1. Obadiah’s Message to Edomfrom God, the Master.We got the news straight from Godby a special messenger sent out to the godless nations:“On your feet, prepare for battle;get ready to make war on Edom!
2-4. “Listen to this, Edom:I’m turning you to a no-account,the runt of the godless nations, despised.You thought you were so great,perched high among the rocks, king of the mountain,Thinking to yourself,‘Nobody can get to me! Nobody can touch me!’Think again. Even if, like an eagle,you hang out on a high cliff-face,Even if you build your nest in the stars,I’ll bring you down to earth.”God’s sure Word.
5-14. “If thieves crept up on you,they’d rob you blind—isn’t that so?If they mugged you on the streets at night,they’d pick you clean—isn’t that so?Oh, they’ll take Esau apart, piece by piece,empty his purse and pockets.All your old partners will drive you to the edge.Your old friends will lie to your face.Your old drinking buddies will stab you in the back.Your world will collapse. You won’t know what hit you.So don’t be surprised”—it’s God’s sure Word!—“when I wipe out all sages from Edomand rid the Esau mountains of its famous wise men.Your great heroes will desert you, Teman.There’ll be nobody left in Esau’s mountains.Because of the murderous history compiledagainst your brother Jacob,You will be looked down on by everyone.You’ll lose your place in history.On that day you stood there and didn’t do anything.Strangers took your brother’s army into exile.Godless foreigners invaded and pillaged Jerusalem.You stood there and watched.You were as bad as they were.You shouldn’t have gloated over your brotherwhen he was down-and-out.You shouldn’t have laughed and joked at Judah’s sonswhen they were facedown in the mud.You shouldn’t have talked so bigwhen everything was so bad.You shouldn’t have taken advantage of my peoplewhen their lives had fallen apart.You of all people should not have been amusedby their troubles, their wrecked nation.You shouldn’t have taken the shirt off their backwhen they were knocked flat, defenseless.And you shouldn’t have stood waiting at the outskirtsand cut off refugees,And traitorously turned in helpless survivorswho had lost everything.
15-18. “God’s Judgment Day is nearfor all the godless nations.As you have done, it will be done to you.What you did will boomerang backand hit your own head.Just as you partied on my holy mountain,all the godless nations will drink God’s wrath.They’ll drink and drink and drink—they’ll drink themselves to death.But not so on Mount Zion—there’s respite there!a safe and holy place!The family of Jacob will take back their possessionsfrom those who took them from them.That’s when the family of Jacob will catch fire,the family of Joseph become fierce flame,while the family of Esau will be straw.Esau will go up in flames,nothing left of Esau but a pile of ashes.”God said it, and it is so.
19-21. People from the south will take over the Esau mountains;people from the foothills will overrun the Philistines.They’ll take the farms of Ephraim and Samaria,and Benjamin will take Gilead.Earlier, Israelite exiles will come backand take Canaanite land to the north at Zarephath.Jerusalem exiles from the far northwest in Sepharadwill come back and take the cities in the south.The remnant of the saved in Mount Zionwill go into the mountains of EsauAnd rule justly and fairly,a rule that honors God’s kingdom.