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Coming Judgment against Edom

Obadiah’s[a] vision:

This is what the Lord God has to say about Edom.
We have heard a report from the Lord,
    and a messenger has been dispatched among the nations to say[b]
“Get up! Let us rise up against her to fight!”

God’s Announcement to Edom

“Look! I will make you insignificant among the nations;
    you will be utterly despised.
The arrogance in your heart has deceived you,
    who inhabit hidden places on rocky cliffs,
    whose dwelling is in the heights,
    who say continuously to yourself,[c]
        ‘Who will bring me down to the ground?’
Though you soar high like the eagle
    and make your nest among the stars,
I will bring you down even from there,”
        declares the Lord.[d]

The Harvest from Edom’s Arrogance

“If thieves came against you,
    if marauding gangs by night
        —Oh, how you will be destroyed!—
Would they not steal only until they had enough?
If grape pickers came to you,
    would they not leave some[e] grapes to be gleaned?

“Oh, how Esau is ransacked,
    how his hidden treasures are thoroughly[f] searched out!
All your allies will force you out of the land,[g]
    your associates will deceive you and prevail against you.
Your friends[h] will lay out a trap for you,
    and you will[i] never understand it!

“In that day,” declares the Lord,
    “will I not destroy the wise from Edom,
    and those with understanding from Esau’s Mountain?
Teman, our mighty soldiers will be dismayed,
    so that every man from Esau’s Mountain will be slaughtered.”[j]

Judgment for Edom’s Cruelty to Jacob

10 “Shame will overwhelm you
    because of the violence you inflicted on your brother Jacob,
and you will be excluded[k] forever.

11 “On the day you just stood by,[l]
when[m] strangers carried away Jacob’s[n] wealth
and foreigners entered his gates,
    casting lots for Jerusalem,
you were just like one of them.

12 “You should not have gloated over your brother,[o]
    on the day of his calamity.
You should not have rejoiced
    when[p] the descendants of Judah were perishing.
You should not have boasted[q]
    when[r] they were in distress.

13 “You should not have entered the gate of my people
    on the day of their disaster.[s]
Also, you should not have gloated over Judah’s[t] misfortune
    on the day of his disaster,[u]
nor should you have plundered his wealth
    on the day of his disaster.[v]
14 And you should not have taken your stand at the crossroads
    to cut down his fleeing refugees,
nor should you have handed over his survivors
    on the day of his distress.”

The Lord’s Judgment and Israel’s Final Victory

15 “Indeed, the Day of the Lord approaches all nations.
    As you have done it will be done to you—
        your deeds will return to haunt you![w]
16 Just as you have drunk from the cup of my wrath[x] upon my holy mountain,
    so will all nations drink from the cup of my wrath[y] perpetually.
They will drink, they will gulp it down,
    and they will be as if they had never existed!

17 “But there will be a delivered remnant on Mount Zion.
    There will be holiness,
        and the house of Jacob will take back their possessions.

18 “The house of Jacob will be a fire,
and the house of Joseph a flame,
    but the house of Esau will be kindling.
Then Jacob and Joseph[z] will burn and consume Esau,[aa]
    and no survivor will remain from the house of Esau.”
Indeed, the Lord has spoken it.

19 “Those in the Negev[ab] will possess Esau’s Mountain,
    and those in the Shephelah[ac] the Philistines.
They will possess the fields of Ephraim
    and the fields of Samaria,
while Benjamin will possess the territory of[ad] Gilead.
20 The exiles, the Israeli host,
    will possess the territory of the[ae] Canaanites all the way to Zarephath.
The exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad[af]
    will possess the cities of the Negev.[ag]
21 Deliverers will assemble on Mount Zion to judge Esau’s Mountain,
    and to the Lord will the kingdom belong!”

Footnotes

  1. Obadiah 1:1 The Heb. name Obadiah means Servant of the Lord
  2. Obadiah 1:1 The Heb. lacks to say
  3. Obadiah 1:3 Lit. continually in your heart
  4. Obadiah 1:4 Cf. Jer 49:14-16
  5. Obadiah 1:5 The Heb. lacks some
  6. Obadiah 1:6 The Heb. lacks thoroughly
  7. Obadiah 1:7 Lit. out to the border
  8. Obadiah 1:7 Lit. Your bread; i.e. those who eat your bread
  9. Obadiah 1:7 The Heb. lacks you will
  10. Obadiah 1:9 Lit. will be cut off by slaughter
  11. Obadiah 1:10 Lit. cut off
  12. Obadiah 1:11 Or stood in opposition
  13. Obadiah 1:11 Lit. in the day
  14. Obadiah 1:11 Lit. his
  15. Obadiah 1:12 Lit. in the day of your brother
  16. Obadiah 1:12 Lit. in the day
  17. Obadiah 1:12 Lit. have let your mouth boast
  18. Obadiah 1:12 Lit. in the day
  19. Obadiah 1:13 The Heb. words their disaster may be a word play on the Heb. word Edom
  20. Obadiah 1:13 Lit. his
  21. Obadiah 1:13 The Heb. words his disaster may be a word play on the Heb. word Edom
  22. Obadiah 1:13 The Heb. words his disaster may be a word play on the Heb. word Edom
  23. Obadiah 1:15 Lit. return on your own head
  24. Obadiah 1:16 The Heb. lacks from the cup of my wrath
  25. Obadiah 1:16 The Heb. lacks from the cup of my wrath
  26. Obadiah 1:18 Lit. They
  27. Obadiah 1:18 Lit. them
  28. Obadiah 1:19 I.e. southern region of Israel; cf. Josh 10:40
  29. Obadiah 1:19 I.e. the verdant central lowlands of Israel; cf. Josh 10:40
  30. Obadiah 1:19 The Heb. lacks will possess the territory of
  31. Obadiah 1:20 The Heb. lacks the territory of
  32. Obadiah 1:20 I.e. perhaps Sardis, capital of Lydia, Saparda in eastern Assyria, Sparta in Greece, or a location in Spain (so Targ of Jonathan)
  33. Obadiah 1:20 I.e. southern region of Israel; cf. Josh 10:40

Obadiah’s Vision(A)(B)

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)

“See, I will make you small(G) among the nations;
    you will be utterly despised.
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)
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)
“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)
But how Esau will be ransacked,
    his hidden treasures pillaged!
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.

“In that day,” declares the Lord,
    “will I not destroy(Q) the wise men of Edom,
    those of understanding in the mountains of Esau?
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.

15 “The day of the Lord is near(AF)
    for all nations.
As you have done, it will be done to you;
    your deeds(AG) will return upon your own head.
16 Just as you drank(AH) on my holy hill,(AI)
    so all the nations will drink(AJ) continually;
they will drink and drink
    and be as if they had never been.(AK)
17 But on Mount Zion will be deliverance;(AL)
    it will be holy,(AM)
    and Jacob will possess his inheritance.(AN)
18 Jacob will be a fire
    and Joseph a flame;
Esau will be stubble,
    and they will set him on fire(AO) and destroy(AP) him.
There will be no survivors(AQ)
    from Esau.”
The Lord has spoken.

19 People from the Negev will occupy
    the mountains of Esau,
and people from the foothills will possess
    the land of the Philistines.(AR)
They will occupy the fields of Ephraim and Samaria,(AS)
    and Benjamin(AT) will possess Gilead.
20 This company of Israelite exiles who are in Canaan
    will possess the land as far as Zarephath;(AU)
the exiles from Jerusalem who are in Sepharad
    will possess the towns of the Negev.(AV)
21 Deliverers(AW) will go up on[c] Mount Zion
    to govern the mountains of Esau.
    And the kingdom will be the Lord’s.(AX)

Footnotes

  1. Obadiah 1:3 Or of Sela
  2. Obadiah 1:7 The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain.
  3. Obadiah 1:21 Or from

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.

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

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?

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.

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?

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

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.

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?

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.

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

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.

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.

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;

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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