CHAPTER 1.

1 The vision of Obadiah: Thus saith the Lord Jehovah against Edom,— A rumor have we heard from Jehovah, And a messenger to the nations has been sent,—(423) “Arise ye, and we shall arise against her to battle.”

2 Lo, small have I set thee among the nations, Despised greatly wert thou: (425)

3 The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, Who dwellest in the clefts of the rock: “Who shall draw me down to the ground?”

4 If thou shouldst rise high as the eagle, And if among the clouds thou shouldest set thy nest, Thence shall I draw thee down, saith Jehovah.

5 Have thieves come to thee, or night-robbers? How hast thou been reduced to silence? Have they not stolen what sufficed them? Have vintagers come to thee? Have they not left some clusters?—

6 How much sought out have been the things of Esau, And thoroughly searched his hidden places!

7 To the border have they driven thee, All the men of thy confederacy; Deceived thee, prevailed against thee, have they, The men who were at peace with thee; The men who did eat thy bread Have set a wound under thee:— There is in him no understanding!

8 Shall I not in that day, saith Jehovah, Destroy the wise from Edom, And understanding from the mount of Esau? Yea, broken down shall be thy valiant ones, O Teman,

9 So that cut off shall be every man, From the mount of Esau by slaughter.

10 For the oppression of thy brother Jacob, Cover thee shall reproach, And thou shalt be cut off forever.

11 In the day when thou didst stand on the other side, In the day when aliens took away his substance, And foreigners entered his gates, And on Jerusalem did cast lots, Even thou wert as one of them.

12 But thou shouldest not look on the day of thy brother, In the day of his alienation; Nor shouldest rejoice over the children of Judah, In the day of their destruction; Nor speak with thy mouth proud things, In the day of distress;

13 Nor shouldest thou enter the gate of my people, In the day of their destruction; Nor look on him, especially thou, in his distress, In the day of his destruction; Nor stretch thy hand to his substance, In the day of his destruction:

14 Nor shouldest thou stand on the outlets, To destroy those who were escaping; Nor deliver up his remnants in the day of distress.

15 Seeing that near is the day of Jehovah on all nations, As thou hast done, it shall be done to thee, Thy reward shall be returned on thine own head;

16 For as ye have drunk on my holy mountain, Drink shall all nations continually; They shall drink and drink up; And they shall be as though they never had been.

17 But in mount Zion shall be deliverance, And Zion shall be holiness; And possess shall the house of Jacob their own possessions:

18 The house of Jacob shall be also a fire, And the house of Joseph a flame, And the house of Esau shall be chaff; And kindled they shall be among them, and consume them; And no remnant shall be to the house of Esau; For thus hath Jehovah spoken.

19 They shall also possess the south of the mount of Esau, And the plain, even that of the Philistines; And they shall possess the fields of Ephraim And the fields of Samaria, And Benjamin shall possess Gilead:

20 And the emigrants of this host of the children of Israel Shall possess the land of the Canaanites to Zarephath; And the emigrants of Jerusalem, what is in Sepharad, Even the southern cities: (451)

21 And ascend shall saviors to mount Zion, To judge the mount of Esau; And Jehovah’s shall be the kingdom.