1 ¶ The vision of Obadiah. Thus hath the Lord GOD said concerning Edom: We have heard the message from the LORD, and a messenger is sent to the Gentiles, Arise, and let us rise up against her in battle.

This is the special dream of Obadiah, what the Lord God says about Edom. We have heard this news from the Lord. And a man has been sent among the nations to say, “Get ready! Let us go fight a war against Edom.”

2 B ehold, I have made thee small among the Gentiles: thou shalt be greatly humbled.

“I will make you small among the nations. Everyone will hate you.

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

The pride of your heart has fooled you. You live in the holes of the rock. Your home is high in the mountains. And so you say in your heart, ‘Who will bring me down to the ground?’

4 T hough thou exalt thyself as the eagle and though thou set thy nest among the stars, from there I will bring thee down, said the LORD.

Even when you build your home as high as the eagle, and make your nest among the stars, I will bring you down from there,” says the Lord.

5 D id thieves come to thee, or robbers by night? (how art thou destroyed!) would they not have stolen until they had enough? if the grapegatherers came to thee, would they not leave some grapes?

“If robbers came to you during the night, O how you will be destroyed! Would they not steal only enough for themselves? If those who gather grapes came to you, would they not leave some behind?

6 H ow were the things of Esau searched out! His hidden things were sought after!

O how Esau will be robbed! His hidden riches will be looked for until they are found.

7 A ll the men of thy confederacy have brought thee even to the border; the men that were at peace with thee have deceived thee and prevailed against thee; those that eat thy bread have laid a wound under thee; there is no intelligence in this.

All the men you have made an agreement with will drive you from the country. The men at peace with you will lie to you and get power over you. Those who eat your bread will set a trap for you, but you will not know it.”

8 S hall I not in that day, said the LORD, even destroy the wise men out of Edom and intelligence out of the mount of Esau?

The Lord says, “On that day I will destroy the wise men from Edom and understanding from Mount Esau.

9 A nd thy mighty men, O Teman, shall be dismayed because every man shall be cut off from mount of Esau by the slaughter.

Then your powerful soldiers will be troubled, O Teman, and every one from Mount Esau will be killed. Edom Hurt His Brother

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

“Because you have hurt your brother Jacob, you will be covered with shame and destroyed forever.

11 I n the day that thou didst stand on the other side, in the day that the strangers carried away captive his forces, and foreigners entered into his gates and cast lots upon Jerusalem, even thou wast as one of them.

You stood aside on that day when strangers carried his riches away. Men from another land went in through his gate and divided Jerusalem among themselves. And you were like one of them.

12 B ut thou should not have looked on the day of thy brother in the day that he became a stranger; neither should thou have rejoiced over the sons of Judah in the day they were lost; neither should thou have spoken proudly in the day of distress.

Do not look down on your brother in the day of his trouble. Do not be happy about the sons of Judah in the day they are destroyed. Yes, do not speak with pride in the day of their trouble.

13 T hou should not have entered into the gate of my people in the day of their calamity; thou should not have looked on their affliction in the day of their calamity, nor have laid hands on their substance in the day of their calamity;

Do not go in through the gate of My people in the day of their trouble. Do not speak with pride about their suffering in the day of their trouble. And do not rob their riches in the day of their trouble.

14 n either should thou have stood in the crossway, to kill those of his that did escape; neither should thou have delivered up those of his that remained in the day of distress.

Do not stand at the cross-roads to kill their people who get away. And do not put into prison those who are left alive in the day of their trouble.

15 F or the day of the LORD is near upon all the Gentiles: as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee; thy reward shall return upon thine own head.

“For the day of the Lord is near for all nations. As you have done, it will be done to you. What you do will come back to you on your own head.

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

Just as you drank on My holy mountain, so all the nations will drink all the time. They will drink and drink, and be as if they had never been. Israel Will Win

17 ¶ But in Mount Zion shall be deliverance, and it shall be holiness; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.

“But on Mount Zion there will be a way to be set free, and it will be holy. The people of Jacob will own what belongs to them.

18 A nd 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 the LORD hath spoken it.

The people of Jacob will be a fire. The people of Joseph will be burning. But the people of Esau will be like dry grass. They will set them on fire and destroy them. None of the people of Esau will be left alive,” for the Lord has spoken.

19 A nd those of the south shall possess the mount of Esau and the plains of the Palestinians, and they shall also possess the fields of Ephraim and the fields of Samaria; and Benjamin shall possess Gilead.

People of the Negev will live on Mount Esau. And those in the lower land will live in the land of the Philistines. They will live in the land of Ephraim and Samaria, and Benjamin will own Gilead.

20 A nd the captives of this host of the sons of Israel shall possess that of the Canaanites, even unto Zarephath; and the captives of Jerusalem, who shall be in Sepharad, shall possess the cities of the south.

The people of Israel who are living among the Canaanites as far as Zarephath, and the people of Jerusalem who are in Sephared, will own the cities of the Negev.

21 A nd saviours shall come up unto Mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the LORD’s.

The men of Jerusalem who fight and win the battle will go up Mount Zion to rule over Mount Esau. And the nation will belong to the Lord.