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[The] Vision of Obadiah. The Lord God saith these things to Edom. We heard an hearing of the Lord, and he sent a legate, either a messenger, to heathen men. Rise ye, and together rise we against him into battle. (The vision, or the prophecy, of Obadiah. The Lord God saith these things about Edom. We heard a word from the Lord, and he sent a messenger to the heathen. And he said, Rise ye, let us rise up together against Edom in battle.)

Lo! I gave thee (to be) little in heathen men, thou art full much worthy to be despised. (Lo! I made thee, O Edom, to be the least among the heathen, and thou art very worthy to be despised.)

The pride of thine heart enhanced thee, dwelling in the crazings of stones, araising thy seat. Which sayest in thine heart, Who shall draw me down into earth? (The pride of thy heart exalted thee, or raised thee up, thou living in the chinks of stones, and making thy home high in the heights. Who sayest in thy heart, Who can ever pull me down to the ground?)

Though thou shalt be raised as an eagle, and thou shalt put thy nest among stars, from thence I shall draw thee down, saith the Lord. (But even though thou shalt be raised up like an eagle, and even if thou shalt put thy nest among the stars, I shall still pull thee down from there, saith the Lord.)

If night thieves had entered to thee, if outlaws by night, how shouldest thou have been still? whether they should not have stolen things (for just) enough to them? If gatherers of grapes had entered to thee, whether they should (not) have left namely raisins, or clusters, to thee? (If night thieves come in upon thee, yea, outlaws by night, do they not steal only what they want for themselves? And if gatherers of grapes come in upon thee, do they not at least leave the raisins, or the clusters, for thee? But thy enemies have left thee with nothing!)

How sought they Esau, searched the hid things of him? (Yea, how they sought out Esau, and searched for all his hidden treasures, or all his riches!)

Till to the terms they sent out thee; and all men of thy covenant of peace scorned, either deceived, thee, men of thy peace waxed strong against thee; they that shall eat with thee, shall set ambush, either treasons, under thee; (and they shall say,) there is no prudence (left) in him. (And they sent thee out unto thy borders; and all thy allies mocked, or deceived, thee, yea, men at peace with thee grew strong against thee; those who ate with thee, set ambush for thee; and they said, There is no wisdom left in him.)

Whether not in that day, saith the Lord, I shall lose the wise men of Idumea, and prudence (out) of the mount of Esau? (On that day, saith the Lord, I shall destroy the wise men of Edom, and leave no wisdom on the mount of Esau!)

And thy strong men shall dread of midday, either south, that a man of the hill of Esau perish. (And thy strong men, O Teman, shall have fear, and everyone on the mount of Esau shall perish.)

10 For slaying and for wickedness against thy brother Jacob, confusion shall cover thee, and thou shalt perish [into] without end (For the killing and the wickedness done against thy brother Jacob, shame shall cover thee, and thou shalt be cut off forever.)

11 In the day when thou stoodest against him, when aliens took the host of him, and strangers entered into the gates of him, and sent lot on Jerusalem, thou were also as one of them. (For on the day when thou stoodest aside, and when foreigners took all of his wealth, and strangers entered into his gates, and cast lots for Jerusalem, thou were just like one of them.)

12 And thou shalt not despise in the day of thy brother, in the day of his pilgrimage, and thou shalt not be glad on the sons of Judah, in the day of perdition of them; and thou shalt not magnify thy mouth in the day of anguish, (And thou should not have had glory on the day of thy brother, on the day of his misfortune, and thou should not have been happy over the sons of Judah, on the day of their perdition; and thou should not have opened thy mouth in laughter, and mocking, on the day of their anguish,)

13 neither thou shalt enter into the gate(s) of my people, in the day of falling of them; and thou shalt not despise in the evils of him, in the day of his destroying; and thou shalt not be sent out against his host, in the day of his destroying; (nor should thou have entered into the gates of my people, on the day of their falling; and thou should not have seized their treasures, or their riches, on the day of their destruction; and thou should not have gone out against their host, or their army, on the day of their destruction;)

14 neither thou shalt stand in the going out [of the ways], that thou slay them that fled; and thou shalt not close together the residues, either left men, of him, in the day of tribulation, (nor should thou have stood in the going out of the ways, so that thou could kill those who fled; and thou should not have enclosed their remnants, or those who were left, on the day of their tribulation,)

15 for the day of the Lord is nigh on all heathen men. As thou hast done, it shall be done to thee; he shall convert thy yielding into thine head. (for the day of the Lord is near for all the heathen. As thou hast done, now it shall be done to thee; and what thou hast yielded, shall now return upon thy own head.)

16 For as ye drank on mine holy hill, all heathen men shall drink busily, and they shall drink, and they shall swallow up; and they shall be as if they be not. (For as ye drank on my holy hill, all the heathen shall busily drink, and they shall drink, and they shall swallow it all down; and then they shall be as if they had never been.)

17 And salvation shall be in the hill of Zion, and it shall be holy; and the house of Jacob shall wield them which wielded them. (And deliverance shall be upon Mount Zion/And those who escape shall be upon Mount Zion, and it shall be holy; and the house of Jacob shall rule those who once ruled them.)

18 And the house of Jacob shall be fire, and the house of Joseph shall be flame, and the house of Esau shall be stubble; and they shall be kindled in them, and they shall devour them; and remnants shall not be of the house of Esau, for the Lord spake (and no one of the house of Esau shall be left, for the Lord hath spoken).

19 And these that be at the south, shall inherit the hill of Esau; and they that be in the low fields, shall inherit Philistines; and they shall wield the country of Ephraim, and the country of Samaria; and Benjamin shall wield Gilead. (And then those who be at the south, or in the Negeb, shall inherit the mount of Esau; and those who be in the low lands, or in the Shephelah, shall inherit the Philistines; and they shall possess the countryside of Ephraim, and the countryside of Samaria; and Benjamin shall possess Gilead.)

20 And transmigration, either passing over, of this host of sons of Israel shall wield all places of Canaanites, till to Zarephath; and the transmigration of Jerusalem, which is in Sepharad, shall wield the cities of the south. (And this army of the exiles of the Israelites shall possess all the places of the Canaanites, unto Zarephath; and the exiles of Jerusalem, who be in Sardis, shall possess the cities of the south, or of the Negeb.)

21 And saviours shall go up into the hill of Zion, for to deem the hill of Esau, and a realm shall be to the Lord. (And the victors shall go up from Mount Zion, to judge the mount of Esau, and the kingdom shall be the Lord’s.)

Obadiah’s Vision(A)(B)

The vision(C) of Obadiah.

This is what the Sovereign Lord says about Edom(D)

We have heard a message from the Lord:
    An envoy(E) was sent to the nations to say,
“Rise, let us go against her for battle”(F)

“See, I will make you small(G) among the nations;
    you will be utterly despised.
The pride(H) of your heart has deceived you,
    you who live in the clefts of the rocks[a](I)
    and make your home on the heights,
you who say to yourself,
    ‘Who can bring me down to the ground?’(J)
Though you soar like the eagle
    and make your nest(K) among the stars,
    from there I will bring you down,”(L)
declares the Lord.(M)
“If thieves came to you,
    if robbers in the night—
oh, what a disaster awaits you!—
    would they not steal only as much as they wanted?
If grape pickers came to you,
    would they not leave a few grapes?(N)
But how Esau will be ransacked,
    his hidden treasures pillaged!
All your allies(O) will force you to the border;
    your friends will deceive and overpower you;
those who eat your bread(P) will set a trap for you,[b]
    but you will not detect it.

“In that day,” declares the Lord,
    “will I not destroy(Q) the wise men of Edom,
    those of understanding in the mountains of Esau?
Your warriors, Teman,(R) will be terrified,
    and everyone in Esau’s mountains
    will be cut down in the slaughter.
10 Because of the violence(S) against your brother Jacob,(T)
    you will be covered with shame;
    you will be destroyed forever.(U)
11 On the day you stood aloof
    while strangers carried off his wealth
and foreigners entered his gates
    and cast lots(V) for Jerusalem,
    you were like one of them.(W)
12 You should not gloat(X) over your brother
    in the day of his misfortune,(Y)
nor rejoice(Z) over the people of Judah
    in the day of their destruction,(AA)
nor boast(AB) so much
    in the day of their trouble.(AC)
13 You should not march through the gates of my people
    in the day of their disaster,
nor gloat over them in their calamity(AD)
    in the day of their disaster,
nor seize their wealth
    in the day of their disaster.
14 You should not wait at the crossroads
    to cut down their fugitives,(AE)
nor hand over their survivors
    in the day of their trouble.

15 “The day of the Lord is near(AF)
    for all nations.
As you have done, it will be done to you;
    your deeds(AG) will return upon your own head.
16 Just as you drank(AH) on my holy hill,(AI)
    so all the nations will drink(AJ) continually;
they will drink and drink
    and be as if they had never been.(AK)
17 But on Mount Zion will be deliverance;(AL)
    it will be holy,(AM)
    and Jacob will possess his inheritance.(AN)
18 Jacob will be a fire
    and Joseph a flame;
Esau will be stubble,
    and they will set him on fire(AO) and destroy(AP) him.
There will be no survivors(AQ)
    from Esau.”
The Lord has spoken.

19 People from the Negev will occupy
    the mountains of Esau,
and people from the foothills will possess
    the land of the Philistines.(AR)
They will occupy the fields of Ephraim and Samaria,(AS)
    and Benjamin(AT) will possess Gilead.
20 This company of Israelite exiles who are in Canaan
    will possess the land as far as Zarephath;(AU)
the exiles from Jerusalem who are in Sepharad
    will possess the towns of the Negev.(AV)
21 Deliverers(AW) will go up on[c] Mount Zion
    to govern the mountains of Esau.
    And the kingdom will be the Lord’s.(AX)

Footnotes

  1. Obadiah 1:3 Or of Sela
  2. Obadiah 1:7 The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain.
  3. Obadiah 1:21 Or from