< 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.
Obadiah's vision. This is what the Lord says about the land of Edom. We have heard from the Lord that a messenger was sent to tell the nations: Get ready! Let's go to war against Edom!
2 See, I have made you small among the nations: you are much looked down on.
I will make you insignificant among the nations. You will be totally 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?
Your heart's pride has deceived you—you who live in a secure fortress of rock in the high mountains, saying to yourselves, “Who can ever bring us down?”
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.
But even though you soar like an eagle, even though you make your nest among the stars, I will bring you down from there, declares the Lord.
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?
You will be completely destroyed! If thieves came to you, if robbers came at night, wouldn't they steal only what they wanted? If those who harvest grapes came to you, wouldn't they leave some behind?
6 How are the things of Esau searched out! how are his secret stores looked for!
But how Esau will be plundered and their hidden treasures looted!
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 your allies will drive you out, past the borders of your land. Those who were at peace with you will deceive you, and conquer you. Those who ate with you have ambushed you. You don't understand a thing!
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?
On that day, declares the Lord, I will destroy the wise men of Edom—there will be no more wisdom in the mountains 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.
Teman, your fighting men will be terrified, so that everyone of the mountains of Esau will be cut down in the massacre.
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.
Because of the violence you committed against your brothers, the descendants of Jacob, you will be totally ashamed of yourselves, and 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.
On that day you stood aside, on that day strangers plundered their wealth and foreigners entered their gates, and divided up Jerusalem by casting lots—and you were like 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.
You should not have gloated over your brother's day of disaster. You should not have rejoiced over the day of destruction of the sons of Judah. You should not have boasted over the day of their 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.
You should not have marched through the city gates of my people on their day of disaster. You should not have gloated over them on the day of their disaster. You should not have looted their wealth on the day of their disaster.
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.
You should not have stood at the crossroads, cutting down those trying to escape. You should not have handed over those who survived on the day of their 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 the Lord is near for all nations. What you have done will be done to you; your actions will fall back on your own heads.
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 you drank on my holy mountain, so will all the nations continually drink, and swallow, and they shall be as if they never existed.
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 on Mount Zion there will be a place of escape, a holy place, and the descendants of Jacob will reclaim their inheritance.
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.
The descendants of Jacob will become a fire, and the descendants of Joseph a flame, and they shall burn up the descendants of Esau like stubble, consuming them completely, so that there will be not a single survivor of the descendants of Esau. For the Lord has spoken.
19 And they will take the South, and the lowland, and the country of Ephraim, and Gilead, as their heritage.
Those living in the Negev will occupy the mountains of Esau; those from the foothills of Judah will occupy the land of the Philistines, and possess the fields of Ephraim and Samaria; those from the tribe of Benjamin will occupy 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.
The army of exiles of the people of Israel shall possess the land of the Canaanites as far as Zarephath, and the exiles of Jerusalem from Sepharad shall possess the cities of the Negev.
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.
Those who have been saved will go up Mount Zion and rule the mountains of Esau. And the kingdom shall be the Lord's.

< Obadiah 1 >