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Proud Edom Will Be Brought Low

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:
“Rise up! Let us rise against it for battle!”(A)
I will surely make you least among the nations;
    you shall be utterly despised.
Your proud heart has deceived you,
    you who live in the clefts of the rock,[a]
    whose dwelling is in the heights.
You say in your heart,
    “Who will bring me down to the ground?”(B)
Though you soar aloft like the eagle,
    though your nest is set among the stars,
    from there I will bring you down,
            says the Lord.(C)

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 what they wanted?
If grape gatherers came to you,
    would they not leave gleanings?(D)
How Esau has been pillaged,
    his treasures searched out!
All your allies have deceived you;
    they have driven you to the border;
your confederates have prevailed against you;
    those who ate your food have set a trap for you—
    there is no understanding.(E)
On that day, says the Lord,
    I will destroy the wise out of Edom
    and understanding out of Mount Esau.(F)
Your warriors shall be shattered, O Teman,
    so that everyone from Mount Esau will be cut off.(G)

Edom Mistreated His Brother

10 For the slaughter and violence done to your brother Jacob,
    shame shall cover you,
    and you shall be cut off forever.(H)
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 for Jerusalem,
    you, too, were one of them.(I)
12 But you should not have gloated over[b] your brother
    on the day of his misfortune;
you should not have rejoiced over the people of Judah
    on the day of their ruin;
you should not have boasted
    on the day of distress.(J)
13 You should not have entered the gate of my people
    on the day of their calamity;
you should not have joined in the gloating over Judah’s[c] disaster
    on the day of his calamity;
you should not have stolen his goods
    on the day of his calamity.(K)
14 You should not have stood at the crossings
    to cut off his fugitives;
you should not have handed over his survivors
    on the day of distress.

15 For the day of the Lord is near against all the nations.
As you have done, it shall be done to you;
    your deeds shall return on your own head.(L)
16 For as you have drunk on my holy mountain,
    all the nations shall drink continually;
they shall drink and gulp down[d]
    and shall be as though they had never been.(M)

Israel’s Final Triumph

17 But on Mount Zion there shall be those who escape,
    and it shall be holy,
and the house of Jacob shall take possession of those who dispossessed them.(N)
18 The house of Jacob shall be a fire,
    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 of the house of Esau,
            for the Lord has spoken.(O)
19 Those of the Negeb shall possess Mount Esau,
    and those of the Shephelah the land of the Philistines;
they shall possess the land of Ephraim and the land of Samaria,
    and Benjamin shall possess Gilead.(P)
20 The exiles of the Israelites who are in Halah[e]
    shall possess[f] Phoenicia as far as Zarephath,
and the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad
    shall possess the towns of the Negeb.(Q)
21 Those who have been saved[g] shall go up to Mount Zion
    to rule Mount Esau,
    and the kingdom shall be the Lord’s.(R)

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Footnotes

  1. 3 Or clefts of Sela
  2. 12 Heb on the day of
  3. 13 Heb his
  4. 16 Meaning of Heb uncertain
  5. 20 Cn: Heb in this army
  6. 20 Cn: Meaning of Heb uncertain
  7. 21 Gk Syr: Heb Saviors

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.

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Footnotes

  1. Obadiah 1:7 Heb uncertain