Obadiah 1

1 The vision of Obadiah. This is what the Lord has said about Edom: We have had word from the Lord, and a representative has been sent among the nations, saying, Up! and let us make war against her.

The vision of Obadiah. The Lord Yahweh says this concerning Edom: We have heard a report from Yahweh and an ambassador has been sent among the nations, saying, “Rise up! Let us rise up against her for battle!”

2 See, I have made you small among the nations: you are much looked down on.

Behold, I will make you small among the nations, you will be greatly despised.

3 You have been tricked by the pride of your heart, O you whose living-place is in the cracks of the rock, whose house is high up; who has said in his heart, Who will make me come down to earth?

The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rock, in your lofty home; who say in your heart, “Who will bring me down to the ground?”

4 Though you go up on high like an eagle, though your house is placed among the stars, I will make you come down from there, says the Lord.

Though you soar high like the eagle and though your nest is set among the stars, I will bring you down from there, says Yahweh.

5 If thieves came, attacking you by night, (how are you cut off!) would they not go on taking till they had enough? if men came cutting your grapes would they take them all?

If thieves came to you, if robbers came by night—how you will be ruined!—would they not steal only as much as they needed? If grape gatherers came to you, would they not leave the gleanings?

6 How are the things of Esau searched out! how are his secret stores looked for!

How Esau has been ransacked, his hidden treasures will be searched out!

7 All the men who were united with you have been false to you, driving you out to the edge of the land: the men who were at peace with you have overcome you; they have taken their heritage in your place.

All the men of your alliance will send you on your way to the border. The men who were at peace with you have deceived you, and prevailed against you. They who eat your bread have set a trap under you. There is no understanding in him.

8 Will I not, in that day, says the Lord, take away the wise men out of Edom, and wisdom out of the mountain of Esau?

“Will I not on that day,” says Yahweh, “destroy the wise men from Edom and understanding out of the mountain of Esau?

9 And your men of war, O Teman, will be overcome with fear, so that every one of them may be cut off from the mountain of Esau.

Your mighty men will be dismayed, Teman, so that every man may be cut off from the mountain of Esau by slaughter.

10 Because you were the cause of violent death and because of your cruel behaviour to your brother Jacob, you will be covered with shame and will be cut off for ever.

Because of the violence done to your brother Jacob, you will be covered with shame, and you will be cut off forever.

11 Because you were there watching when men from other lands took away his goods, and strange men came into his doors, and put the fate of Jerusalem to the decision of chance; you were like one of them.

On the day you stood aloof, on the day strangers carried away his wealth, and foreigners entered into his gates, and cast lots for Jerusalem, you were like one of them.

12 Do not see with pleasure your brother's evil day, the day of his fate, and do not be glad over the children of Judah on the day of their destruction, or make wide your mouth on the day of trouble.

But do not gloat over your brother's day, in the day of his misfortune, and do not rejoice over the people of Judah in the day of their destruction; do not boast in the day of their distress.

13 Do not go into the doors of my people on the day of their downfall; do not be looking on their trouble with pleasure on the day of their downfall, or put your hands on their goods on the day of their downfall.

Do not enter my people's gate in the day of their calamity; do not gloat over their affliction in the day of their disaster, do not loot their wealth in the day of their ruin.

14 And do not take your place at the cross-roads, cutting off those of his people who get away; and do not give up to their haters those who are still there in the day of trouble.

Do not stand at the crossroads to cut down his fugitives, and do not deliver up his survivors in the day of distress.

15 For the day of the Lord is coming quickly on all nations: as you have done it will be done to you; the reward of your acts will come on your head.

For the day of Yahweh is near upon all the nations. As you have done, it will be done to you; your deeds will return on your own head.

16 For as you have been drinking on my holy mountain, so will all the nations go on drinking without end; they will go on drinking and the wine will go down their throats, and they will be as if they had never been.

For as you have drunk on my holy mountain, so will all the nations drink continually. They will drink and swallow and it will be as though they had never existed.

17 But in Mount Zion some will be kept safe, and it will be holy; and the children of Jacob will take their heritage.

But in Mount Zion there will be those that escape and it will be holy; and the house of Jacob shall possess their own possessions.

18 And the children of Jacob will be a fire and those of Joseph a flame, and the children of Esau dry stems of grass, burned up by them till all is gone: and there will be no people living in Esau; for the Lord has said it.

The house of Jacob will be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau will be stubble, and they will burn them, and consume them. There will be no survivors to the house of Esau, for Yahweh has spoken it.”

19 And they will take the South, and the lowland, and the country of Ephraim, and Gilead, as their heritage.

Those from the Negev will possess the mount of Esau and those of the Shepelah will possess the land of the Philistines. They will possess the land of Ephraim and the land of Samaria; and Benjamin will possess Gilead.

20 And those of the children of Israel who were the first to be taken away as prisoners, will have their heritage among the Canaanites as far as Zarephath; and those who were taken away from Jerusalem, who are in Sepharad, will have the towns of the South.

The exiles of this host of the people of Israel will possess the land of Canaan as far as Zarephath. The exiles of Jerusalem, who are in Sepharad, will possess the cities of the Negev.

21 And those who have been kept safe will come up from Mount Zion to be judges of the mountain of Esau; and the kingdom will be the Lord's.

Deliverers will go up to Mount Zion to rule over the hill country of Esau, and the kingdom will belong to Yahweh.