Obadiah 1

Edom Will Be Humbled

1 The vision of Obadiah.
Thus says the Lord GOD a concerning Edom
b (We have heard a report from the LORD,
And a messenger has been sent among the nations, saying,
"Arise, and let us rise up against her for battle"):
2 "Behold, I will make you small among the nations;
You shall be greatly despised.
3 The c pride of your heart has deceived you,
You who dwell in the clefts of the rock,
Whose habitation is high;
d You who say in your heart,
'Who will bring me down to the ground?'
4 e Though you ascend as high as the eagle,
And though you f set your nest among the stars,
From there I will bring you down," says the LORD.

5 "If g thieves had come to you,
If robbers by night -
Oh, how you will be cut off! -
Would they not have stolen till they had enough?
If grape-gatherers had come to you,
h Would they not have left some gleanings?
6 "Oh, how Esau shall be searched out!
How his hidden treasures shall be sought after!
7 All the men in your confederacy
Shall force you to the border;
i The men at peace with you
Shall deceive you and prevail against you.
Those who eat your bread shall lay a 1 trap for you.
j No 2 one is aware of it.

8 "Will k I not in that day," says the LORD,
"Even destroy the wise men from Edom,
And understanding from the mountains of Esau?
9 Then your l mighty men, O m Teman, shall be dismayed,
To the end that everyone from the mountains of Esau
May be cut off by slaughter.

Edom's Violence Against Jacob

10 "For n violence against your brother Jacob,
Shame shall cover you,
And o you shall be cut off forever.
11 In the day that you p stood on the other side -
In the day that strangers carried captive his forces,
When foreigners entered his gates
And q cast lots for Jerusalem -
Even you were as one of them.
12 "But you should not have r gazed 3 on the day of your brother
4 In the day of his captivity;
Nor should you have s rejoiced over the children of Judah
In the day of their destruction;
Nor should you have spoken proudly
In the day of distress.
13 You should not have entered the gate of My people
In the day of their calamity.
Indeed, you should not have 5 gazed on their affliction
In the day of their calamity,
Nor laid hands on their substance
In the day of their calamity.
14 You should not have stood at the crossroads
To cut off those among them who escaped;
Nor should you have 6 delivered up those among them who remained
In the day of distress.

The Day of the Lord Is Near

15 "For t the day of the LORD upon all the nations is near;
u As you have done, it shall be done to you;
Your 7 reprisal shall return upon your own head.
16 v For as you drank on My holy mountain,
So shall all the nations drink continually;
Yes, they shall drink, and swallow,
And they shall be as though they had never been.
17 "But on Mount Zion there w shall be 8 deliverance,
And there shall be holiness;
The house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.
18 The house of Jacob shall be a fire,
And the house of Joseph x a flame;
But the house of Esau shall be stubble;
They shall kindle them and devour them,
And no survivor shall remain of the house of Esau,"
For the LORD has spoken.

The Kingdom of the Lord

19 The 9 South y shall possess the mountains of Esau,
z And the Lowland shall possess Philistia.
They shall possess the fields of Ephraim
And the fields of Samaria.
Benjamin shall possess Gilead.
20 And the captives of this host of the children of Israel
Shall possess the land of the Canaanites
As a far as Zarephath.
The captives of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad
b Shall possess the cities of the 10 South.
21 Then c saviors 11 12 shall come to Mount Zion
To judge the mountains of Esau,
And the d kingdom shall be the LORD's.

  1. Cross References
    Isaiah 21:11
    The burden against Dumah. He calls to me out of Seir, "Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night?
    Ezekiel 25:12
    'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Because of what Edom did against the house of Judah by taking vengeance, and has greatly offended by avenging itself on them,"
    Joel 3:19
    Egypt shall be a desolation, And Edom a desolate wilderness, Because of violence against the people of Judah, For they have shed innocent blood in their land.
    Malachi 1:3
    But Esau I have hated, And laid waste his mountains and his heritage For the jackals of the wilderness.
  2. Cross References
    Jeremiah 49:14 - 16
    I have heard a message from the LORD, And an ambassador has been sent to the nations: "Gather together, come against her, And rise up to battle!
    Obadiah 1:1
    The vision of Obadiah. Thus says the Lord GOD concerning Edom (We have heard a report from the LORD, And a messenger has been sent among the nations, saying, "Arise, and let us rise up against her for battle"):
  3. Cross References
    Isaiah 16:6
    We have heard of the pride of Moab - He is very proud - Of his haughtiness and his pride and his wrath; But his lies shall not be so.
    Jeremiah 49:16
    Your fierceness has deceived you, The pride of your heart, O you who dwell in the clefts of the rock, Who hold the height of the hill! Though you make your nest as high as the eagle, I will bring you down from there," says the LORD.
  4. Cross References
    Isaiah 14:13 - 15
    For you have said in your heart: 'I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north.
    Revelation 18:7
    "In the measure that she glorified herself and lived luxuriously, in the same measure give her torment and sorrow; for she says in her heart, 'I sit as queen, and am no widow, and will not see sorrow.'
  5. Cross References
    Job 20:6
    Though his haughtiness mounts up to the heavens, And his head reaches to the clouds.
  6. Cross References
    Habakkuk 2:9
    Woe to him who covets evil gain for his house, That he may set his nest on high, That he may be delivered from the power of disaster!
    Malachi 1:4
    Even though Edom has said, "We have been impoverished, But we will return and build the desolate places," Thus says the LORD of hosts: "They may build, but I will throw down; They shall be called the Territory of Wickedness, And the people against whom the LORD will have indignation forever.
  7. Cross References
    Jeremiah 49:9
    If grape-gatherers came to you, Would they not leave some gleaning grapes? If thieves by night, Would they not destroy until they have enough?
  8. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 24:21
    When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you shall not glean it afterward; it shall be for the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow.
  9. Cross References
    Jeremiah 38:22
    'Now behold, all the women who are left in the king of Judah's house shall be surrendered to the king of Babylon's princes, and those women shall say: "Your close friends have set upon you And prevailed against you; Your feet have sunk in the mire, And they have turned away again."
  10. Cross References
    Isaiah 19:11
    Surely the princes of Zoan are fools; Pharaoh's wise counselors give foolish counsel. How do you say to Pharaoh, "I am the son of the wise, The son of ancient kings?
    Jeremiah 49:7
    Against Edom. Thus says the LORD of hosts: " Is wisdom no more in Teman? Has counsel perished from the prudent? Has their wisdom vanished?
  11. Cross References
    Job 5:12 - 14
    He frustrates the devices of the crafty, So that their hands cannot carry out their plans.
    Isaiah 29:14
    Therefore, behold, I will again do a marvelous work Among this people, A marvelous work and a wonder; For the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, And the understanding of their prudent men shall be hidden.
  12. Cross References
    Psalms 76:5
    The stouthearted were plundered; They have sunk into their sleep; And none of the mighty men have found the use of their hands.
  13. Cross References
    Genesis 36:11
    And the sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, and Kenaz.
    1 Chronicles 1:45
    When Jobab died, Husham of the land of the Temanites reigned in his place.
    Job 2:11
    Now when Job's three friends heard of all this adversity that had come upon him, each one came from his own place - Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. For they had made an appointment together to come and mourn with him, and to comfort him.
    Jeremiah 49:7
    Against Edom. Thus says the LORD of hosts: " Is wisdom no more in Teman? Has counsel perished from the prudent? Has their wisdom vanished?
  14. Cross References
    Genesis 27:41
    So Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father blessed him, and Esau said in his heart, "The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then I will kill my brother Jacob.
    Ezekiel 25:12
    'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Because of what Edom did against the house of Judah by taking vengeance, and has greatly offended by avenging itself on them,"
    Amos 1:11
    Thus says the LORD: "For three transgressions of Edom, and for four, I will not turn away its punishment, Because he pursued his brother with the sword, And cast off all pity; His anger tore perpetually, And he kept his wrath forever.
  15. Cross References
    Ezekiel 35:9
    I will make you perpetually desolate, and your cities shall be uninhabited; then you shall know that I am the LORD.
    Joel 3:19
    Egypt shall be a desolation, And Edom a desolate wilderness, Because of violence against the people of Judah, For they have shed innocent blood in their land.
  16. Cross References
    Psalms 83:5 - 8
    For they have consulted together with one consent; They form a confederacy against You:
    Amos 1:6
    Thus says the LORD: "For three transgressions of Gaza, and for four, I will not turn away its punishment, Because they took captive the whole captivity To deliver them up to Edom.
    Amos 1:9
    Thus says the LORD: "For three transgressions of Tyre, and for four, I will not turn away its punishment, Because they delivered up the whole captivity to Edom, And did not remember the covenant of brotherhood.
  17. Cross References
    Joel 3:3
    They have cast lots for My people, Have given a boy as payment for a harlot, And sold a girl for wine, that they may drink.
    Nahum 3:10
    Yet she was carried away, She went into captivity; Her young children also were dashed to pieces At the head of every street; They cast lots for her honorable men, And all her great men were bound in chains.
  18. Cross References
    Micah 4:11
    Now also many nations have gathered against you, Who say, "Let her be defiled, And let our eye look upon Zion.
    Micah 7:10
    Then she who is my enemy will see, And shame will cover her who said to me, "Where is the LORD your God?" My eyes will see her; Now she will be trampled down Like mud in the streets.
  19. Cross References
    Proverbs 17:5
    He who mocks the poor reproaches his Maker; He who is glad at calamity will not go unpunished.
    Ezekiel 35:15
    "As you rejoiced because the inheritance of the house of Israel was desolate, so I will do to you; you shall be desolate, O Mount Seir, as well as all of Edom - all of it! Then they shall know that I am the LORD."'
    Ezekiel 36:5
    'therefore thus says the Lord GOD: "Surely I have spoken in My burning jealousy against the rest of the nations and against all Edom, who gave My land to themselves as a possession, with wholehearted joy and spiteful minds, in order to plunder its open country."'
  20. Cross References
    Ezekiel 30:3
    For the day is near, Even the day of the LORD i...
    Joel 1:15
    Alas for the day! For the day of the LORD is at...
    Joel 2:1
    Blow the trumpet in Zion, And sound an alarm in...
    Joel 2:11
    The LORD gives voice before His army, For His c...
    Joel 2:31
    The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the ...
    Amos 5:18
    Woe to you who desire the day of the LORD! For ...
    Amos 5:20
    Is not the day of the LORD darkness, and not li...
  21. Cross References
    Jeremiah 50:29
    Call together the archers against Babylon. All you who bend the bow, encamp against it all around; Let none of them escape. Repay her according to her work; According to all she has done, do to her; For she has been proud against the LORD, Against the Holy One of Israel.
    Jeremiah 51:56
    Because the plunderer comes against her, against Babylon, And her mighty men are taken. Every one of their bows is broken; For the LORD is the God of recompense, He will surely repay.
    Habakkuk 2:8
    Because you have plundered many nations, All the remnant of the people shall plunder you, Because of men's blood And the violence of the land and the city, And of all who dwell in it.
  22. Cross References
    Joel 3:17
    "So you shall know that I am the LORD your God, Dwelling in Zion My holy mountain. Then Jerusalem shall be holy, And no aliens shall ever pass through her again."
  23. Cross References
    Isaiah 14:1
    For the LORD will have mercy on Jacob, and will still choose Israel, and settle them in their own land. The strangers will be joined with them, and they will cling to the house of Jacob.
    Isaiah 14:2
    Then people will take them and bring them to their place, and the house of Israel will possess them for servants and maids in the land of the LORD; they will take them captive whose captives they were, and rule over their oppressors.
    Joel 2:32
    And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the LORD Shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, As the LORD has said, Among the remnant whom the LORD calls.
    Amos 9:8
    Behold, the eyes of the Lord GOD are on the sinful kingdom, And I will destroy it from the face of the earth; Yet I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob," Says the LORD.
  24. Cross References
    Isaiah 5:24
    Therefore, as the fire devours the stubble, And the flame consumes the chaff, So their root will be as rottenness, And their blossom will ascend like dust; Because they have rejected the law of the LORD of hosts, And despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.
    Isaiah 9:18
    For wickedness burns as the fire; It shall devour the briers and thorns, And kindle in the thickets of the forest; They shall mount up like rising smoke.
    Isaiah 9:19
    Through the wrath of the LORD of hosts The land is burned up, And the people shall be as fuel for the fire; No man shall spare his brother.
    Zechariah 12:6
    In that day I will make the governors of Judah like a firepan in the woodpile, and like a fiery torch in the sheaves; they shall devour all the surrounding peoples on the right hand and on the left, but Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place - Jerusalem.
  25. Cross References
    Isaiah 11:14
    But they shall fly down upon the shoulder of the Philistines toward the west; Together they shall plunder the people of the East; They shall lay their hand on Edom and Moab; And the people of Ammon shall obey them.
    Amos 9:12
    That they may possess the remnant of Edom, And all the Gentiles who are called by My name," Says the LORD who does this thing.
  26. Cross References
    Zephaniah 2:7
    The coast shall be for the remnant of the house of Judah; They shall feed their flocks there; In the houses of Ashkelon they shall lie down at evening. For the LORD their God will intervene for them, And return their captives.
  27. Cross References
    1 Kings 17:9
    "Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you."
    Luke 4:26
    But to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.
  28. Cross References
    Jeremiah 32:44
    'Men will buy fields for money, sign deeds and seal them, and take witnesses, in the land of Benjamin, in the places around Jerusalem, in the cities of Judah, in the cities of the mountains, in the cities of the lowland, and in the cities of the South; for I will cause their captives to return,' says the LORD."
  29. Cross References
    James 5:20
    Let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.
  30. Cross References
    Psalms 22:28
    For the kingdom is the LORD's, And He rules over the nations.
    Daniel 2:44
    And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.
    Daniel 7:14
    Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one Which shall not be destroyed.
    Zechariah 14:9
    And the LORD shall be King over all the earth. In that day it shall be - "The LORD is one," And His name one.
    Revelation 11:15
    Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!
New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
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