Edom Will Be Humbled
1 The vision of Obadiah.
This is what the Lord [a]God says concerning Edom—
We have heard a report from the Lord,
And a messenger has been sent among the nations saying,
“Arise, and let’s go up against her for battle”—
2 “Behold, I will make you small among the nations;
You are greatly despised.
3 The arrogance of your heart has deceived you,
The one who lives in the clefts of [b]the rock,
On the height of his dwelling place,
Who says in his heart,
‘Who will bring me down to earth?’
4 Though you make your home high like the eagle,
Though you set your nest among the stars,
From there I will bring you down,” declares the Lord.
5 “If 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,
Would they not leave some gleanings?
6 Oh how Esau will be searched,
And his hidden treasures searched out!
7 All the 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 bread
Will set an ambush for you.
(There is no understanding [f]in him.)
8 Will I not on that day,” declares the Lord,
“Eliminate wise men from Edom,
And understanding from the mountain of Esau?
9 Then your warriors will be filled with terror, Teman,
So that everyone will be eliminated from the mountain of Esau by murder.
Shame will cover you,
And you will be eliminated forever.
11 On the day that you stood aloof,
On the day that strangers carried off his wealth,
And foreigners entered his gate
And cast lots for Jerusalem—
You too were as one of them.
12 Do not [g]gloat over your brother’s day,
The day of his misfortune.
And do not rejoice over the sons of Judah
On the day of their destruction;
Yes, do not [h]boast
On the day of their distress.
13 Do not enter the gate of My people
On the day of their disaster.
You indeed, do not [i]gloat over their catastrophe
On the day of their disaster.
And do not lay a hand on their wealth
On the day of their disaster.
14 Do not 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 day of the Lord is near for all the nations.
Just as you have done, it will be done to you.
Your dealings will return on your own head.
16 For just as you drank on My holy mountain,
All the nations will drink continually.
They will drink [j]to the last drop,
And become as if they had never existed.
17 But on Mount Zion there will be those who escape,
And it will be holy.
And the house of Jacob will [k]possess their [l]property.
18 Then the house of Jacob will be a 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 no survivor of the house of Esau,”
For the Lord has spoken.
19 Then those of the [o]Negev will [p]possess the mountain of Esau,
And those of the [q]Shephelah the Philistine plain;
Also, 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 Zarephath,
And the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad,
Will [s]possess the cities of the Negev.
21 [t]The deliverers will ascend Mount Zion
To judge the mountain of Esau,
And the kingdom will be the Lord’s.
Footnotes
- Obadiah 1:1 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Obadiah 1:3 Or Sela
- Obadiah 1:5 Lit devastators of the night
- Obadiah 1:5 Lit their sufficiency
- Obadiah 1:7 Lit of your covenant
- Obadiah 1:7 I.e., in Esau; or of it
- Obadiah 1:12 Lit look on
- Obadiah 1:12 Lit make your mouth large
- Obadiah 1:13 Lit look at
- Obadiah 1:16 Lit and slurp
- Obadiah 1:17 Or take possession of
- Obadiah 1:17 or inheritance
- Obadiah 1:18 I.e., the people of Esau
- Obadiah 1:18 I.e., the people of Esau
- Obadiah 1:19 I.e., South country
- Obadiah 1:19 Or take possession of
- Obadiah 1:19 I.e., the foothills
- Obadiah 1:19 Or take possession of
- Obadiah 1:20 Or take possession of
- Obadiah 1:21 Or with ancient versions Those who are rescued