Obadiah 1

1 The vision of Obadiah. Thus saith the Lord GOD concerning Edom; We have heard a rumour from the LORD, and an ambassador is sent among the heathen, Arise ye, and let us rise up against her in battle.

The vision of Obadiah; what the Lord said about Edom: We have heard a report from the Lord, a messenger has been sent among the nations; Rise up, let us rise against Edom in battle!

2 Behold, I have made thee small among the heathen: thou art greatly despised.

I will make you small among the nations, and despised by all!

3 The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation [is] high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground?

Your proud heart has misled you, you who live in the clefts of the rock, you who build on high your dwelling. You say to yourselves, ‘Who can bring me down to earth?’

4 Though thou exalt [thyself] as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the LORD.

Though you build high as the eagle, though between the stars you set your nest, from there will I bring you down, says the Lord.

5 If thieves came to thee, if robbers by night, (how art thou cut off!) would they not have stolen till they had enough? if the grapegatherers came to thee, would they not leave [some] grapes?

If thieves had come to you, marauders by night would they not have stolen only as much as they needed? If grape-gatherers had come to you would they not have left some gleanings?

6 How are [the things] of Esau searched out! [how] are his hidden things sought up!

Descendents of Esau, all your treasures are looted.

7 All the men of thy confederacy have brought thee [even] to the border: the men that were at peace with thee have deceived thee, [and] prevailed against thee; [they that eat] thy bread have laid a wound under thee: [there is] none understanding in him.

To your border they have driven you, all your allies have betrayed you. Your avowed friends have overpowered you, they have set a trap for you. Where is your wisdom now?

8 Shall I not in that day, saith the LORD, even destroy the wise [men] out of Edom, and understanding out of the mount of Esau?

The Lord says: On that day, I will destroy the wise of Edom, drive wisdom out of Mount Esau.

9 And thy mighty [men], O Teman, shall be dismayed, to the end that every one of the mount of Esau may be cut off by slaughter.

Your warriors will be filled with terror, Teman, none will be left alive on Mount Esau.

10 For [thy] violence against thy brother Jacob shame shall cover thee, and thou shalt be cut off for ever.

Because of the violence done to your relatives, the people of Jacob, shame covers you, you are cut off forever.

11 In the day that thou stoodest on the other side, in the day that the strangers carried away captive his forces, and foreigners entered into his gates, and cast lots upon Jerusalem, even thou [wast] as one of them.

In the day when you stood aloof, in the day when strangers carried away their wealth, and strangers entered into their gates, and over Jerusalem cast lots, you were as one of those strangers.

12 But thou shouldest not have looked on the day of thy brother in the day that he became a stranger; neither shouldest thou have rejoiced over the children of Judah in the day of their destruction; neither shouldest thou have spoken proudly in the day of distress.

You should not have gloated over your relatives, in the day of their misfortune. You should not have exulted over the land of Judah in the day of their destruction. You should not have laughed loudly at their distress.

13 Thou shouldest not have entered into the gate of my people in the day of their calamity; yea, thou shouldest not have looked on their affliction in the day of their calamity, nor have laid [hands] on their substance in the day of their calamity;

You should not have entered in at the gate of my people in the day of their disaster. You should not have gloated over their calamity, in the day of their disaster, nor stretched out your hand after their wealth in the day of their disaster,

14 Neither shouldest thou have stood in the crossway, to cut off those of his that did escape; neither shouldest thou have delivered up those of his that did remain in the day of distress.

nor stood at the crossroads to cut down their fugitives, nor should you have betrayed their refugees in the day of distress.

15 For the day of the LORD [is] near upon all the heathen: as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee: thy reward shall return upon thine own head.

Near at hand is the Lord’s day for all the nations. As you have done so will it be done to you. Your deeds will come back on your own head.

16 For as ye have drunk upon my holy mountain, [so] shall all the heathen drink continually, yea, they shall drink, and they shall swallow down, and they shall be as though they had not been.

As you have drunk upon my holy mountain, so all the nations will drink in turn; They will drink deep and be as though they had not been.

17 But upon mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.

But on Mount Zion some will escape, it will be again holy, and those of the house of Jacob will again enter into their possessions.

18 And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall kindle in them, and devour them; and there shall not be [any] remaining of the house of Esau; for the LORD hath spoken [it].

For the house of Jacob will be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, but the house of Esau will become stubble. They will kindle and devour it. Not even one of the house of Esau will escape, for the Lord has spoken.

19 And [they of] the south shall possess the mount 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.

They will possess the Negeb and Mount Esau, and the Shephelah of the Philistines. They will possess the territory of Ephraim and Samaria, and Benjamin will possess Gilead.

20 And the captivity of this host of the children of Israel [shall possess] that of the Canaanites, [even] unto Zarephath; and the captivity of Jerusalem, which [is] in Sepharad, shall possess the cities of the south.

The exiles of Israel will possess the land of the Canaanites as far as Zarephath. The captives of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad will possess the cities of the Negreb.

21 And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the LORD’s.

The rescued will come up on Mount Zion to rule Mount Esau, and the kingdom will belong to the Lord.