Good News Translation

This is the prophecy of Obadiah — what the Sovereign Lord said about the nation of Edom.

The Lord says to Edom,     “I will make you weak;     everyone will despise you.

Your pride has deceived you. Your capital is a fortress of solid rock;     your home is high in the mountains, and so you say to yourself,     ‘Who can ever pull me down?’

Even though you make your home     as high as an eagle's nest,     so that it seems to be among the stars, yet I will pull you down.

“When thieves come at night,     they take only what they want. When people gather grapes,     they always leave a few. But your enemies have wiped you out completely.

Descendants of Esau, your treasures have been looted.

Your allies have deceived you;     they have driven you from your country. People who were at peace with you have now conquered you.     Those friends who ate with you have laid a trap for you;     they say of you, ‘Where is all that cleverness he had?’

“On the day I punish Edom,     I will destroy their clever men     and wipe out all their wisdom.

The fighting men of Teman will be terrified,     and every soldier in Edom will be killed.

“Because you robbed and killed     your brothers, the descendants of Jacob,     you will be destroyed and dishonoured for ever.

You stood aside on that day     when enemies broke down their gates. You were as bad as those strangers     who carried off Jerusalem's wealth     and divided it among themselves.

You should not have gloated     over the misfortune of your brothers in Judah. You should not have been glad     on the day of their ruin. You should not have laughed at them     in their distress.

You should not have entered the city of my people     to gloat over their suffering     and to seize their riches     on the day of their disaster.

You should not have stood at the crossroads     to catch those trying to escape. You should not have handed them over to the enemy     on the day of their distress.

“The day is near when I, the Lord,     will judge all nations. Edom, what you have done     will be done to you.     You will get back what you have given.

My people have drunk a bitter cup of punishment     on my sacred hill. But all the surrounding nations will drink     a still more bitter cup of punishment;     they will drink it all and vanish away.

“But on Mount Zion some will escape,     and it will be a sacred place. The people of Jacob will possess     the land that is theirs by right.

The people of Jacob and of Joseph will be like fire;     they will destroy the people of Esau     as fire burns stubble.     No descendant of Esau will survive. I, the Lord, have spoken.

“People from southern Judah will occupy Edom;     those from the western foothills will capture Philistia; Israelites will possess the territory of Ephraim and Samaria;     the people of Benjamin will take Gilead.

The army of exiles from northern Israel     will return and conquer Phoenicia     as far north as Zarephath. The exiles from Jerusalem who are in Sardis     will capture the towns of southern Judah.

The victorious men of Jerusalem     will attack Edom and rule over it. And the Lord himself will be King.”