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

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