Obadiah 1

1 The vision of Obadiah. This is what the Lord has said about Edom: We have had word from the Lord, and a representative has been sent among the nations, saying, Up! and let us make war against her.

The prophecy of Obadiah. Thus saith the Lord Jehovah concerning Edom. We have heard a message from Jehovah, And an ambassador hath been sent among the nations “Arise ye, and let us rise up against her to war.”

2 See, I have made you small among the nations: you are much looked down on.

Behold, I will make thee small among the nations; Thou shalt be greatly despised.

3 You have been tricked by the pride of your heart, O you whose living-place is in the cracks of the rock, whose house is high up; who has said in his heart, Who will make me come down to earth?

The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, Thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, Whose habitation is high, Who sayest in thine heart, “Who shall bring me down to the ground?”

4 Though you go up on high like an eagle, though your house is placed among the stars, I will make you come down from there, says the Lord.

Though thou lift thyself up as the eagle, And though thou set thy nest among the stars, Thence will I bring thee down, saith Jehovah.

5 If thieves came, attacking you by night, (how are you cut off!) would they not go on taking till they had enough? if men came cutting your grapes would they take them all?

If thieves had come upon thee, Or robbers by night, Would they not have ceased stealing when they had enough? How art thou utterly destroyed! If grape-gatherers had come upon thee, Would they not have left gleanings of the grapes?

6 How are the things of Esau searched out! how are his secret stores looked for!

How is Esau searched through! How are his hidden places explored!

7 All the men who were united with you have been false to you, driving you out to the edge of the land: the men who were at peace with you have overcome you; they have taken their heritage in your place.

All thine allies have brought thee to the border; They that were at peace with thee have deceived thee, and prevailed against thee; They that ate thy bread have spread a snare under thee; There is no understanding in thee.

8 Will I not, in that day, says the Lord, take away the wise men out of Edom, and wisdom out of the mountain of Esau?

In that day, saith Jehovah, I will destroy the wise men from Edom, And understanding from the mount of Esau.

9 And your men of war, O Teman, will be overcome with fear, so that every one of them may be cut off from the mountain of Esau.

Thy mighty men, O Teman, shall be dismayed; Every one shall be cut off from the mount of Esau.

10 Because you were the cause of violent death and because of your cruel behaviour to your brother Jacob, you will be covered with shame and will be cut off for ever.

For slaughter and for oppression of thy brother Jacob shall shame cover thee, And thou shalt be destroyed forever.

11 Because you were there watching when men from other lands took away his goods, and strange men came into his doors, and put the fate of Jerusalem to the decision of chance; you were like one of them.

In the day when thou stoodest over against him, In the day when strangers carried away captive his forces, And when foreigners entered his gates, And when they cast lots upon Jerusalem, Thou also wast as one of them.

12 Do not see with pleasure your brother's evil day, the day of his fate, and do not be glad over the children of Judah on the day of their destruction, or make wide your mouth on the day of trouble.

But thou shouldst not have looked with delight on the day of thy brother in the day of his calamity; Nor shouldst thou have rejoiced over the children of Judah in the day of their destruction, Nor have spoken haughtily in the day of his distress.

13 Do not go into the doors of my people on the day of their downfall; do not be looking on their trouble with pleasure on the day of their downfall, or put your hands on their goods on the day of their downfall.

Thou shouldst not have entered into the gate of my people in the day of their calamity, Nor have looked with delight on their affliction in the day of their calamity, Nor have laid hand on their substance in the day of their calamity,

14 And do not take your place at the cross-roads, cutting off those of his people who get away; and do not give up to their haters those who are still there in the day of trouble.

Nor have stood in the cross-way to cut off their fugitives, Nor have delivered up those that remained in the day of distress!

15 For the day of the Lord is coming quickly on all nations: as you have done it will be done to you; the reward of your acts will come on your head.

For the day of Jehovah is near upon all the nations: As thou hast done, so shall it be done to thee; Thy dealing shall return upon thine own head.

16 For as you have been drinking on my holy mountain, so will all the nations go on drinking without end; they will go on drinking and the wine will go down their throats, and they will be as if they had never been.

For as ye have drunk upon my holy mountain, So shall all the nations drink perpetually, Yea, they shall drink and swallow it down, And they shall be as though they had not been.

17 But in Mount Zion some will be kept safe, and it will be holy; and the children of Jacob will take their heritage.

But upon mount Zion shall be deliverance, and it shall be holy; And the house of Jacob shall regain their possessions.

18 And the children of Jacob will be a fire and those of Joseph a flame, and the children of Esau dry stems of grass, burned up by them till all is gone: and there will be no people living in Esau; for the Lord has said it.

And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, And the house of Joseph a flame, And the house of Esau stubble, And they shall kindle them and devour them. And there shall be none remaining of the house of Esau; For Jehovah hath spoken it.

19 And they will take the South, and the lowland, and the country of Ephraim, and Gilead, as their heritage.

And they of the south shall possess the mountain of Esau, And they of the plain, the Philistines; And they shall possess the fields of Ephraim, And the fields of Samaria; And Benjamin shall possess Gilead.

20 And those of the children of Israel who were the first to be taken away as prisoners, will have their heritage among the Canaanites as far as Zarephath; and those who were taken away from Jerusalem, who are in Sepharad, will have the towns of the South.

And the captives of this host of the sons of Israel shall possess the land of the Canaanites unto Sarepta, And the captives of Jerusalem which are at Sepharad shall possess the cities of the south.

21 And those who have been kept safe will come up from Mount Zion to be judges of the mountain of Esau; and the kingdom will be the Lord's.

And saviors shall go up to mount Zion, To rule the mount of Esau. And the kingdom shall be Jehovah's.