Obadiah

1This is the vision about Edom that Obadiah had. Here is what he said.

We’ve heard a message from the Lord and King.

A messenger was sent to the nations.

The Lord told him to say,

“Get up! Let us go and make war against Edom.”

2The Lord says to Edom,

“I will make you weak among the nations.

They will look down on you.

3 You live in the safety of the rocks.

You make your home high up in the mountains.

But your proud heart has tricked you.

So you say to yourself,

‘No one can bring me down to the ground.’

4 You have built your home as high as an eagle does.

You have made your nest among the stars.

But I will bring you down from there,”

announces the Lord.

5 “Edom, suppose robbers came to you at night.

They would steal only as much as they wanted.

Suppose grape pickers came to harvest your vines.

They would still leave a few grapes.

But you are facing horrible trouble!

6 People of Esau, everything will be taken away from you.

Your hidden treasures will be stolen.

7 All those who are helping you

will force you to leave your country.

Your friends will trick you and overpower you.

Those who eat bread with you

will set a trap for you.

But you will not see it.”

8 The Lord announces, “At that time

I will destroy the wise men of Edom.

I will wipe out the men of understanding

in the mountains of Esau.

9 People of Teman, your soldiers will be terrified.

Everyone in Esau’s mountains

will be cut down with swords.

10 You did harmful things to your brothers,

the people of Jacob.

So you will be covered with shame.

You will be destroyed forever.

11 Strangers entered the gates of Jerusalem.

They cast lots to see what each one would get.

They carried off its wealth.

When that happened, you just stood there and did nothing.

You were like one of them.

12 That was a time of trouble for your brothers.

So you should not have looked down on them.

The people of Judah were destroyed.

So you should not have been happy about it.

You should not have laughed at them so much

when they were in trouble.

13 You should not have marched

through the gates of my people’s city

when they were having so much trouble.

You should not have looked down on them.

You should not have stolen their wealth.

14 You waited where the roads cross.

You wanted to cut down those who were running away.

You should not have done that.

You handed over to their enemies

those who were still left alive.

You should not have done that.

They were in trouble.

15 “The day of the Lord is near

for all of the nations.

Others will do to you

what you have done to them.

You will be paid back

for what you have done.

16 You Edomites polluted my holy mountain of Zion

by drinking and celebrating there.

So all of the nations will drink

from the cup of my anger.

And they will keep on drinking from it.

They will vanish.

It will be as if they had never existed.

17 But on Mount Zion some of my people will be left alive.

I will save them.

Zion will be my holy mountain once again.

And the people of Jacob

will again receive the land as their own.

18 They will be like a fire.

Joseph’s people will be like a flame.

The nation of Esau will be like straw.

Jacob’s people will set Edom on fire and burn it up.

No one will be left alive

among Esau’s people.”

The Lord has spoken.

19 Israelites from the Negev Desert

will take over Esau’s mountains.

Israelites from the western hills

will possess Philistia.

They’ll take over the territories

of Ephraim and Samaria.

Israelites from the tribe of Benjamin

will possess the land of Gilead.

20 Some Israelites were forced to leave their homes.

They’ll come back to Canaan and possess

it all the way to the town of Zarephath.

Some people from Jerusalem were taken

to the city of Sepharad.

They’ll return and possess

the towns of the Negev Desert.

21 Leaders from Mount Zion will go

and rule over the mountains of Esau.

And the kingdom will belong to the Lord.