Obadiah wrote this shortest book of the Old Testament probably soon after the armies of Babylon destroyed Jerusalem (586 b.c.). During this conquest, the people of Edom helped capture fleeing Israelites and turn them over to the Babylonians. They even took up residence in some Judean villages. This angered the Lord, for the Edomites, as descendants of Esau, were related to the Israelites (Gen. 25:21-26, 30) and therefore should have helped them. Obadiah prophesied that Edom would be repaid for mistreating God’s people. Obadiah also asserted that God is sovereign over the nations and that the house of Jacob would be restored because of God’s covenant love for his people.
b We have heard a report from the Lord,
and a messenger has been sent among the nations:
“Rise up! Let us rise against her for battle!”
2 Behold, I will make you small among the nations;
you shall be utterly despised. ▼
3 d The pride of your heart has deceived you,
you who live in the clefts of the rock ▼
in your lofty dwelling,
f who say in your heart,
“Who will bring me down to the ground?”
4 Though you soar aloft like the eagle,
though your nest is set among the stars,
from there I will bring you down,
declares the Lord.
5 If g thieves came to you,
if plunderers came by night—
how you have been destroyed!—
would they not steal only enough for themselves?
If h grape gatherers came to you,
would they not leave gleanings?
6 i How Esau has been pillaged,
his treasures sought out!
7 All your allies have driven you to your border;
those at peace with you have deceived you;
they have prevailed against you;
j those who eat your bread ▼
l you have ▼
8 n Will I not on that day, declares the Lord,
destroy the wise men out of Edom,
and understanding out of o Mount Esau?
9 And your mighty men shall be dismayed p O Teman,
so that every man from q Mount Esau will be cut off by slaughter.
shame shall cover you,
s and you shall be cut off forever.
11 t On the day that you stood aloof,
u on the day that strangers carried off his wealth
and foreigners entered his gates
v and cast lots for Jerusalem,
you were like one of them.
12 w But do not gloat over the day of your brother
in the day of his misfortune;
x do not rejoice over the people of Judah
in the day of their ruin;
y do not boast ▼
in the day of distress.
13 aa Do not enter the gate of my people
in the day of their calamity;
ab do not gloat over his disaster
in the day of his calamity;
ac do not loot his wealth
in the day of his calamity.
14 ad Do not stand at the crossroads
to cut off his fugitives;
do not hand over his survivors
in the day of distress.
af As you have done, it shall be done to you;
your deeds shall return on your own head.
16 ag For as you have drunk on ah my holy mountain,
so all the nations shall drink continually;
they shall drink and swallow,
and shall be as though they had never been.
17 ai But in Mount Zion there shall be those who escape,
and it shall be holy,
aj and the house of Jacob shall possess their own possessions.
18 ak The house of Jacob shall be a fire,
and the house of Joseph a flame,
and the house of Esau al stubble;
they shall burn them and consume them,
am and there shall be no survivor for the house of Esau,
for the Lord has spoken.
and those of the Shephelah shall possess aq the land of the Philistines;
they shall possess the land of Ephraim and the land of ar Samaria,
and Benjamin shall possess Gilead.
20 The exiles of this host of the people of Israel
shall possess the land of the Canaanites as far as as Zarephath,
and the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad
shall possess the cities of the Negeb.
21 at Saviors shall go up to Mount Zion
to rule au Mount Esau,
and av the kingdom shall be the Lord’s.
Obadiah
1 The vision of Obadiah.Edom Will Be Humbled
Thus says the Lord God a concerning Edom:b We have heard a report from the Lord,
and a messenger has been sent among the nations:
“Rise up! Let us rise against her for battle!”
2 Behold, I will make you small among the nations;
you shall be utterly despised. ▼
▼
Or Behold, I have made you small among the nations; you are utterly despised
3 d The pride of your heart has deceived you,
you who live in the clefts of the rock ▼
▼
Or Sela
in your lofty dwelling,
f who say in your heart,
“Who will bring me down to the ground?”
4 Though you soar aloft like the eagle,
though your nest is set among the stars,
from there I will bring you down,
declares the Lord.
5 If g thieves came to you,
if plunderers came by night—
how you have been destroyed!—
would they not steal only enough for themselves?
If h grape gatherers came to you,
would they not leave gleanings?
6 i How Esau has been pillaged,
his treasures sought out!
7 All your allies have driven you to your border;
those at peace with you have deceived you;
they have prevailed against you;
j those who eat your bread ▼
▼
Hebrew lacks those who eat
have set a trap beneath you—l you have ▼
▼
Hebrew he has
no understanding.8 n Will I not on that day, declares the Lord,
destroy the wise men out of Edom,
and understanding out of o Mount Esau?
9 And your mighty men shall be dismayed p O Teman,
so that every man from q Mount Esau will be cut off by slaughter.
Edom’s Violence Against Jacob
10 r Because of the violence done to your brother Jacob,shame shall cover you,
s and you shall be cut off forever.
11 t On the day that you stood aloof,
u on the day that strangers carried off his wealth
and foreigners entered his gates
v and cast lots for Jerusalem,
you were like one of them.
12 w But do not gloat over the day of your brother
in the day of his misfortune;
x do not rejoice over the people of Judah
in the day of their ruin;
y do not boast ▼
▼
Hebrew do not enlarge your mouth
in the day of distress.
13 aa Do not enter the gate of my people
in the day of their calamity;
ab do not gloat over his disaster
in the day of his calamity;
ac do not loot his wealth
in the day of his calamity.
14 ad Do not stand at the crossroads
to cut off his fugitives;
do not hand over his survivors
in the day of distress.
The Day of the Lord Is Near
15 For ae the day of the Lord is near upon all the nations.af As you have done, it shall be done to you;
your deeds shall return on your own head.
16 ag For as you have drunk on ah my holy mountain,
so all the nations shall drink continually;
they shall drink and swallow,
and shall be as though they had never been.
17 ai But in Mount Zion there shall be those who escape,
and it shall be holy,
aj and the house of Jacob shall possess their own possessions.
18 ak The house of Jacob shall be a fire,
and the house of Joseph a flame,
and the house of Esau al stubble;
they shall burn them and consume them,
am and there shall be no survivor for the house of Esau,
for the Lord has spoken.
The Kingdom of the Lord
19 Those of an the Negeb ao shall possess ap Mount Esau,and those of the Shephelah shall possess aq the land of the Philistines;
they shall possess the land of Ephraim and the land of ar Samaria,
and Benjamin shall possess Gilead.
20 The exiles of this host of the people of Israel
shall possess the land of the Canaanites as far as as Zarephath,
and the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad
shall possess the cities of the Negeb.
21 at Saviors shall go up to Mount Zion
to rule au Mount Esau,
and av the kingdom shall be the Lord’s.
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