Edom Will Be Humbled

The vision of Obadiah.

This is what the Lord [a]God says concerning (A)Edom—

(B)We have heard a report from the Lord,
And a (C)messenger has been sent among the nations saying,
(D)Arise, and let’s go up against her for battle”—
“Behold, I will make you (E)small among the nations;
You are greatly despised.
The (F)arrogance of your heart has deceived you,
The one who lives in the clefts of [b]the (G)rock,
On the height of his dwelling place,
Who says in his heart,
(H)Who will bring me down to earth?’
Though you (I)make your home high like the eagle,
Though you set your nest among the (J)stars,
From there I will bring you down,” declares the Lord.
“If (K)thieves came to you,
If [c]robbers by night—
Oh how you will be ruined!—
Would they not steal only [d]until they had enough?
If grape-pickers came to you,
(L)Would they not leave some gleanings?
Oh how Esau will be (M)searched,
And his hidden treasures searched out!
All the (N)people [e]allied with you
Will send you to the border,
And the people at peace with you
Will deceive you and overpower you.
They who eat your (O)bread
Will set an ambush for you.
(There is (P)no understanding [f]in him.)
Will I not on that day,” declares the Lord,
(Q)Eliminate wise men from Edom,
And understanding from the mountain of Esau?
Then your (R)warriors will be filled with terror, (S)Teman,
So that everyone will be (T)eliminated from the mountain of Esau by murder.

10 “Because of (U)violence to your brother Jacob,
Shame will cover you,
(V)And you will be eliminated forever.
11 On the day that you (W)stood aloof,
On the day that strangers carried off his wealth,
And foreigners entered his gate
And (X)cast lots for Jerusalem—
(Y)You too were as one of them.
12 (Z)Do not [g]gloat over your brother’s day,
The day of his misfortune.
And (AA)do not rejoice over the sons of Judah
On the day of their destruction;
Yes, (AB)do not [h]boast
On the day of their distress.
13 Do not enter the gate of My people
On the (AC)day of their disaster.
You indeed, do not [i]gloat over their catastrophe
On the day of their disaster.
And do not (AD)lay a hand on their wealth
On the day of their disaster.
14 Do not (AE)stand at the crossroads
To eliminate their survivors;
And do not hand over their refugees
On the day of their distress.

The Day of the Lord and the Future

15 “For the (AF)day of the Lord is near for all the nations.
(AG)Just as you have done, it will be done to you.
Your (AH)dealings will return on your own head.
16 For just as you (AI)drank on (AJ)My holy mountain,
All the nations (AK)will drink continually.
They will drink [j]to the last drop,
And become as if they had never existed.
17 But on Mount (AL)Zion there will be those who escape,
And it will be holy.
And the house of Jacob will [k](AM)possess their [l]property.
18 Then the house of Jacob will be a (AN)fire,
And the house of Joseph a flame;
But the house of Esau will be like stubble.
And they will set [m]them on fire and consume [n]them,
So that there will be (AO)no survivor of the house of Esau,”
For the Lord has spoken.
19 Then those of the [o]Negev will [p](AP)possess the mountain of Esau,
And those of the [q]Shephelah the (AQ)Philistine plain;
Also, (AR)they will [r]possess the territory of Ephraim and the territory of Samaria,
And Benjamin the territory of Gilead.
20 And the exiles of this army of the sons of Israel,
Who are among the Canaanites as far as (AS)Zarephath,
And the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad,
Will [s]possess the (AT)cities of the Negev.
21 [t]The (AU)deliverers will ascend Mount Zion
To judge the mountain of Esau,
And the (AV)kingdom will be the Lords.

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Footnotes

  1. Obadiah 1:1 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
  2. Obadiah 1:3 Or Sela
  3. Obadiah 1:5 Lit devastators of the night
  4. Obadiah 1:5 Lit their sufficiency
  5. Obadiah 1:7 Lit of your covenant
  6. Obadiah 1:7 I.e., in Esau; or of it
  7. Obadiah 1:12 Lit look on
  8. Obadiah 1:12 Lit make your mouth large
  9. Obadiah 1:13 Lit look at
  10. Obadiah 1:16 Lit and slurp
  11. Obadiah 1:17 Or take possession of
  12. Obadiah 1:17 or inheritance
  13. Obadiah 1:18 I.e., the people of Esau
  14. Obadiah 1:18 I.e., the people of Esau
  15. Obadiah 1:19 I.e., South country
  16. Obadiah 1:19 Or take possession of
  17. Obadiah 1:19 I.e., the foothills
  18. Obadiah 1:19 Or take possession of
  19. Obadiah 1:20 Or take possession of
  20. Obadiah 1:21 Or with ancient versions Those who are rescued

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