Obadiah 1

The vision of Obadiah. Thus saith the Lord GOD concerning Edom; We have heard a rumour from the LORD, and an ambassador is sent among the heathen, Arise ye, and let us rise up against her in battle.

Obadiah's revelation from God about Edom: God has spoken, we've heard His message. A representative is sent to the nations, calling us to stand up and face her in conflict.

Behold, I have made thee small among the heathen: thou art greatly despised.

Look, I will make you small among the nations; you will be deeply despised.

The 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?

Your arrogance has fooled you, you who live in the safety of the cliffs, high above, thinking no one can ever bring you down.

Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the LORD.

Even if you soar high like an eagle, or make your home among the stars, I, the Lord, will still bring you back down to earth.

If thieves came to thee, if robbers by night, (how art thou cut off!) would they not have stolen till they had enough? if the grapegatherers came to thee, would they not leave some grapes?

If thieves visited you, or night bandits, wouldn't they only take what they needed? Even grape pickers leave some fruit behind, don't they?

How are the things of Esau searched out! how are his hidden things sought up!

How deeply they've delved into Esau's secrets! How they've uncovered his hidden treasures!

All 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; that they eat thy bread have laid a wound under thee: there is none understanding in him.

Your allies have led you to the border, those you trusted have betrayed and overpowered you. They've eaten your bread, only to set a trap for you, and you don't even see it.

Shall I not in that day, saith the LORD, even destroy the wise men out of Edom, and understanding out of the mount of Esau?

Won't I, the Lord, on that day, wipe out the wise from Edom and erase the understanding from Esau's mountain?

And thy mighty men, O Teman, shall be dismayed, to the end that every one of the mount of Esau may be cut off by slaughter.

Your strong warriors, O Teman, will be terrified, ensuring that everyone in Esau's mountain will be destroyed.

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

Your cruel actions towards your brother Jacob will cover you with shame, and you'll be destroyed forever.

In the day that thou stoodest 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.

On the day you watched from afar, as strangers took away our strength, as outsiders invaded our city, and gambled for Jerusalem, you were no different from them.

But thou shouldest not have looked on the day of thy brother in the day that he became a stranger; neither shouldest thou have rejoiced over the children of Judah in the day of their destruction; neither shouldest thou have spoken proudly in the day of distress.

You shouldn't have watched your brother become a stranger without sympathy, nor should you have celebrated when Judah's children fell. You shouldn't have boasted during times of trouble.

Thou shouldest not have entered into the gate of my people in the day of their calamity; yea, thou shouldest 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;

You shouldn't have invaded my people's space during their darkest hour. You shouldn't have watched their suffering, nor taken advantage of their vulnerability.

Neither shouldest thou have stood in the crossway, to cut off those of his that did escape; neither shouldest thou have delivered up those of his that did remain in the day of distress.

You shouldn't have blocked the path of those trying to escape, nor should you have betrayed those who remained during tough times.

For the day of the LORD is near upon all the heathen: as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee: thy reward shall return upon thine own head.

The day of divine reckoning is close for all the nations. The actions you've taken will be mirrored back to you; your consequences will fall on your own head.

For as ye have drunk upon my holy mountain, so shall all the heathen drink continually, yea, they shall drink, and they shall swallow down, and they shall be as though they had not been.

Just as you've drunk on my sacred hill, so will all the nations drink without end. Indeed, they will drink, they will gulp it down, and they will become as if they never existed.

But upon mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.

On Mount Zion, there will be freedom and purity; the family of Jacob will reclaim what's rightfully theirs.

And 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.

Jacob's family will burn brightly like a fire, Joseph's lineage will ignite like a flame. Esau's house, however, will be as insignificant as stubble, consumed by these fires. Nothing will be left of Esau's line, as this is God's decree.

And they of the south shall possess the mount of Esau; and they of the plain the Philistines: and they shall possess the fields of Ephraim, and the fields of Samaria: and Benjamin shall possess Gilead.

Those from the south will claim Esau's mountain, and those from the plains will take over the Philistines. They will own the lands of Ephraim and Samaria, while Benjamin will inherit Gilead.

And the captivity of this host of the children of Israel shall possess that of the Canaanites, even unto Zarephath; and the captivity of Jerusalem, which is in Sepharad, shall possess the cities of the south.

The exiled people of Israel will reclaim the lands of the Canaanites, reaching as far as Zarephath. Similarly, the exiles from Jerusalem who are in Sepharad will regain control of the southern cities.

And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the LORD’s.

Rescuers will ascend Mount Zion to bring justice to Esau's mountain; and the realm will belong to the Lord.