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Judgment on Edom(A)

The vision of Obadiah.

Thus says the Lord God concerning Edom

(We have heard a report from the Lord
    and a messenger has been sent among the nations, saying:
“Rise up! Let us rise up against it for battle!”):

See, I will make you small among the nations;
    you will be greatly despised.
The pride of your heart has deceived you,
    you who live in the clefts of the rock,
    whose dwelling is high;
you say in your heart,
    “Who will bring me down to the ground?”
Though you ascend high like the eagle,
    and though you set your nest among the stars,
    I will bring you down from there,
    says the Lord.

If thieves came to you,
    if robbers by night—
how you have been destroyed!—
    would they not steal only what they want?
If grape gatherers come to you,
    would they not leave gleanings?
How the things of Esau have been ransacked!
    How his hidden treasures hunted out!
All your confederates have driven you to the border;
    your allies have deceived and prevailed against you.
Those who eat your bread have set a trap for you.
    You will not detect it.

On that day, says the Lord,
    I will destroy the wise out of Edom,
    and understanding out of Mount Esau.
Your mighty men shall be shattered, O Teman,
    so that everyone from Mount Esau will be cut off.

Edom’s Violence Against Jacob

10 For the slaughter and the violence done to your brother Jacob,
    shame shall cover you,
    and you shall be cut off forever.
11 On the day that you stood aside,
    on the day that strangers carried off his wealth,
and foreigners entered his gates
    and cast lots on Jerusalem,
    you also were like one of them.
12 But you should not have gloated
    on the day of your brother,
    on the day of his misfortune;
you should not have rejoiced over the children of Judah
    on the day of their destruction;
you should not have boasted
    on the day of distress.
13 You should not have entered the gate of My people
    on the day of their calamity.
You should not have gloated over the disaster of Judah[a]
    on the day of his calamity;
you should not have seized his wealth
    on the day of his calamity.
14 You should not have stood at the crossroads
    to cut off his fugitives;
you should not have handed over his survivors,
    on the day of distress.

The Day of the Lord Is Near

15 For the day of the Lord is near
    upon all the nations;
as you have done, it shall be done to you;
    your deeds shall return on your own head.
16 For as you have drunk on My holy mountain,
    all the nations shall drink continually;
they shall drink and swallow
    and shall be as though they had never been.
17 But on Mount Zion there shall be deliverance,
    and it shall be holy;
and the house of Jacob shall possess
    those who dispossessed them.[b]
18 The house of Jacob shall be a fire,
    the house of Joseph a flame,
but the house of Esau stubble;
    they shall burn them and consume them,
and there shall be no survivors
    from the house of Esau,
    for the Lord has spoken.

The Restoration of Israel

19 Those of the Negev shall possess
    Mount Esau,
and those of the Shephelah the land
    of the Philistines.
They shall possess the fields of Ephraim and the fields of Samaria,
    and Benjamin shall possess Gilead.
20 The exiles of this army of the sons of Israel,
    shall inherit the land of the Canaanites as far as Zarephath,
and the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad
    shall inherit the cities of the Negev.
21 Saviors shall go up to Mount Zion
    to rule Mount Esau,
    and the kingdom shall be the Lord’s.

Footnotes

  1. Obadiah 1:13 Heb. his.
  2. Obadiah 1:17 Gk.; Heb. their possessions.

The vision of Obadiah. Thus saith the Lord God concerning Edom: We have heard a word from the Lord, and an ambassador is sent among the heathen: “Arise ye, and let us rise up against her in battle”:

“Behold, I have made thee small among the heathen; thou art greatly despised.

The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high, that saith in his heart, ‘Who shall bring me down to the ground?’

Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, from thence will I bring thee down,” saith the Lord.

“If thieves came to thee, if robbers by night (how thou art cut off!), would they not have stolen till they had enough? If the grape-gatherers came to thee, would they not leave some grapes?

How the things of Esau are searched out! How his hidden things are sought out!

All the men of thy confederacy have brought thee even to the border; the men that were at peace with thee have deceived thee and prevailed against thee. They that eat thy bread have laid a wound under thee; there is no understanding in him.

Shall I not in that day,” saith the Lord, “even destroy the wise men out of Edom, and understanding out of the mount of Esau?

And thy mighty men, O Teman, shall be dismayed, to the end that every one of the mount of Esau may be cut off by slaughter.

10 “For thy violence against thy brother Jacob, shame shall cover thee, and thou shalt be cut off for ever.

11 In the day that thou stoodest on the other side—in the day that the strangers carried away captive his forces, and foreigners entered into his gates and cast lots upon Jerusalem” even thou wast as one of them.

12 But thou shouldest not have looked on the day of thy brother in the day that he became a stranger; neither shouldest thou have rejoiced over the children of Judah in the day of their destruction; neither shouldest thou have spoken proudly in the day of distress.

13 Thou shouldest not have entered into the gate of My people in the day of their calamity; yea, thou shouldest not have looked on their affliction in the day of their calamity, nor have laid hands on their substance in the day of their calamity.

14 Neither shouldest thou have stood in the crossway to cut off those of his that did escape; neither shouldest thou have delivered up those of his that remained in the day of distress.

15 “For the day of the Lord is near upon all the heathen. As thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee: thy reward shall return upon thine own head.

16 For as ye have drunk upon My holy mountain, so shall all the heathen drink continually; yea, they shall drink, and they shall swallow down, and they shall be as though they had not been.

17 “But upon Mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.

18 And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble; and they shall kindle them and devour them. And there shall not be any remaining of the house of Esau, for the Lord hath spoken it.”

19 And they of the south shall possess the mount of Esau, and they of the plain the Philistines. And they shall possess the fields of Ephraim and the fields of Samaria, and Benjamin shall possess Gilead.

20 And the captives of this host of the children of Israel shall possess that of the Canaanites, even unto Zarephath; and the captives of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad shall possess the cities of the south.

21 And saviors shall come up on Mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the Lord’S.