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Isaiah 34:5-17
Contemporary English Version
Isaiah 34:5-17
Contemporary English Version
Trouble for Edom
5 (A) After the sword of the Lord
has done what it wants
to the skies above,[a]
it will come down on Edom,
the nation that the Lord
has doomed for destruction.
6 The sword of the Lord
is covered with blood
from lambs and goats,
together with fat
from kidneys of rams.
This is because the Lord
will slaughter many people
and make a sacrifice of them
in the city of Bozrah
and everywhere else
in Edom.
7 Edom's leaders are wild oxen.
They are powerful bulls,
but they will die
with the others.
Their country will be soaked
with their own blood,
and its soil made fertile
with their own fat.
8 The Lord has chosen
the year and the day,
when he will take revenge
and come to Zion's defense.
9 Edom's streams will turn into tar
and its soil into sulfur—
then the whole country
will go up in flames.
10 (B) It will burn night and day
and never stop smoking.
Edom will be a desert,
generation after generation;
no one will ever travel
through that land.
11 Owls, hawks, and wild animals[b]
will make it their home.
God will leave it in ruins,
merely a pile of rocks.
The End of Edom
12 Edom will be called
“Kingdom of Nothing.”
Its rulers will also be nothing.
13 Its palaces and fortresses
will be covered with thorns;
only wolves and ostriches
will make their home there.
14 Wildcats and hyenas
will hunt together,
demons will scream to demons,
and creatures of the night
will live among the ruins.
15 Owls will nest there
to raise their young
among its shadows,[c]
while families of vultures
circle around.
16 In
you can search and find
where it is written,
“The Lord brought together
all of his creatures
by the power of his Spirit.
Not one is missing.”
17 The Lord has decided
where they each should live;
they will be there forever,
generation after generation.
Footnotes
- 34.5 has done … above: The Standard Hebrew Text; the Dead Sea Scrolls “appears in the skies above.”
- 34.11 Owls … animals: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
- 34.15 Owls … shadows: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
- 34.16 The Book of the Lord: The book that Isaiah refers to is unknown.
Isaiah 34:5-17
New International Version
Isaiah 34:5-17
New International Version
5 My sword(A) has drunk its fill in the heavens;
see, it descends in judgment on Edom,(B)
the people I have totally destroyed.(C)
6 The sword(D) of the Lord is bathed in blood,
it is covered with fat—
the blood of lambs and goats,
fat from the kidneys of rams.
For the Lord has a sacrifice(E) in Bozrah(F)
and a great slaughter(G) in the land of Edom.
7 And the wild oxen(H) will fall with them,
the bull calves and the great bulls.(I)
Their land will be drenched with blood,(J)
and the dust will be soaked with fat.
8 For the Lord has a day(K) of vengeance,(L)
a year of retribution,(M) to uphold Zion’s cause.
9 Edom’s streams will be turned into pitch,
her dust into burning sulfur;(N)
her land will become blazing pitch!
10 It will not be quenched(O) night or day;
its smoke will rise forever.(P)
From generation to generation(Q) it will lie desolate;(R)
no one will ever pass through it again.
11 The desert owl[a](S) and screech owl[b] will possess it;
the great owl[c] and the raven(T) will nest there.
God will stretch out over Edom(U)
the measuring line of chaos(V)
and the plumb line(W) of desolation.
12 Her nobles will have nothing there to be called a kingdom,
all her princes(X) will vanish(Y) away.
13 Thorns(Z) will overrun her citadels,
nettles and brambles her strongholds.(AA)
She will become a haunt for jackals,(AB)
a home for owls.(AC)
14 Desert creatures(AD) will meet with hyenas,(AE)
and wild goats will bleat to each other;
there the night creatures(AF) will also lie down
and find for themselves places of rest.
15 The owl will nest there and lay eggs,
she will hatch them, and care for her young
under the shadow of her wings;(AG)
there also the falcons(AH) will gather,
each with its mate.
16 Look in the scroll(AI) of the Lord and read:
None of these will be missing,(AJ)
not one will lack her mate.
For it is his mouth(AK) that has given the order,(AL)
and his Spirit will gather them together.
17 He allots their portions;(AM)
his hand distributes them by measure.
They will possess it forever
and dwell there from generation to generation.(AN)
Footnotes
- Isaiah 34:11 The precise identification of these birds is uncertain.
- Isaiah 34:11 The precise identification of these birds is uncertain.
- Isaiah 34:11 The precise identification of these birds is uncertain.
Jeremiah 49:7-22
Contemporary English Version
Jeremiah 49:7-22
Contemporary English Version
What the Lord Says about Edom
7 (A)(B) The Lord All-Powerful says about Edom:
Wisdom and common sense
have vanished from Teman.[a]
8 I will send disaster to punish
you descendants of Esau,[b]
so anyone from Dedan[c]
had better turn around
and run back home.[d]
9 People who harvest grapes
leave some for the poor.
Thieves who break in at night
take only what they want.
10 But I will take everything
that belongs to you,
people of Edom,
and I will uncover every place
where you try to hide.
Then you will die,
and so will your children,
relatives, and neighbors.
11 But I can be trusted
to care for your orphans
and widows.
12 Even those nations that don't deserve to be punished will have to drink from the cup of my anger. So how can you possibly hope to escape? 13 I, the Lord, swear in my own name that your city of Bozrah[e] and all your towns will suffer a horrible fate. They will lie in ruins forever, and people will use the name “Bozrah” as a curse word.
14 I have sent a messenger
to command the nations
to prepare for war
against you people of Edom.
15 Your nation will be small,
yet hated by other nations.
16 Pride tricks you into thinking
that other nations
look at you with fear.[f]
You live along the cliffs
and high in the mountains
like the eagles,
but I am the Lord,
and I will bring you down.
17 People passing by your country
will be shocked and horrified
to see a disaster
18 (C) as bad as the destruction
of Sodom and Gomorrah
and towns nearby.
The towns of Edom will be empty.
19 (D) I, the Lord, will attack you
like a lion from the forest,
attacking sheep in a meadow
along the Jordan.
In a moment the flock runs,
and the land is empty.
Who will I choose to attack you?
I will do it myself!
No one can force me to fight
or chase me away.
20 Listen to my plans for you,
people of Edom.[g]
Your children will be dragged off
and your country destroyed.
21 The sounds of your destruction
will reach the Red Sea[h]
and cause the earth to shake.
22 An enemy will swoop down
to attack you,
like an eagle spreading its wings
and circling over Bozrah.
Your warriors will be as fearful
as women giving birth.[i]
Footnotes
- 49.7,8 Teman: The name of a town in Edom, sometimes used as the name of the northern half of the nation of Edom; here it probably stands for the whole nation.
- 49.7,8 Esau: The ancestor of the nation of Edom.
- 49.7,8 Dedan: The name of a town in northwest Arabia, also used of the northwest region of Arabia along the Red Sea.
- 49.7,8 anyone … home: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
- 49.13 Bozrah: The main city and capital of Edom.
- 49.16 Pride … fear: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
- 49.20 Edom: The Hebrew text also uses the name “Teman” (see the note at 49.7,8).
- 49.21 Red Sea: Hebrew yam suph, here referring to the Gulf of Aqaba, since the term is extended to include the northeastern arm of the Red Sea (see also the note at Exodus 13.18).
- 49.22 as fearful … birth: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
Jeremiah 49:7-22
New International Version
Jeremiah 49:7-22
New International Version
A Message About Edom(A)(B)
7 Concerning Edom:(C)
This is what the Lord Almighty says:
“Is there no longer wisdom in Teman?(D)
Has counsel perished from the prudent?
Has their wisdom decayed?
8 Turn and flee, hide in deep caves,(E)
you who live in Dedan,(F)
for I will bring disaster on Esau
at the time when I punish him.
9 If grape pickers came to you,
would they not leave a few grapes?
If thieves came during the night,
would they not steal only as much as they wanted?
10 But I will strip Esau bare;
I will uncover his hiding places,(G)
so that he cannot conceal himself.
His armed men are destroyed,
also his allies and neighbors,
so there is no one(H) to say,
11 ‘Leave your fatherless children;(I) I will keep them alive.
Your widows(J) too can depend on me.’”
12 This is what the Lord says: “If those who do not deserve to drink the cup(K) must drink it, why should you go unpunished?(L) You will not go unpunished, but must drink it. 13 I swear(M) by myself,” declares the Lord, “that Bozrah(N) will become a ruin and a curse,[a] an object of horror(O) and reproach;(P) and all its towns will be in ruins forever.”(Q)
14 I have heard a message from the Lord;
an envoy was sent to the nations to say,
“Assemble yourselves to attack it!
Rise up for battle!”
15 “Now I will make you small among the nations,
despised by mankind.
16 The terror you inspire
and the pride(R) of your heart have deceived you,
you who live in the clefts of the rocks,(S)
who occupy the heights of the hill.
Though you build your nest(T) as high as the eagle’s,
from there I will bring you down,”
declares the Lord.
17 “Edom will become an object of horror;(U)
all who pass by will be appalled and will scoff
because of all its wounds.(V)
18 As Sodom(W) and Gomorrah(X) were overthrown,
along with their neighboring towns,”
says the Lord,
“so no one will live there;
no people will dwell(Y) in it.
19 “Like a lion(Z) coming up from Jordan’s thickets(AA)
to a rich pastureland,
I will chase Edom from its land in an instant.
Who is the chosen one I will appoint for this?
Who is like(AB) me and who can challenge me?(AC)
And what shepherd(AD) can stand against me?”
20 Therefore, hear what the Lord has planned against Edom,(AE)
what he has purposed(AF) against those who live in Teman:(AG)
The young of the flock(AH) will be dragged away;
their pasture will be appalled at their fate.(AI)
21 At the sound of their fall the earth will tremble;(AJ)
their cry(AK) will resound to the Red Sea.[b]
22 Look! An eagle will soar and swoop(AL) down,
spreading its wings over Bozrah.(AM)
In that day the hearts of Edom’s warriors(AN)
will be like the heart of a woman in labor.(AO)
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 49:13 That is, its name will be used in cursing (see 29:22); or, others will see that it is cursed.
- Jeremiah 49:21 Or the Sea of Reeds
Ezekiel 25:12-14
Contemporary English Version
Ezekiel 25:12-14
Contemporary English Version
Judgment on Edom
12 (A) The Lord God then said, “The people of Edom are guilty of taking revenge on Judah. 13 So I will punish Edom by killing all its people and livestock. It will be an empty wasteland all the way from Teman to Dedan. 14 I will send my own people to take revenge on the Edomites by making them feel my fierce anger. And when I punish them, they will know that I am the Lord God.”
Read full chapter
Ezekiel 25:12-14
New International Version
Ezekiel 25:12-14
New International Version
A Prophecy Against Edom
12 “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘Because Edom(A) took revenge on Judah and became very guilty by doing so, 13 therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will stretch out my hand(B) against Edom and kill both man and beast.(C) I will lay it waste, and from Teman(D) to Dedan(E) they will fall by the sword.(F) 14 I will take vengeance on Edom by the hand of my people Israel, and they will deal with Edom in accordance with my anger(G) and my wrath; they will know my vengeance, declares the Sovereign Lord.’”(H)
Ezekiel 35
Contemporary English Version
Ezekiel 35
Contemporary English Version
Edom Will Be a Wasteland
35 (A) The Lord said:
2 Ezekiel, son of man, condemn the people of Edom[a] 3 and say to them:
I, the Lord God,
am now your enemy!
And I will turn your nation
into an empty wasteland,
4 leaving your towns in ruins.
Your land will be a desert,
and then you will know
that I am the Lord.
5 People of Edom, not only have you been Israel's longtime enemy, you simply watched when disaster wiped out its people as punishment for their sins. 6 And so, as surely as I am the living Lord God, you are guilty of murder and must be put to death. 7 I will destroy your nation and kill anyone who travels through it. 8 Dead bodies will cover your mountains and fill up your valleys, 9 and your land will lie in ruins forever. No one will live in your towns ever again. You will know that I am the Lord.
10 You thought the nations of Judah and Israel belonged to you, and that you could take over their territory. But I am their God, 11 and as surely as I live, I will punish you for treating my people with anger and hatred. Then they will know that I, the Lord, am punishing you! 12 And you will finally realize that I heard you laugh at their destruction and say their land was yours to take. 13 You even insulted me, but I heard it all.
14 Everyone on earth will celebrate when I destroy you, 15 just as you celebrated when Israel was destroyed. Your nation of Edom will be nothing but a wasteland. Then everyone will know that I am the Lord.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 35.2 Edom: The Hebrew text has “Mount Seir,” another name for Edom.
Ezekiel 35
New International Version
Ezekiel 35
New International Version
A Prophecy Against Edom
35 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, set your face against Mount Seir;(A) prophesy against it 3 and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against you, Mount Seir, and I will stretch out my hand(B) against you and make you a desolate waste.(C) 4 I will turn your towns into ruins(D) and you will be desolate. Then you will know that I am the Lord.(E)
5 “‘Because you harbored an ancient hostility and delivered the Israelites over to the sword(F) at the time of their calamity,(G) the time their punishment reached its climax,(H) 6 therefore as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I will give you over to bloodshed(I) and it will pursue you.(J) Since you did not hate bloodshed, bloodshed will pursue you. 7 I will make Mount Seir a desolate waste(K) and cut off from it all who come and go.(L) 8 I will fill your mountains with the slain; those killed by the sword will fall on your hills and in your valleys and in all your ravines.(M) 9 I will make you desolate forever;(N) your towns will not be inhabited. Then you will know that I am the Lord.(O)
10 “‘Because you have said, “These two nations and countries will be ours and we will take possession(P) of them,” even though I the Lord was there, 11 therefore as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I will treat you in accordance with the anger(Q) and jealousy you showed in your hatred of them and I will make myself known among them when I judge you.(R) 12 Then you will know that I the Lord have heard all the contemptible things you have said against the mountains of Israel. You said, “They have been laid waste and have been given over to us to devour.(S)” 13 You boasted(T) against me and spoke against me without restraint, and I heard it.(U) 14 This is what the Sovereign Lord says: While the whole earth rejoices, I will make you desolate.(V) 15 Because you rejoiced(W) when the inheritance of Israel became desolate, that is how I will treat you. You will be desolate, Mount Seir,(X) you and all of Edom.(Y) Then they will know that I am the Lord.’”
Amos 1:11
Contemporary English Version
Amos 1:11
Contemporary English Version
Judgment on Edom
11 (A) The Lord said:
I will punish Edom
for countless crimes,
and I won't change my mind.
They killed their own relatives[a]
and were so terribly furious
that they showed no mercy.
Footnotes
- 1.11 their own relatives: The Edomites were descendants of Esau, the brother of Jacob, the ancestor of the Israelites.
Amos 1:11
New International Version
Amos 1:11
New International Version
11 This is what the Lord says:
Amos 1:12
Contemporary English Version
Amos 1:12
Contemporary English Version
12 Now I will send fire to wipe out
the fortresses of Teman
and Bozrah.[a]
Footnotes
- 1.12 Teman and Bozrah: These stand for all of Edom; Teman may have been a city or a district. Bozrah, the chief city of northern Edom, was 48 kilometers southeast of the Dead Sea.
Amos 1:12
New International Version
Amos 1:12
New International Version
Obadiah 1-14
Contemporary English Version
Obadiah 1-14
Contemporary English Version
Edom's Pride and Punishment
1 (A) The Lord God gave Obadiah
a message[a] about Edom,
and this is what we heard:
“I, the Lord, have sent
a messenger
with orders for the nations
to attack Edom.”
2 The Lord said to Edom:
I will make you the weakest
and most despised nation.
3 You live in a mountain fortress,[b]
because your pride
makes you feel safe from attack,
but you are mistaken.
4 I will still bring you down,
even if you fly higher
than an eagle
or nest among the stars.
I, the Lord, have spoken!
5 If thieves break in at night,
they steal
only what they want.
And people who harvest grapes
always leave some unpicked.
But, Edom, you are doomed!
6 Everything you treasure most
will be taken from you.
7 Your allies can't be trusted.
They will force you out
of your own country.
And your best friends
will trick and trap you,
even before you know it.
8 Edom, when this happens,
I, the Lord, will destroy
all your marvelous wisdom.
9 Warriors from the city of Teman[c]
will be terrified,
and you descendants of Esau[d]
will be wiped out.
The Lord Condemns Edom's Cruelty
10 You were cruel to your relatives,
the descendants of Jacob.[e]
Now you will be destroyed,
disgraced forever.
11 You stood there and watched
as foreigners entered Jerusalem
and took what they wanted.
In fact, you were no better
than those foreigners.
12 Why did you celebrate
when such a dreadful disaster
struck your relatives?
Why were you so pleased
when everyone in Judah
was suffering?
13 They are my people,
and you were cruel to them.
You went through their towns,
sneering and stealing
whatever was left.
14 In their time of torment,
you ambushed refugees
and handed them over
to their attackers.
Footnotes
- 1 message: Or “vision.”
- 3 mountain fortress: The Hebrew text has “rocky cliff,” which sounds like “Sela,” the capital of Edom, a fortress city built on a mountain.
- 9 Teman: A famous city in Edom.
- 9 descendants of Esau: The people of Edom were descendants of Esau, the brother of Jacob (Israel).
- 10 descendants of Jacob: Jacob and Esau were brothers (see the note on Esau at verse 9).
Obadiah 1-14
New International Version
Obadiah 1-14
New International Version
Obadiah’s Vision(A)(B)
1 The vision(C) of Obadiah.
This is what the Sovereign Lord says about Edom(D)—
We have heard a message from the Lord:
An envoy(E) was sent to the nations to say,
“Rise, let us go against her for battle”(F)—
2 “See, I will make you small(G) among the nations;
you will be utterly despised.
3 The pride(H) of your heart has deceived you,
you who live in the clefts of the rocks[a](I)
and make your home on the heights,
you who say to yourself,
‘Who can bring me down to the ground?’(J)
4 Though you soar like the eagle
and make your nest(K) among the stars,
from there I will bring you down,”(L)
declares the Lord.(M)
5 “If thieves came to you,
if robbers in the night—
oh, what a disaster awaits you!—
would they not steal only as much as they wanted?
If grape pickers came to you,
would they not leave a few grapes?(N)
6 But how Esau will be ransacked,
his hidden treasures pillaged!
7 All your allies(O) will force you to the border;
your friends will deceive and overpower you;
those who eat your bread(P) will set a trap for you,[b]
but you will not detect it.
8 “In that day,” declares the Lord,
“will I not destroy(Q) the wise men of Edom,
those of understanding in the mountains of Esau?
9 Your warriors, Teman,(R) will be terrified,
and everyone in Esau’s mountains
will be cut down in the slaughter.
10 Because of the violence(S) against your brother Jacob,(T)
you will be covered with shame;
you will be destroyed forever.(U)
11 On the day you stood aloof
while strangers carried off his wealth
and foreigners entered his gates
and cast lots(V) for Jerusalem,
you were like one of them.(W)
12 You should not gloat(X) over your brother
in the day of his misfortune,(Y)
nor rejoice(Z) over the people of Judah
in the day of their destruction,(AA)
nor boast(AB) so much
in the day of their trouble.(AC)
13 You should not march through the gates of my people
in the day of their disaster,
nor gloat over them in their calamity(AD)
in the day of their disaster,
nor seize their wealth
in the day of their disaster.
14 You should not wait at the crossroads
to cut down their fugitives,(AE)
nor hand over their survivors
in the day of their trouble.
Footnotes
- Obadiah 1:3 Or of Sela
- Obadiah 1:7 The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain.
Malachi 1:2-5
Contemporary English Version
Malachi 1:2-5
Contemporary English Version
The Lord's Love for Israel
2 (A)(B) Israel, I, the Lord, have loved you. And yet you ask in what way have I loved you. Don't forget that Esau was the brother of your ancestor Jacob, but I chose Jacob 3 instead of Esau. And I turned Esau's hill country into a barren desert where jackals[a] roam. 4 Esau's descendants may say, “Although our nation Edom is in ruins, we will rebuild it.”
But I, the Lord All-Powerful, promise to tear down whatever they build. Then everyone will know that I will never stop being angry with them as long as they are so sinful.
5 Israel, when you see this, you will shout, “The Lord's great reputation reaches beyond our borders.”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 1.3 jackals: Desert animals related to wolves, but smaller.
Malachi 1:2-5
New International Version
Malachi 1:2-5
New International Version
Israel Doubts God’s Love
2 “I have loved(A) you,” says the Lord.
“But you ask,(B) ‘How have you loved us?’
“Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the Lord. “Yet I have loved Jacob,(C) 3 but Esau I have hated,(D) and I have turned his hill country into a wasteland(E) and left his inheritance to the desert jackals.(F)”
4 Edom(G) may say, “Though we have been crushed, we will rebuild(H) the ruins.”
But this is what the Lord Almighty says: “They may build, but I will demolish.(I) They will be called the Wicked Land, a people always under the wrath of the Lord.(J) 5 You will see it with your own eyes and say, ‘Great(K) is the Lord—even beyond the borders of Israel!’(L)
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