Obadiah 1

Edom’s Judgment Announced

1. 1 This is the vision that the Sovereign Lord revealed to Obadiah concerning the land of Edom. 1 We have heard a message from the Lord 1 that an ambassador was sent to the nations to say, 1 “Get ready, everyone! 1 Let’s assemble our armies and attack Edom!”

2. The Lord says to Edom, 2 “I will cut you down to size among the nations; 2 you will be greatly despised.

3. You have been deceived by your own pride 3 because you live in a rock fortress 3 and make your home high in the mountains. 3 ‘Who can ever reach us way up here?’ 3 you ask boastfully.

4. But even if you soar as high as eagles 4 and build your nest among the stars, 4 I will bring you crashing down,” 4 says the Lord.

5. “If thieves came at night and robbed you 5 (what a disaster awaits you!), 5 they would not take everything. 5 Those who harvest grapes 5 always leave a few for the poor. 5 But your enemies will wipe you out completely!

6. Every nook and cranny of Edom[a] 6 will be searched and looted. 6 Every treasure will be found and taken.

7. “All your allies will turn against you. 7 They will help to chase you from your land. 7 They will promise you peace 7 while plotting to deceive and destroy you. 7 Your trusted friends will set traps for you, 7 and you won’t even know about it.

8. At that time not a single wise person 8 will be left in the whole land of Edom,” 8 says the Lord. 8 “For on the mountains of Edom 8 I will destroy everyone who has understanding.

9. The mightiest warriors of Teman 9 will be terrified, 9 and everyone on the mountains of Edom 9 will be cut down in the slaughter.

Reasons for Edom’s Punishment

10. “Because of the violence you did 10 to your close relatives in Israel,[b] 10 you will be filled with shame 10 and destroyed forever.

11. When they were invaded, 11 you stood aloof, refusing to help them. 11 Foreign invaders carried off their wealth 11 and cast lots to divide up Jerusalem, 11 but you acted like one of Israel’s enemies.

12. “You should not have gloated 12 when they exiled your relatives to distant lands. 12 You should not have rejoiced 12 when the people of Judah suffered such misfortune. 12 You should not have spoken arrogantly 12 in that terrible time of trouble.

13. You should not have plundered the land of Israel 13 when they were suffering such calamity. 13 You should not have gloated over their destruction 13 when they were suffering such calamity. 13 You should not have seized their wealth 13 when they were suffering such calamity.

14. You should not have stood at the crossroads, 14 killing those who tried to escape. 14 You should not have captured the survivors 14 and handed them over in their terrible time of trouble.

Edom Destroyed, Israel Restored

15. “The day is near when I, the Lord, 15 will judge all godless nations! 15 As you have done to Israel, 15 so it will be done to you. 15 All your evil deeds 15 will fall back on your own heads.

16. Just as you swallowed up my people 16 on my holy mountain, 16 so you and the surrounding nations 16 will swallow the punishment I pour out on you. 16 Yes, all you nations will drink and stagger 16 and disappear from history.

17. “But Jerusalem[c] will become a refuge for those who escape; 17 it will be a holy place. 17 And the people of Israel[d] will come back 17 to reclaim their inheritance.

18. The people of Israel will be a raging fire, 18 and Edom a field of dry stubble. 18 The descendants of Joseph will be a flame 18 roaring across the field, devouring everything. 18 There will be no survivors in Edom. 18 I, the Lord, have spoken!

19. “Then my people living in the Negev 19 will occupy the mountains of Edom. 19 Those living in the foothills of Judah[e] 19 will possess the Philistine plains 19 and take over the fields of Ephraim and Samaria. 19 And the people of Benjamin 19 will occupy the land of Gilead.

20. The exiles of Israel will return to their land 20 and occupy the Phoenician coast as far north as Zarephath. 20 The captives from Jerusalem exiled in the north[f] 20 will return home and resettle the towns of the Negev.

21. Those who have been rescued[g] will go up to[h] Mount Zion in Jerusalem 21 to rule over the mountains of Edom. 21 And the Lord himself will be king!”

Footnotes:
a. 6: Hebrew Esau; also in 8b, 9, 18, 19, 21.
b. 10: Hebrew your brother Jacob. The names “Jacob” and “Israel” are often interchanged throughout the Old Testament, referring sometimes to the individual patriarch and sometimes to the nation.
c. 17a: Hebrew Mount Zion.
d. 17b: Hebrew house of Jacob; also in 18. See note on 10.
e. 19: Hebrew the Shephelah.
f. 20: Hebrew in Sepharad.
g. 21a: As in Greek and Syriac versions; Hebrew reads Rescuers.
h. 21b: Or from.