The vision of Obadiah.

Edom’s Certain Judgment

This is what the Lord God has said about Edom:(A)

We have heard a message from the Lord;(B)
an envoy has been sent(C) among the nations:
“Rise up,(D) and let’s go to war against her.”[a]
Look, I will make you insignificant(E)
among the nations;
you will be deeply despised.
Your arrogant heart has deceived you,(F)
you who live in clefts of the rock[b][c](G)
in your home on the heights,
who say to yourself,
“Who can bring me down to the ground?” (H)
Though you seem to soar[d] like an eagle(I)
and make your nest among the stars,(J)
even from there I will bring you down.
This is the Lord’s declaration.

If thieves came to you,(K)
if marauders by night—
how ravaged you would be!—
wouldn’t they steal only what they wanted?
If grape harvesters came to you,
wouldn’t they leave a few grapes?(L)
How Esau will be pillaged,(M)
his hidden treasures searched out!(N)
Everyone who has a treaty with you(O)
will drive you to the border;
everyone at peace with you
will deceive and conquer you.
Those who eat your bread(P)
will set[e] a trap for you.
He will be unaware of it.(Q)
In that day—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
will I not eliminate the wise ones of Edom(R)
and those who understand
from the hill country of Esau?
Teman,[f](S) your warriors(T) will be terrified
so that everyone from the hill country of Esau
will be destroyed by slaughter.(U)

Edom’s Sins against Judah

10 You will be covered with shame
and destroyed forever
because of violence done to your brother Jacob.(V)
11 On the day you stood aloof,(W)
on the day strangers captured his wealth,[g]
while foreigners entered his city gate
and cast lots for Jerusalem,(X)
you were just like one of them.(Y)
12 Do not[h] gloat over your brother(Z)
in the day of his calamity;
do not rejoice over the people of Judah(AA)
in the day of their destruction;
do not boastfully mock[i](AB)
in the day of distress.(AC)
13 Do not enter my people’s city gate
in the day of their disaster.(AD)
Yes, you—do not gloat over their misery
in the day of their disaster,
and do not appropriate their possessions(AE)
in the day of their disaster.
14 Do not stand at the crossroads[j](AF)
to cut off their fugitives,
and do not hand over their survivors
in the day of distress.

Judgment of the Nations

15 For the day of the Lord(AG) is near,
against all the nations.(AH)
As you have done,(AI) it will be done to you;
what you deserve will return on your own head.(AJ)
16 As you have drunk on my holy mountain,(AK)
so all the nations will drink continually.(AL)
They will drink and gulp down
and be as though they had never been.
17 But there will be a deliverance on Mount Zion,(AM)
and it will be holy;(AN)
the house of Jacob will dispossess(AO)
those who dispossessed them.[k](AP)
18 Then the house of Jacob will be a blazing fire,(AQ)
and the house of Joseph, a burning flame,
but the house of Esau will be stubble;
Jacob[l] will set them on fire and consume Edom.[m]
Therefore no survivor will remain(AR)
of the house of Esau,
for the Lord has spoken.

Future Blessing for Israel

19 People from the Negev will possess(AS)
the hill country of Esau;(AT)
those from the Judean foothills will possess
the land of the Philistines.(AU)
They[n] will possess
the territories of Ephraim and Samaria,(AV)
while Benjamin will possess Gilead.
20 The exiles of the Israelites who are in Halah[o]
and who are among the Canaanites as far as Zarephath(AW)
as well as the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad
will possess the cities of the Negev.(AX)
21 Saviors[p] will ascend Mount Zion(AY)
to rule over the hill country of Esau,
and the kingdom will be the Lord’s.(AZ)

Footnotes

  1. 1 = Edom
  2. 3 Or in Sela; probably = Petra
  3. 3 Probably Petra
  4. 4 Or to build high
  5. 7 Some LXX mss, Sym, Tg, Vg; MT reads They will set your bread as
  6. 9 = a region or city in Edom
  7. 11 Or forces
  8. 12–14 Or You should not throughout vv. 12–14
  9. 12 Lit not make your mouth big
  10. 14 Hb obscure
  11. 17 DSS, LXX, Syr, Vg, Tg; MT reads Jacob will possess its inheritance
  12. 18 Lit they
  13. 18 Lit them
  14. 19 = The house of Jacob
  15. 20 Or of this host of the Israelites; Hb obscure
  16. 21 Or Those who have been delivered

Obadiah’s Vision(A)(B)

The vision(C) of Obadiah.

This is what the Sovereign Lord says about Edom(D)

We have heard a message from the Lord:
    An envoy(E) was sent to the nations to say,
“Rise, let us go against her for battle”(F)

“See, I will make you small(G) among the nations;
    you will be utterly despised.
The pride(H) of your heart has deceived you,
    you who live in the clefts of the rocks[a](I)
    and make your home on the heights,
you who say to yourself,
    ‘Who can bring me down to the ground?’(J)
Though you soar like the eagle
    and make your nest(K) among the stars,
    from there I will bring you down,”(L)
declares the Lord.(M)
“If thieves came to you,
    if robbers in the night—
oh, what a disaster awaits you!—
    would they not steal only as much as they wanted?
If grape pickers came to you,
    would they not leave a few grapes?(N)
But how Esau will be ransacked,
    his hidden treasures pillaged!
All your allies(O) will force you to the border;
    your friends will deceive and overpower you;
those who eat your bread(P) will set a trap for you,[b]
    but you will not detect it.

“In that day,” declares the Lord,
    “will I not destroy(Q) the wise men of Edom,
    those of understanding in the mountains of Esau?
Your warriors, Teman,(R) will be terrified,
    and everyone in Esau’s mountains
    will be cut down in the slaughter.
10 Because of the violence(S) against your brother Jacob,(T)
    you will be covered with shame;
    you will be destroyed forever.(U)
11 On the day you stood aloof
    while strangers carried off his wealth
and foreigners entered his gates
    and cast lots(V) for Jerusalem,
    you were like one of them.(W)
12 You should not gloat(X) over your brother
    in the day of his misfortune,(Y)
nor rejoice(Z) over the people of Judah
    in the day of their destruction,(AA)
nor boast(AB) so much
    in the day of their trouble.(AC)
13 You should not march through the gates of my people
    in the day of their disaster,
nor gloat over them in their calamity(AD)
    in the day of their disaster,
nor seize their wealth
    in the day of their disaster.
14 You should not wait at the crossroads
    to cut down their fugitives,(AE)
nor hand over their survivors
    in the day of their trouble.

15 “The day of the Lord is near(AF)
    for all nations.
As you have done, it will be done to you;
    your deeds(AG) will return upon your own head.
16 Just as you drank(AH) on my holy hill,(AI)
    so all the nations will drink(AJ) continually;
they will drink and drink
    and be as if they had never been.(AK)
17 But on Mount Zion will be deliverance;(AL)
    it will be holy,(AM)
    and Jacob will possess his inheritance.(AN)
18 Jacob will be a fire
    and Joseph a flame;
Esau will be stubble,
    and they will set him on fire(AO) and destroy(AP) him.
There will be no survivors(AQ)
    from Esau.”
The Lord has spoken.

19 People from the Negev will occupy
    the mountains of Esau,
and people from the foothills will possess
    the land of the Philistines.(AR)
They will occupy the fields of Ephraim and Samaria,(AS)
    and Benjamin(AT) will possess Gilead.
20 This company of Israelite exiles who are in Canaan
    will possess the land as far as Zarephath;(AU)
the exiles from Jerusalem who are in Sepharad
    will possess the towns of the Negev.(AV)
21 Deliverers(AW) will go up on[c] Mount Zion
    to govern the mountains of Esau.
    And the kingdom will be the Lord’s.(AX)

Footnotes

  1. Obadiah 1:3 Or of Sela
  2. Obadiah 1:7 The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain.
  3. Obadiah 1:21 Or from