Obadiah 1

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

3 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 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 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 Descendents of Esau, all your treasures are looted.

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

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

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

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

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