Jeremiah 49:7–22

A Prophecy against Edom—Obadiah 1–5

⁷This is what the Lord of Armies says about Edom: 

Is there no longer any wisdom in Teman? 

Has wisdom disappeared from your people? 

Has their wisdom vanished? 

⁸Turn and run. 

Hide in deep caves, inhabitants of Dedan. 

When I punish them, 

I will bring disaster on the descendants of Esau. 

⁹If people come to pick your grapes, 

won’t they leave a few grapes behind? 

If thieves come during the night, 

won’t they steal only until they’ve had enough? 

¹⁰Yet, I will strip the descendants of Esau. 

I will find their hiding places. 

They won’t be able to hide. 

Their children and relatives will be destroyed. 

None of their neighbors will say, 

¹¹“Abandon your orphans, and I will keep them alive. 

Your widows can trust me.” 

¹²This is what the Lord says: If those who don’t deserve to drink from the cup still drink from it, why should you go unpunished? You won’t go unpunished. You must drink from it. ¹³I take an oath on myself, declares the Lord, that Bozrah will become a pile of rubble. It will become something horrifying, ridiculed, ruined, and cursed. All its cities will lie in ruins permanently. 

¹⁴I heard a message from the Lord. 

A messenger was sent among the nations to say, 

“Assemble, and attack Edom. 

Get ready for battle.” 

¹⁵“Edom, I will make you the smallest of nations 

and despised among humanity. 

¹⁶You have frightened other people. 

Your arrogance has deceived you. 

You live on rocky cliffs 

and occupy the highest places in the hills. 

Even though you build your nest as high as an eagle, 

I will bring you down from there,” declares the Lord. 

¹⁷“Then Edom will become something horrible. 

Everyone who passes by it will be horrified 

and hiss at all its wounds. 

¹⁸Edom will be like Sodom, Gomorrah, and their neighboring cities 

when they were destroyed. 

No one will live there. 

No human will stay there,” says the Lord. 

¹⁹“I will suddenly chase them from their places 

like a lion coming out of the jungle 

along the Jordan River into pastureland. 

I will appoint over Edom whomever I choose. 

Who is like me? Who can challenge me? 

Is there any leader who can stand up to me?” 

²⁰Listen to the plans that the Lord is making against Edom 

and the things he intends to do to those who live in Teman. 

He will surely drag away the little ones of the flock. 

He will surely destroy the pasture 

because of the people who live in Teman. 

²¹The earth will quake at the sound of their downfall. 

The sound of their crying will be heard at the Red Sea. 

²²The enemy will swoop down like eagles 

and spread their wings over Bozrah. 

On that day Edom’s soldiers will be like women in childbirth.