Will Spiritual Weapon follow an opponent?

[Deylinarr]

Spiritual Weapon:

A weapon made of force appears and attacks foes at a distance, as you direct it, dealing 1d8 force damage per hit, + 1 point per three caster levels (maximum +5 at 15th level). The weapon takes the shape of a weapon favored by your deity or a weapon with some spiritual significance or symbolism to you (see below) and has the same threat range and critical multipliers as a real weapon of its form. It strikes the opponent you designate, starting with one attack in the round the spell is cast and continuing each round thereafter on your turn. It uses your base attack bonus (possibly allowing it multiple attacks per round in subsequent rounds) plus your Wisdom modifier as its attack bonus. It strikes as a spell, not as a weapon, so for example, it can damage creatures that have damage reduction. As a force effect, it can strike incorporeal creatures without the reduction in damage associated with incorporeality. The weapon always strikes from your direction. It does not get a flanking bonus or help a combatant get one. Your feats or combat actions do not affect the weapon. If the weapon goes beyond the spell range, if it goes out of your sight, or if you are not directing it, the weapon returns to you and hovers.

Each round after the first, you can use a move action to redirect the weapon to a new target. If you do not, the weapon continues to attack the previous round's target. On any round that the weapon switches targets, it gets one attack. Subsequent rounds of attacking that target allow the weapon to make multiple attacks if your base attack bonus would allow it to. Even if the spiritual weapon is a ranged weapon, use the spell's range, not the weapon's normal range increment, and switching targets still is a move action.

If I cast the spell to attack an orc and that orc dies, the weapon sits there waiting for me to spend a move action to redirect it to attack a new orc. Makes perfect sense......

But what if that orc decides to high-tail it and moves 30' away? If I don't spend the move action to redirect it, shouldn't it continue to follow its last directive of "keep hitting that guy"? Theres nothing that says directing it requires any kind of action so I assume its free to maintain the spell's attack on the current target instead of designating a new target? The phrase "returns to you and hovers" implies the thing can move so therefore can follow an enemy without me needing to spend a move action because that same enemy is now in a different square.

What about if I cannot see the target anymore (stealths/turns invisible/moves around the corner), can the weapon still continue its attack as the spell describes?

[Static Hamster]

We play that it follows the target.

[SlimGauge]

It does what it says on the tin.

"Each round after the first, you can use a move action to redirect the weapon to a new target. If you do not, the weapon continues to attack the previous round's target."

The SW continues to attack the designated target.

"If the weapon goes beyond the spell range, if it goes out of your sight, or if you are not directing it, the weapon returns to you and hovers."

Unless that 30' of movement that the orc made took it out of spell range (100 ft. + 10 ft./level) or out of your sight (into a fog cloud or around a corner), the weapon follows him and continues to attack him. If the orc drinks a potion of invisibility, the SW continues to attack (the SW is still in your sight) but has the 50% miss chance. You have to be able to see the SWeapon, not necessarily the target.

If the orc gets away but you're too busy doing full-round actions to spare a move action to direct it, the SW returns to you and hovers, waiting.