Study Desk

The vision of Obadiah. This is what the Lord God has said about Edom:^(a) We have heard a message from the Lord ;^(b) a messenger has been sent^(c) among the nations: "Rise up,^(d) and let us go to war against her."^[a]

Look, I will make you insignificant^(e) among the nations; you will be deeply despised.

Your presumptuous heart has deceived you,^(f) you who live in clefts of the rock^[b][c](g) in your home on the heights, who say to yourself, "Who can bring me down to the ground?"^(h)

Though you seem to soar^[d] like an eagle⁽ⁱ⁾ and make your nest among the stars,^(j) even from there I will bring you down. This is the Lord 's declaration.

If thieves came to you,^(k) 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?^(l)

How Esau will be pillaged,^(m) his hidden treasures searched out!⁽ⁿ⁾

Everyone who has a treaty with you^(o) will drive you to the border; everyone at peace with you will deceive and conquer you. Those who eat your bread^(p) will set^[e] a trap for you. He will be unaware of it.^(q)

In that day— this is the Lord 's declaration— will I not eliminate the wise ones of Edom^(r) and those who understand from the hill country of Esau?

Teman,^[f](s) your warriors^(t) will be terrified so that everyone from the hill country of Esau will be destroyed by slaughter.^(u)

You will be covered with shame and destroyed forever because of violence done to your brother Jacob.^(v)

On the day you stood aloof,^(w) on the day strangers captured his wealth,^[g] while foreigners entered his gate and cast lots for Jerusalem,^(x) you were just like one of them.^(y)

Do not^[h] gloat over your brother^(z) in the day of his calamity; do not rejoice over the people of Judah^(aa) in the day of their destruction; do not boastfully mock^[i](ab) in the day of distress.^(ac)

Do not enter the gate of My people in the day of their disaster.^(ad) Yes, you—do not gloat over their misery in the day of their disaster and do not appropriate their possessions^(ae) in the day of their disaster.

Do not stand at the crossroads^[j](af) to cut off their fugitives, and do not hand over their survivors in the day of distress.

For the Day of the Lord ^(ag) is near, against all the nations.^(ah) As you have done,^(ai) so it will be done to you; what you deserve will return on your own head.^(aj)

As you have drunk on My holy mountain,^(ak) so all the nations will drink continually.^(al) They will drink and gulp down and be as though they had never been.

But there will be a deliverance on Mount Zion,^(am) and it will be holy;^(an) the house of Jacob will dispossess^(ao) those who dispossessed them.^[k](ap)

Then the house of Jacob will be a blazing fire,^(aq) and the house of Joseph, a burning flame, but the house of Esau will be stubble; Jacob^[l] will set them on fire and consume Edom.^[m] Therefore no survivor will remain^(ar) of the house of Esau, for the Lord has spoken.

People from the Negev will possess^(as) the hill country of Esau;^(at) those from the Judean foothills will possess the land of the Philistines.^(au) They^[n] will possess the territories of Ephraim and Samaria,^(av) while Benjamin will possess Gilead.

The exiles of the Israelites who are in Halah^[o] and who are among the Canaanites as far as Zarephath^(aw) as well as the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad will possess the cities of the Negev.^(ax)

Saviors^[p] will ascend Mount Zion^(ay) to rule over the hill country of Esau, but the kingdom will be the Lord 's.^(az)