Obadiah 1

1 The vision of Obadiah. Thus saith the Lord Jehovah concerning Edom: We have heard a report from Jehovah, and an ambassador is sent among the nations. Arise ye, and let us rise up against her in battle.

The vision of Obadiah; what the Lord said about Edom: We have heard a report from the Lord, a messenger has been sent among the nations; Rise up, let us rise against Edom in battle!

2 Behold, I have made thee small among the nations; thou art greatly despised.

I will make you small among the nations, and despised by all!

3 The pride of thy heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; — he that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground?

Your proud heart has misled you, you who live in the clefts of the rock, you who build on high your dwelling. You say to yourselves, “Who can bring me down to earth?”

4 Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith Jehovah.

Though you build high as the eagle, though between the stars you set your nest, from there will I bring you down, says the Lord.

5 If thieves had come to thee, if robbers by night, (how art thou cut off!) would they not have stolen [till] they had had enough? If grape-gatherers had come to thee, would they not have left some gleanings?

If thieves had come to you, marauders by night would they not have stolen only as much as they needed? If grape-gatherers had come to you would they not have left some gleanings?

6 How is Esau searched! his hidden things sought out!

Descendents of Esau, all your treasures are looted.

7 All the men of thy confederacy have pushed thee to the border; the men that were at peace with thee have deceived thee, they have prevailed against thee; [they that eat] thy bread have laid a snare under thee. There is no understanding in him.

To your border they have driven you, all your allies have betrayed you. Your avowed friends have overpowered you, they have set a trap for you. Where is your wisdom now?

8 Shall I not in that day, saith Jehovah, destroy the wise men out of Edom, and understanding out of the mount of Esau?

The Lord says: On that day, I will destroy the wise of Edom, drive wisdom out of Mount Esau.

9 And thy mighty men, O Teman, shall be dismayed, to the end that every one may be cut off from the mount of Esau by slaughter.

Your warriors will be filled with terror, Teman, none will be left alive on Mount Esau.

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

Because of the violence done to your relatives, the people of Jacob, shame covers you, you are cut off forever.

11 In the day that thou stoodest on the other side, in the day that strangers carried away captive his substance, and foreigners entered into his gates, and cast lots upon Jerusalem, even thou wast as one of them.

In the day when you stood aloof, in the day when strangers carried away their wealth, and strangers entered into their gates, and over Jerusalem cast lots, you were as one of those strangers.

12 But thou shouldest not have looked on the day of thy brother in the day of his disaster; neither shouldest thou have rejoiced over the children of Judah in the day of their destruction; nor have opened wide thy mouth in the day of distress.

You should not have gloated over your relatives, in the day of their misfortune. You should not have exulted over the land of Judah in the day of their destruction. You should not have laughed loudly at their distress.

13 Thou shouldest not have entered into the gate of my people in the day of their calamity, nor have looked, even thou, on their affliction in the day of their calamity, neither shouldest thou have laid [hands] on their substance in the day of their calamity;

You should not have entered in at the gate of my people in the day of their disaster. You should not have gloated over their calamity, in the day of their disaster, nor stretched out your hand after their wealth in the day of their disaster,

14 and thou shouldest not have stood on the crossway, to cut off those of his that did escape, nor have delivered up those remaining of him in the day of distress.

nor stood at the crossroads to cut down their fugitives, nor should you have betrayed their refugees in the day of distress.

15 For the day of Jehovah is near upon all the nations: as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee: thy recompence shall return upon thine own head.

Near at hand is the Lord’s day for all the nations. As you have done so will it be done to you. Your deeds will come back on your own head.

16 For as ye have drunk upon my holy mountain, so shall all the nations drink continually; yea, they shall drink, and shall swallow down, and they shall be as though they had not been.

As you have drunk upon my holy mountain, so all the nations will drink in turn; They will drink deep and be as though they had not been.

17 But upon mount Zion shall there be deliverance, and it shall be holy; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.

But on Mount Zion some will escape, it will be again holy, and those of the house of Jacob will again enter into 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 Jehovah hath spoken [it].

For the house of Jacob will be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, but the house of Esau will become stubble. They will kindle and devour it. Not even one of the house of Esau will escape, for the Lord has spoken.

19 And [they of] the south shall possess the mount of Esau; and they of the lowland the Philistines; yea, they shall possess the field of Ephraim and the field of Samaria; and Benjamin [shall possess] Gilead;

They will possess the Negeb and Mount Esau, and the Shephelah of the Philistines. They will possess the territory of Ephraim and Samaria, and Benjamin will possess Gilead.

20 and the captives of this host of the children of Israel [shall possess] what belonged to the Canaanites, unto Zarephath; and the captives of Jerusalem, who [were] in Sepharad, shall possess the cities of the south.

The exiles of Israel will possess the land of the Canaanites as far as Zarephath. The captives of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad will possess the cities of the Negreb.

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

The rescued will come up on Mount Zion to rule Mount Esau, and the kingdom will belong to the Lord.