Obadiah 1

1 The vision of Obadiah. This is what YHWH says about Edom. We have heard news from YHWH, and an ambassador is sent among the nations, saying, "Arise, and let's rise up against her in battle.

Thus said the Lord Jehovah to Edom, A report we have heard from Jehovah, And an ambassador among nations was sent, 'Rise, yea, let us rise against her for battle.'

2 Look, I have made you small among the nations. You are greatly despised.

Lo, little I have made thee among nations, Despised [art] thou exceedingly.

3 The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who dwell in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high, who says in his heart, 'Who will bring me down to the ground?'

The pride of thy heart hath lifted thee up, O dweller in clifts of a rock, (A high place [is] his habitation, He is saying in his heart, 'Who doth bring me down [to] earth?')

4 Though you mount on high as the eagle, and though your nest is set among the stars, I will bring you down from there," says YHWH.

If thou dost go up high as an eagle, And if between stars thou dost set thy nest, From thence I bring thee down, An affirmation of Jehovah.

5 "If thieves came to you, if robbers by night—oh, what disaster awaits you? wouldn't they only steal until they had enough? If grape pickers came to you, wouldn't they leave some gleaning grapes?

If thieves have come in to thee, If spoilers of the night, How hast thou been cut off! Do they not steal their sufficiency? If gatherers have come in to thee, Do they not leave gleanings?

6 How Esau will be ransacked. How his hidden treasures are sought out.

How hath Esau been searched out! Flowed out have his hidden things,

7 All the men of your alliance have brought you on your way, even to the border. The men who were at peace with you have deceived you, and prevailed against you. Those who eat bread with you lay a snare under you. There is no understanding in him."

Unto the border sent thee have all thine allies, Forgotten thee, prevailed over thee, have thy friends, Thy bread they make a snare under thee, There is no understanding in him!

8 "Won't I in that day," says YHWH, "destroy the wise men out of Edom, and understanding out of the mountain of Esau?

Is it not in that day — an affirmation of Jehovah, That I have destroyed the wise out of Edom, And understanding out of the mount of Esau?

9 Your mighty men, Teman, will be dismayed, to the end that everyone may be cut off from the mountain of Esau by slaughter.

And broken down have been thy mighty ones, O Teman, So that every one of the mount of Esau is cut off.

10 For the violence done to your brother Jacob, shame will cover you, and you will be cut off forever.

For slaughter, for violence [to] thy brother Jacob, Cover thee doth shame, And thou hast been cut off — to the age.

11 In the day that you stood on the other side, in the day that strangers carried away his substance, and foreigners entered into his gates, and cast lots for Jerusalem, even you were like one of them.

In the day of thy standing over-against, In the day of strangers taking captive his force, And foreigners have entered his gates, And for Jerusalem have cast a lot, Even thou [art] as one of them!

12 But do not look down on your brother in the day of his disaster, and do not rejoice over the people of Judah in the day of their destruction. Do not speak proudly in the day of distress.

And — thou dost not look on the day of thy brother, On the day of his alienation, Nor dost thou rejoice over sons of Judah, In the day of their destruction, Nor make great thy mouth in a day of distress.

13 Do not enter into the gate of my people in the day of their calamity. Do not look down on their affliction in the day of their calamity, neither seize their wealth on the day of their calamity.

Nor come into a gate of My people in a day of their calamity, Nor look, even thou, on its misfortune in a day of its calamity, Nor send forth against its force in a day of its calamity,

14 Do not stand in the crossroads to cut off those of his who escape. Do not deliver up those of his who remain in the day of distress.

Nor stand by the breach to cut off its escaped, Nor deliver up its remnant in a day of distress.

15 For the day of YHWH is near all the nations. As you have done, it will be done to you. Your deeds will return upon your own head.

For near [is] the day of Jehovah, on all the nations, As thou hast done, it is done to thee, Thy deed doth turn back on thine own head.

16 For as you have drunk on my holy mountain, so will all the nations drink continually. Yes, they will drink, swallow down, and will be as though they had not been.

For — as ye have drunk on My holy mount, Drink do all the nations continually, And they have drunk and have swallowed, And they have been as they have not been.

17 But in Mount Zion, there will be those who escape, and it will be holy. The house of Jacob will possess those who dispossessed them.

And in mount Zion there is an escape, And it hath been holy, And the house of Jacob have possessed their possessions.

18 The house of Jacob will be a fire, the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble. They will burn among them, and devour them. There will not be any remaining to the house of Esau." Indeed, YHWH has spoken.

And the house of Jacob hath been a fire, And the house of Joseph a flame, And the house of Esau for stubble, And they have burned among them, And they have consumed them, And there is not a remnant to the house of Esau, For Jehovah hath spoken.

19 Those of the Negev will possess the mountain of Esau, and those of the lowland, the Philistines. They will possess the field of Ephraim, and the field of Samaria. Benjamin will possess Gilead.

And they have possessed the south with the mount of Esau, And the low country with the Philistines, And they have possessed the field of Ephraim, And the field of Samaria, And Benjamin with Gilead.

20 The captives of this army of the children of Israel, who are among the Canaanites, will possess even to Zarephath; and the captives of Jerusalem, who are in Sepharad, will possess the cities of the Negev.

And the removed of this force of the sons of Israel, That [is with] the Canaanites unto Zarephat, And the removed of Jerusalem that [is] with the Sepharad, Possess the cities of the south.

21 Those who have been saved will go up on Mount Zion to judge the mountains of Esau, and the kingdom will be YHWH's.

And gone up have saviours on mount Zion, To judge the mount of Esau, And the kingdom hath been to Jehovah!'