and Ashtaroth, and Edrei, cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan, {were pertaining} unto the children of Machir the son of Manasseh, {even} to the one half of the children of Machir by their families.

{Then} sent the king an answer unto Rehum the chancellor, and {to} Shimshai the scribe, and {to} the rest of their companions that dwell in Samaria, and {unto} the rest beyond the river, Peace, and at such a time. {companions: Chaldee, societies}

Then they came to Zerubbabel, and to the chief of the fathers, and said unto them, Let us build with you: for we seek your God, as ye {do}; and we do sacrifice unto him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assur, which brought us up hither.

And the king of Assyria brought {men} from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Ava, and from Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and placed {them} in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel: and they possessed Samaria, and dwelt in the cities thereof.

Concerning the Ammonites, thus saith the LORD; Hath Israel no sons? hath he no heir? why {then} doth their king inherit Gad, and his people dwell in his cities? {Concerning: or, Against} {their king: or, Melcom}

Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will stretch out mine hand upon the Philistines, and I will cut off the Cherethims, and destroy the remnant of the sea coast. {sea coast: or, haven of the sea}

Thus saith the Lord GOD; This {shall be} the border, whereby ye shall inherit the land according to the twelve tribes of Israel: Joseph {shall have two} portions.

And I will cut off the inhabitant from Ashdod, and him that holdeth the sceptre from Ashkelon, and I will turn mine hand against Ekron: and the remnant of the Philistines shall perish, saith the Lord GOD.

Ashkelon shall see {it}, and fear; Gaza also {shall see it}, and be very sorrowful, and Ekron; for her expectation shall be ashamed; and the king shall perish from Gaza, and Ashkelon shall not be inhabited.

And the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria, and the spirit of Tilgathpilneser king of Assyria, and he carried them away, even the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh, and brought them unto Halah, and Habor, and Hara, and to the river Gozan, unto this day.

For God will save Zion, and will build the cities of Judah: that they may dwell there, and have it in possession.

Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of the children of Ammon, and for four, I will not turn away {the punishment} thereof; because they have ripped up the women with child of Gilead, that they might enlarge their border: {ripped...: or, divided the mountains}

Now the cities of the tribe of the children of Benjamin according to their families were Jericho, and Bethhoglah, and the valley of Keziz,

The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off: Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim.

Also Judah took Gaza with the coast thereof, and Askelon with the coast thereof, and Ekron with the coast thereof.

Ekron, with her towns and her villages:

And the uttermost cities of the tribe of the children of Judah toward the coast of Edom southward were Kabzeel, and Eder, and Jagur,

And their coast was Jazer, and all the cities of Gilead, and half the land of the children of Ammon, unto Aroer that {is} before Rabbah;

Feed thy people with thy rod, the flock of thine heritage, which dwell solitarily {in} the wood, in the midst of Carmel: let them feed {in} Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old. {Feed: or, Rule}

And Edom shall be a possession, Seir also shall be a possession for his enemies; and Israel shall do valiantly.

And I will multiply upon you man and beast; and they shall increase and bring fruit: and I will settle you after your old estates, and will do better {unto you} than at your beginnings: and ye shall know that I {am} the LORD.

And the coast shall be for the remnant of the house of Judah; they shall feed thereupon: in the houses of Ashkelon shall they lie down in the evening: for the LORD their God shall visit them, and turn away their captivity. {for the LORD: or, when, etc}

For, lo, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will bring again the captivity of my people Israel and Judah, saith the LORD: and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.

Thou shalt yet plant vines upon the mountains of Samaria: the planters shall plant, and shall eat {them} as common things. {eat...: Heb. profane them}

Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Again in this place, which is desolate without man and without beast, and in all the cities thereof, shall be an habitation of shepherds causing {their} flocks to lie down.

Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will cause an alarm of war to be heard in Rabbah of the Ammonites; and it shall be a desolate heap, and her daughters shall be burned with fire: then shall Israel be heir unto them that were his heirs, saith the LORD.