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This is the vision of ‘Ovadyah. Here is what Adonai Elohim says about Edom. As a messenger was being sent among the nations saying, “Come on, let’s attack her,” we heard a message from Adonai:

“I am making you the least of all nations,
you will be beneath contempt.
Your proud heart has deceived you,
you whose homes are caves in the cliffs,
who live on the heights and say to yourselves,
‘Who can bring me down to the ground?’
If you make your nest as high as an eagle’s,
even if you place it among the stars,
I will bring you down from there.” says Adonai.

If thieves were to come to you,
or if robbers by night
(Oh, how destroyed you are!),
wouldn’t they stop when they’d stolen enough?
If grape-pickers came to you,
Wouldn’t they leave some grapes for gleaning?
But see how ‘Esav has been looted,
their secret treasures searched out!
Your allies went with you only to the border,
those at peace with you deceived and defeated you,
those who ate your food set a trap for you,
and you couldn’t discern it.
“When that Day comes,” says Adonai,
“won’t I destroy all the wise men of Edom
and leave no discernment on Mount ‘Esav?
Your warriors, Teman, will be so distraught
that everyone on Mount ‘Esav will be slaughtered.
10 For the violence done to your kinsman Ya‘akov,
shame will cover you;
and you will be forever cut off.
11 On that day you stood aside,
while strangers carried off his treasure,
and foreigners entered his gates
to cast lots for Yerushalayim —
you were no different from them.
12 You shouldn’t have gloated over your kinsman
on their day of disaster
or rejoiced over the people of Y’hudah
on their day of destruction.
You shouldn’t have spoken arrogantly
on a day of trouble
13 or entered the gate of my people
on their day of calamity —
no, you shouldn’t have gloated over their suffering
on their day of calamity
or laid hands on their treasure
on their day of calamity.
14 You shouldn’t have stood at the crossroads
to cut down their fugitives
or handed over their survivors
on a day of trouble.”

15 For the Day of Adonai is near for all nations;
as you did, it will be done to you;
your dealings will come back on your own head.
16 For just as you have drunk on my holy mountain,
so will all the nations drink in turn;
yes, they will drink and gulp it down
and be as if they had never existed.

17 But on Mount Tziyon there will be
a holy remnant who will escape,
and the house of Ya‘akov will repossess
their rightful inheritance.
18 The house of Ya‘akov will be a fire
and the house of Yosef a flame,
setting aflame and consuming
the stubble which is the house of ‘Esav.
None of the house of ‘Esav will remain,
for Adonai has spoken.
19 Those in the Negev will repossess
the mountain of ‘Esav,
and those in the Sh’felah
the land of the P’lishtim;
they will repossess the field of Efrayim
and the field of Shomron,
and Binyamin will occupy Gil‘ad.
20 Those from this army of the people of Isra’el
exiled among the Kena‘anim as far away as Tzarfat,
and the exiles from Yerushalayim in S’farad,
will repossess the cities in the Negev.
21 Then the victorious will ascend Mount Tziyon
to rule over Mount ‘Esav,
but the kingship will belong to Adonai.

Edom’s Arrogance and Ruin

The vision of Obadiah. Thus says Adonai Elohim concerning Edom:

We have heard a report from Adonai
and an envoy has been sent among the nations:
“Arise and let us rise up against her in battle.”
Behold, I will make you least among the nations,
you will be greatly despised.
The arrogance of your heart has deceived you—
living in the clefts of the rock—
his dwelling place is lofty, saying in his heart:
‘Who shall bring me down to the earth?’
Even if you soar like the eagle,
and even if you set your nest among the stars,
from there I will bring you down.’”
declares Adonai.

“If thieves came to you,
if robbers by night—
how ruined you would be!—
would they keep stealing after they had enough?
If grape-gatherers came to you,
would they not leave some gleaning?
How Esau will be ransacked,
and how his hidden treasures searched out!
All your allies will force you to the border.
The men that are at peace with you will deceive you and overpower you.
Those who eat your bread will set a trap under you.
(He has no discernment.)
In that day,”—declares Adonai
“will I not destroy the wise men from Edom
and understanding from the hill country of Esau?
Then your mighty men, O Teman, will be shattered
—so everyone will be cut off from the hill country of Esau by slaughter.

10 “Because of your violence to your brother Jacob,
shame will cover you,
and you will be cut off forever.
11 On the day that you stood aloof—
on the day that strangers carried away his wealth,
while foreigners entered his gates and cast lots for Jerusalem—
you were just like one of them.
12 You should not look down on your brother
on the day of his disaster,
nor should you rejoice over the children of Judah
in the day of their destruction.
You should not speak proudly
in the day of their distress.
13 Do not enter the gate of My people
In the day of their disaster.
Yes, you. Do not gloat over their misery
in the day of their disaster.
Yes, you—do not loot their wealth
in the day of their calamity.
14 Do not stand at the crossroad to cut down his fugitives,
and do not imprison his survivors in the day of distress.

The House of Jacob will be a Fire

15 “For the day of Adonai is near against all the nations.
As you have done, it shall be done to you.
Your dealing will return on your own head.
16 For just as you have drunk on My holy mountain,
so all the nations shall drink continually.
Yes, they will drink and gulp down,
and then be as though they had never existed.
17 But on Mount Zion there will be deliverance,
and it will be holy.
Then house of Jacob will dispossess
those who dispossessed them.
18 The house of Jacob will be a fire,
and the house of Joseph flame,
while the house of Esau will be straw—
they will set them on fire and consume them.
So there will be no survivors of the house of Esau.”
—for Adonai has spoken.
19 Then those of the Negev[a]
will possess the hill country of Esau,
and those of the foothills the Philistines.
Then they will possess the territory of Ephraim
and the territory of Samaria,
while Benjamin will possess Gilead.
20 The exiles of this army of Bnei-Yisrael
will possess what belonged to the Canaanites as far as Zarephath, while the exiles of Jerusalem, who are in Sepharad,
will possess the cities of the Negev.
21 The victorious will go up on Mount Zion
to judge the hill country of Esau.
Then the kingdom shall be Adonai’s.

Footnotes

  1. Obadiah 1:19 Negev also known as, the South.