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Edom falls

The vision of Obadiah.
        The Lord God proclaims concerning Edom:
        We have heard a message from the Lord
            a messenger has been sent among the nations:
        “Rise up! Let us rise against her for battle!”
Look now, I will make you of little importance among the nations;
        you will be totally despised.
Your proud heart has tricked you—
        you who live in the cracks of the rock,
        whose dwelling is high above.
    You who say in your heart,
        “Who will bring me down to the ground?”
Though you soar like the eagle,
        though your nest is set among the stars,
        I will bring you down from there,
says the Lord.

Edom is robbed

If thieves approach you,
        if robbers by night—how you’ve been devastated!—
        wouldn’t they steal only what they wanted?
    If those who gather grapes came to you,
        wouldn’t they leave some grapes?
How Esau has been looted,
        his treasures taken away!
All those who were your allies
        have driven you to the border.
    Those who were on your side tricked you
        and triumphed over you.
They are setting your own bread as a trap under you,[a]
        but you don’t see it coming.
Won’t I on that day, says the Lord,
        destroy the wise from Edom
        and understanding from Mount Esau?
Your warriors will be shattered, Teman,
        and everyone from Mount Esau will be eliminated.

Edom’s misdeeds

10 Because of the slaughter and violence done to your brother Jacob,
        shame will cover you,
        and you will be destroyed forever.
11 You stood nearby,
        strangers carried off his wealth,
    and foreigners entered his gates
        and cast lots for Jerusalem;
    you too were like one of them.
12 But you should have taken no pleasure over your brother
        on the day of his misery;
    you shouldn’t have rejoiced over the people of Judah
        on the day of their devastation;
    you shouldn’t have bragged
        on their day of hardship.
13 You shouldn’t have entered the gate of my people
        on the day of their defeat;
    you shouldn’t have even looked on his suffering
        on the day of his disaster;
    you shouldn’t have stolen his possessions
        on the day of his distress.
14 You shouldn’t have waited on the roads
        to destroy his escapees;
    you shouldn’t have handed over his survivors
        on the day of defeat.
15 The day of the Lord is near
        against all the nations.
    As you have done, so it will be done to you;
        your actions will make you suffer!
16 Just as you have drunk on my holy mountain,
        so will all the nations around you drink;
    they will drink and swallow quickly,
        and they will be like they’ve never been before.

Edom’s punishers

17 But on Mount Zion there will be those who escape,
        and it will be holy;
        and the house of Jacob will drive out those who drove them out.
18 The house of Jacob will be a fire,
        the house of Joseph a flame,
        and the house of Esau straw;
    they will burn them up completely,
        and there will be no one left of the house of Esau,
for the Lord has spoken.
19 Those of the arid southern plain will possess Mount Esau,
        and those of the western foothills, the land of the Philistines;
    they will possess the land of Ephraim and the land of Samaria,
        and Benjamin will possess Gilead.
20 Those who remain of the Israelites
            will possess the land of the Canaanites as far as Zarephath;
    and those left from Jerusalem and who are now living in Sepharad
        will possess the cities of the arid southern plain.
21 The deliverers will go up to Mount Zion
        to rule Mount Esau,
        and the kingdom will be the Lord’s.

Footnotes

  1. Obadiah 1:7 Heb uncertain

Proud Edom Will Be Brought Low

The vision of Obadi′ah.

Thus says the Lord God concerning Edom:
We have heard tidings from the Lord,
    and a messenger has been sent among the nations:
“Rise up! let us rise against her for battle!”
Behold, I will make you small among the nations,
    you shall be utterly despised.
The pride of your heart has deceived you,
    you who live in the clefts of the rock,[a]
    whose dwelling is high,
who say in your heart,
    “Who will bring me down to the ground?”
Though you soar aloft like the eagle,
    though your nest is set among the stars,
    thence I will bring you down,
                says the Lord.

Pillage and Slaughter Will Repay Edom’s Cruelty

If thieves came to you,
    if plunderers by night—
    how you have been destroyed!—
    would they not steal only enough for themselves?
If grape gatherers came to you,
    would they not leave gleanings?
How Esau has been pillaged,
    his treasures sought out!
All your allies have deceived you,
    they have driven you to the border;
your confederates have prevailed against you;
    your trusted friends have set a trap under you—
    there is no understanding of it.
Will I not on that day, says the Lord,
    destroy the wise men out of Edom,
    and understanding out of Mount Esau?
And your mighty men shall be dismayed, O Teman,
    so that every man from Mount Esau will be cut off by slaughter.

Edom Mistreated His Brother

10 For the violence done to your brother Jacob,
    shame shall cover you,
    and you shall be cut off for ever.
11 On the day that you stood aloof,
    on the day that strangers carried off his wealth,
and foreigners entered his gates
    and cast lots for Jerusalem,
    you were like one of them.
12 But you should not have gloated over the day of your brother
    in the day of his misfortune;
you should not have rejoiced over the people of Judah
    in the day of their ruin;
you should not have boasted
    in the day of distress.
13 You should not have entered the gate of my people
    in the day of his calamity;
you should not have gloated over his disaster
    in the day of his calamity;
you should not have looted his goods
    in the day of his calamity.
14 You should not have stood at the parting of the ways
    to cut off his fugitives;
you should not have delivered up his survivors
    in the day of distress.

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 upon my holy mountain,
    all the nations round about shall drink;
they shall drink, and stagger,[b]
    and shall be as though they had not been.

Israel’s Final Triumph

17 But in Mount Zion there shall be those that escape,
    and it shall be holy;
and the house of Jacob shall possess their own possessions.
18 The house of Jacob shall be a fire,
    and the house of Joseph a flame,
    and the house of Esau stubble;
they shall burn them and consume them,
    and there shall be no survivor to the house of Esau;
                for the Lord has spoken.
19 Those of the Negeb shall possess Mount Esau,
    and those of the Shephe′lah the land of the Philistines;
they shall possess the land of E′phraim and the land of Samar′ia
    and Benjamin shall possess Gilead.
20 The exiles in Halah[c] who are of the people of Israel
    shall possess[d] Phoenicia as far as Zar′ephath;
and the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sephar′ad
    shall possess the cities of the Negeb.
21 Saviors shall go up to Mount Zion
    to rule Mount Esau;
    and the kingdom shall be the Lord’s.

Footnotes

  1. Obadiah 1:3 Or Sela
  2. Obadiah 1:16 Cn: Heb swallow
  3. Obadiah 1:20 Cn: Heb this army
  4. Obadiah 1:20 Cn: Heb which

The vision of Obadiah. Thus saith the Lord God concerning Edom; We have heard a rumour 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, thence will I bring thee down, saith the Lord.

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

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

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 none 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 did remain 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 in 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 captivity of this host of the children of Israel shall possess that of the Canaanites, even unto Zarephath; and the captivity of Jerusalem, which is in Sepharad, shall possess the cities of the south.

21 And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the Lord's.