Obadiah 1–14

The vision^a of Obadiah.

1-4^pp — Jer 49:14–16 5-6^pp — Jer 49:9–10

This is what the Sovereign Lord says about Edom^b—

We have heard a message from the Lord:

An envoy^c was sent to the nations to say,

“Rise, let us go against her for battle”^d—

“See, I will make you small^e among the nations;

you will be utterly despised.

The pride^f of your heart has deceived you,

you who live in the clefts of the rocks^g

and make your home on the heights,

you who say to yourself,

‘Who can bring me down to the ground?’^h

Though you soar like the eagle

and make your nestⁱ among the stars,

from there I will bring you down,”^j

declares the Lord.^k

“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?^l

But how Esau will be ransacked,

his hidden treasures pillaged!

All your allies^m will force you to the border;

your friends will deceive and overpower you;

those who eat your breadⁿ will set a trap for you,

but you will not detect it.

“In that day,” declares the Lord,

“will I not destroy^o the wise in Edom,

people of understanding in the mountains of Esau?

Your warriors, Teman,^p will be terrified,

and everyone in Esau’s mountains

will be cut down in the slaughter.

Because of the violence^q against your brother Jacob,^r

you will be covered with shame;

you will be destroyed forever.^s

On the day you stood aloof

while strangers carried off his wealth

and foreigners entered his gates

and cast lots^t for Jerusalem,

you were like one of them.^u

You should not gloat^v over your brother

in the day of his misfortune,^w

nor rejoice^x over the people of Judah

in the day of their destruction,^y

nor boast^z so much

in the day of their trouble.^a

You should not march through the gates of my people

in the day of their disaster,

nor gloat over them in their calamity^b

in the day of their disaster,

nor seize their wealth

in the day of their disaster.

You should not wait at the crossroads

to cut down their fugitives,^c

nor hand over their survivors

in the day of their trouble.