Obadiah 1

Edom's Pride and Fall Obadiah 1:3–4

³Verse 3. The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who dwell in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high, who says in his heart, ‘Who will bring me down to the ground?’ ⁴Verse 4. Though you mount on high as the eagle, and though your nest is set among the stars, I will bring you down from there,” says Yahweh.

Edom's Security Shattered Obadiah 1:5–7

⁵Verse 5. “If thieves came to you, if robbers by night—oh, what disaster awaits you—wouldn’t they only steal until they had enough? If grape pickers came to you, wouldn’t they leave some gleaning grapes? ⁶Verse 6. How Esau will be ransacked! How his hidden treasures are sought out! ⁷Verse 7. All the men of your alliance have brought you on your way, even to the border. The men who were at peace with you have deceived you, and prevailed against you. Friends who eat your bread lay a snare under you. There is no understanding in him.”

The Wisdom of Edom Destroyed Obadiah 1:8–10

⁸Verse 8. “Won’t I in that day”, says Yahweh, “destroy the wise men out of Edom, and understanding out of the mountain of Esau? ⁹Verse 9. Your mighty men, Teman, will be dismayed, to the end that everyone may be cut off from the mountain of Esau by slaughter. ¹⁰Verse 10. For the violence done to your brother Jacob, shame will cover you, and you will be cut off forever.

Betrayal During Calamity Obadiah 1:11–14

¹¹Verse 11. In the day that you stood on the other side, in the day that strangers carried away his substance, and foreigners entered into his gates, and cast lots for Jerusalem, even you were like one of them. ¹²Verse 12. But don’t look down on your brother in the day of his disaster, and don’t rejoice over the children of Judah in the day of their destruction. Don’t speak proudly in the day of distress. ¹³Verse 13. Don’t enter into the gate of my people in the day of their calamity. Don’t look down on their affliction in the day of their calamity, neither seize their wealth on the day of their calamity.

¹⁴Verse 14. Don’t stand in the crossroads to cut off those of his who escape. Don’t deliver up those of his who remain in the day of distress.

The Day of Yahweh Obadiah 1:15–16

¹⁵Verse 15. For the day of Yahweh is near all the nations! As you have done, it will be done to you. Your deeds will return upon your own head. ¹⁶Verse 16. For as you have drunk on my holy mountain, so will all the nations drink continually. Yes, they will drink, swallow down, and will be as though they had not been.

Restoration and Divine Sovereignty Obadiah 1:17–21

¹⁷Verse 17. But in Mount Zion, there will be those who escape, and it will be holy. The house of Jacob will possess their possessions. ¹⁸Verse 18. The house of Jacob will be a fire, the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble. They will burn among them, and devour them. There will not be any remaining to the house of Esau.” Indeed, Yahweh has spoken. ¹⁹Verse 19. Those of the South will possess the mountain of Esau, and those of the lowland, the Philistines. They will possess the field of Ephraim, and the field of Samaria. Benjamin will possess Gilead.

²⁰Verse 20. The captives of this army of the children of Israel, who are among the Canaanites, will possess even to Zarephath; and the captives of Jerusalem, who are in Sepharad, will possess the cities of the Negev. ²¹Verse 21. Saviors will go up on Mount Zion to judge the mountains of Esau, and the kingdom will be Yahweh’s.