1 The vision of Obadiah. Edom’s Certain Judgment This is what the Lord God has said about Edom: We have heard a message from the Lord ; an envoy has been sent among the nations: “Rise up, and let us go to war against her.”2 Look, I will make you insignificant among the nations; you will be deeply despised.3 Your arrogant heart has deceived you, you who live in clefts of the rock Or in Sela ; probably = Petra in your home on the heights, who say to yourself, “Who can bring me down to the ground? ”4 Though you seem to soar Or to build high like an eagle and make your nest among the stars, even from there I will bring you down. This is the Lord ’s declaration.5 If thieves came to you, if marauders by night — how ravaged you would be! — wouldn’t they steal only what they wanted? If grape pickers came to you, wouldn’t they leave some grapes?6 How Esau will be pillaged, his hidden treasures searched out!7 Everyone who has a treaty with you will drive you to the border; everyone at peace with you will deceive and conquer you. Those who eat your bread will set Some LXX mss, Sym, Tg, Vg; MT reads They will set your bread as a trap for you. He will be unaware of it.8 In that day — this is the Lord ’s declaration — will I not eliminate the wise ones of Edom and those who understand from the hill country of Esau?9 Teman, your warriors will be terrified so that everyone from the hill country of Esau will be destroyed by slaughter.10 Edom’s Sins against Judah You will be covered with shame and destroyed forever because of violence done to your brother Jacob.11 On the day you stood aloof, on the day strangers captured his wealth, Or forces while foreigners entered his city gate and cast lots for Jerusalem, you were just like one of them.12 Do not Or You should not throughout vv. 12-14 gloat over your brother in the day of his calamity; do not rejoice over the people of Judah in the day of their destruction; do not boastfully mock Lit not make your mouth big in the day of distress.13 Do not enter my people’s city gate in the day of their disaster. Yes, you — do not gloat over their misery in the day of their disaster, and do not appropriate their possessions in the day of their disaster.14 Do not stand at the crossroads Hb obscure to cut off their fugitives, and do not hand over their survivors in the day of distress.15 Judgment of the Nations For the day of the Lord is near, against all the nations. As you have done, it will be done to you; what you deserve will return on your own head.16 As you have drunk on my holy mountain, so all the nations will drink continually. They will drink and gulp down and be as though they had never been.17 But there will be a deliverance on Mount Zion, and it will be holy; the house of Jacob will dispossess those who dispossessed them. DSS, LXX, Syr, Vg, Tg; MT reads Jacob will possess its inheritance 18 Then the house of Jacob will be a blazing fire, and the house of Joseph, a burning flame, but the house of Esau will be stubble; Jacob Lit they will set them on fire and consume Edom. Lit them Therefore no survivor will remain of the house of Esau, for the Lord has spoken.19 Future Blessing for Israel People from the Negev will possess the hill country of Esau; those from the Judean foothills will possess the land of the Philistines. They will possess the territories of Ephraim and Samaria, while Benjamin will possess Gilead.20 The exiles of the Israelites who are in Halah Or of this host of the Israelites ; Hb obscure and who are among the Canaanites as far as Zarephath as well as the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad will possess the cities of the Negev.21 Saviors Or Those who have been delivered will ascend Mount Zion to rule over the hill country of Esau, but the kingdom will be the Lord ’s.