The Lord said to her,“ Two nations are in your body. Two tribes that are now inside you will be separated. One nation will be stronger than the other. The older son will serve the younger one.”

耶和华对她说：“两国在你腹内；两族要从你身上出来。这族必强于那族；将来大的要服侍小的。”

耶和华对她说：两国在你腹中；两族要从你身上分立。这族必强于那族；将来大的要服侍小的。

耶和华对她说：两国在你腹中；两族要从你身上分立。这族必强于那族；将来大的要服侍小的。

耶和华对她说：“你腹中有两个国家，你要生出两个敌对的民族，一族要比另一族强大，将来大的要服侍小的。”

耶和华回答她：“两国在你肚里，两族从你腹中要分出来；将来这族必强过那族，大的要服事小的。”

耶和华对她说：“两国在你的腹中，两族将从你里面分出来；一族要比另一族强，将来大的要服事小的。”

耶和華對她說：兩國在你腹內；兩族要從你身上出來。這族必強於那族；將來大的要服事小的。

耶和華對她說：兩國在你腹中；兩族要從你身上分立。這族必強於那族；將來大的要服侍小的。

耶和華對她說：兩國在你腹中；兩族要從你身上分立。這族必強於那族；將來大的要服侍小的。

耶和華對她說：「你腹中有兩個國家，你要生出兩個敵對的民族，一族要比另一族強大，將來大的要服侍小的。」

耶和華回答她：“兩國在你肚裡，兩族從你腹中要分出來；將來這族必強過那族，大的要服事小的。”

永恆主對她說：『兩國在你腹內，從你肚腹中就有兩族分立着，這族必強過那族，大的必服事小的。』

耶和華對她說：「兩國在你的腹中，兩族將從你裡面分出來；一族要比另一族強，將來大的要服事小的。」

耶和華曰、爾胎所懷、乃為二國、自腹而出、分為二民、此強於彼、長事其幼、

耶和華曰、胎所懷者、有二民焉、其後所出、成為二國、此必強於彼、長將事其幼。○

主曰、二國在爾胎中、二族出自爾腹、此族強於彼族、長者將事幼者、

The Lord said to her,“ Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger.”

And the Lord said to her,“ Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the older shall serve the younger.”

And the Lord told her,“ The sons in your womb will become two nations. From the very beginning, the two nations will be rivals. One nation will be stronger than the other; and your older son will serve your younger son.”

And the LORD said to her: Two nations are in your womb; two peoples will come from you and be separated. One people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger.

And the Lord said to her,“ Two nations are in your womb; And two peoples will be separated from your body; And one people will be stronger than the other; And the older will serve the younger.”

And the Lord said to her:“ Two nations are in your womb, Two peoples shall be separated from your body; One people shall be stronger than the other, And the older shall serve the younger.”

And Jehovah said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, And two peoples shall be separated from thy bowels: And the one people shall be stronger than the other people; And the elder shall serve the younger.

And the Lord said to her: Two nations are in your womb; two people will come from you and be separated. One people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger.

And the LORD said unto her, Two nations[ are] in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and[ the one] people shall be stronger than[ the other] people; and the elder shall serve the younger.

and the LORD said to her,“ Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples will be separated from within you. One people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger.”

Yahweh said to her,“ Two nations are in your womb. Two peoples will be separated from your body. The one people will be stronger than the other people. The elder will serve the younger.”

May nations serve you. May they bow down to you. Rule over your brothers. May the sons of your mother bow down to you. May those who curse you be cursed. And may those who bless you be blessed.”

You will live by using the sword. And you will serve your brother. But you will grow restless. Then you will throw off the heavy load he has caused you to carry.”

He stationed some soldiers all through Edom. The whole nation of Edom was brought under David’s rule. The Lord helped him win his battles everywhere he went.

And that’s not all. Rebekah’s children were born at the same time by the same father. He was our father Isaac.Here is what happened. Rebekah’s twins had not even been born. They hadn’t done anything good or bad yet. So they show that God’s purpose is based firmly on his free choice.It was not because of anything they did but because of God’s choice. So Rebekah was told,“ The older son will serve the younger one.”( Genesis 25:23)It is written,“ I chose Jacob instead of Esau.”( Malachi 1:2, 3)

“ Israel, I have loved you,” says the Lord.“ But you ask,‘ How have you loved us?’“ Wasn’t Esau Jacob’s brother?” says the Lord.“ But I chose Jacobinstead of Esau. I have turned Esau’s hill country into a dry and empty land. I left that land of Edom to the wild dogs in the desert.”Edom might say,“ We have been crushed. But we’ll rebuild our cities.” The Lord who rules over all says,“ They might rebuild their cities. But I will destroy them. They will be called the Evil Land. My anger will always remain on them.You will see it with your own eyes. You will say,‘ The Lord is great! He rules even beyond the borders of Israel!’

The Lord and King says,“ Edom got even with Judah. That made Edom very guilty.”The Lord continues,“ I will reach out my hand against Edom. I will kill its people and their animals. I will completely destroy it. They will be killed by swords from Teman all the way to Dedan.I will use my people Israel to pay Edom back. They will punish Edom because my anger against it is great. They will know how I pay back my enemies,” announces the Lord and King.

I will give her my blessing. You can be sure that I will give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations. Kings of nations will come from her.”

Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom. The messengers said,“ The nation of Israel is your brother. They say,‘ You know about all the hard times we’ve had.

And they gave Rebekah their blessing. They said to her,“ Dear sister, may your family grow by thousands and thousands. May they take over the cities of their enemies.”

The messengers came back to Jacob. They said,“ We went to your brother Esau. He’s coming now to meet you. He has 400 men with him.”

Here is what the Lord says about Edom. The Lord who rules over all says,“ Isn’t there wisdom in the town of Teman anymore? Can’t those who are wise give advice? Has their wisdom disappeared completely?Turn around and run away, you who live in Dedan. Hide in deep caves. I will bring trouble on Esau’s family line. I will do this at the time I punish them.Edom, suppose grape pickers came to harvest your vines. They would still leave a few grapes. Suppose robbers came at night. They would steal only as much as they wanted.But I will strip everything away from Esau’s people. I will uncover their hiding places. They will not be able to hide anywhere. Their army is destroyed. Their friends and neighbors are destroyed. So there is no one to say,‘ Leave your children whose fathers have died. I will keep them alive. Your widows can also depend on me.’ ”The Lord says,“ What if those who do not have to drink the cup must drink it anyway? Then shouldn’t you be punished? You will certainly be punished. You must drink the cup.I make a promise in my own name. Bozrah will be destroyed,” announces the Lord.“ People will be shocked at it. They will say Bozrah is a shameful place. They will use its name as a curse. And all its towns will be destroyed forever.”I’ve heard a message from the Lord. A messenger was sent to the nations. The Lord told him to say,“ Gather yourselves together to attack Edom! Prepare for battle!”The Lord says to Edom,“ I will make you weak among the nations. They will hate you.You live in the safety of the rocks. You live on top of the hills. But the terror you stir up has now turned against you. Your proud heart has tricked you. You build your nest as high as an eagle does. But I will bring you down from there,” announces the Lord.“ People of Edom, all those who pass by you will be shocked. They will make fun of you because of all your wounds.Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed. So were the towns that were near them,” says the Lord.“ You will be just like them. No one will live in your land. No human beings will stay there.“ I will be like a lion coming up from the bushes by the Jordan River. I will hunt in rich grasslands. I will chase you from your land in an instant. What nation will I choose to do this? Which one will I appoint? Is anyone like me? Who would dare to argue with me? What leader can stand against me?”So listen to what the Lord has planned against the people of Edom. Hear what he has planned against those who live in Teman. Edom’s young people will be dragged away. Their grasslands will be shocked at their fate.When the earth hears Edom fall, it will shake. The people’s cries will be heard all the way to the Red Sea.Look! An enemy is coming. It’s like an eagle diving down. It will spread its wings over Bozrah. At that time the hearts of Edom’s soldiers will tremble in fear. They’ll be like the heart of a woman having a baby.

Before Israel had a king, there were kings who ruled in Edom.

Who is this man coming from the city of Bozrah in Edom? His clothes are stained bright red. Who is he? He is dressed up in all his glory. He is marching toward us with great strength. The Lord answers,“ It is I. I have won the battle. I am mighty. I have saved my people.”Why are your clothes red? They look as if you have been stomping on grapes in a winepress.The Lord answers,“ I have been stomping on the nations as if they were grapes. No one was there to help me. I walked all over the nations because I was angry. That is why I stomped on them. Their blood splashed all over my clothes. So my clothes were stained bright red.I decided it was time to pay back Israel’s enemies. The year for me to set my people free had come.I looked around, but no one was there to help me. I was shocked that no one gave me any help. So I used my own power to save my people. I had the strength to do it because I was angry.I walked all over the nations because I was angry with them. I made them drink from the cup of my great anger. I poured out their blood on the ground.”

Moab serves me like one who washes my feet. I toss my sandal on Edom to show that I own it. I shout to Philistia that I have won the battle.”Who will bring me to the city that has high walls around it? Who will lead me to the land of Edom?

Abishai stationed some soldiers in Edom. The whole nation of Edom was brought under his rule. The Lord helped David win his battles wherever he went.

This is the vision about Edom that Obadiah had. Here is what the Lord and King says about Edom. We’ve heard a message from the Lord. A messenger was sent to the nations. The Lord told him to say,“ Get up! Let us go and make war against Edom.”The Lord says to Edom,“ I will make you weak among the nations. They will look down on you.You live in the safety of the rocks. You make your home high up in the mountains. But your proud heart has tricked you. So you say to yourself,‘ No one can bring me down to the ground.’You have built your home as high as an eagle does. You have made your nest among the stars. But I will bring you down from there,” announces the Lord.“ Edom, suppose robbers came to you at night. They would steal only as much as they wanted. Suppose grape pickers came to harvest your vines. They would still leave a few grapes. But you are facing horrible trouble!People of Esau, everything will be taken away from you. Your hidden treasures will be stolen.All those who are helping you will force you to leave your country. Your friends will trick you and overpower you. Those who eat bread with you will set a trap for you. But you will not see it.”Here is what the Lord announces.“ At that time I will destroy the wise men of Edom. I will wipe out the men of understanding in the mountains of Esau.People of Teman, your soldiers will be terrified. Everyone in Esau’s mountains will be cut down by swords.You did harmful things to the people of Jacob. They are your relatives. So you will be covered with shame. You will be destroyed forever.Outsiders entered the gates of Jerusalem. They cast lots to see what each one would get. Strangers carried off its wealth. When that happened, you just stood there and did nothing. You were like one of them.That was a time of trouble for your relatives. So you shouldn’t have been happy about what happened to them. The people of Judah were destroyed. So you should not have been happy about it. You should not have laughed at them so much when they were in trouble.You should not have marched through the gates of my people’s city when they were in trouble. You shouldn’t have been happy about what happened to them. You should not have stolen their wealth when they were in trouble.You waited where the roads cross. You wanted to cut down those who were running away. You should not have done that. You handed over to their enemies those who were still left alive. You should not have done that. They were in trouble.“ The day of the Lord is near for all the nations. Others will do to you what you have done to them. You will be paid back for what you have done.You Edomites made my holy mountain of Zion impure by drinking and celebrating there. So all the nations will drink from the cup of my anger. And they will keep on drinking from it. They will vanish. It will be as if they had never existed.

A message from the Lord came to me. The Lord said,“ Son of man, turn your attention to Mount Seir. Prophesy against it.Tell it,‘ The Lord and King says,“ Mount Seir, I am against you. I will reach out my powerful hand against you. I will turn you into a dry and empty desert.I will destroy your towns. Your land will become empty. Then you will know that I am the Lord.“‘ “People of Edom, you have been Israel’s enemies for a long time. You let many Israelites be killed by swords when they were in great trouble. At that time I used Nebuchadnezzar to punish them and destroy them completely.Now I will hand you over to murderers. They will hunt you down. You murdered others. So murderers will chase you. And that is just as sure as I am alive,” announces the Lord and King.“ I will turn Mount Seir into a dry and empty desert. No one will be able to go anywhere or do anything there.I will fill your mountains with dead bodies. Some of those who are killed by swords will fall down dead on your hills. Others will die in your valleys and in all your canyons.I will make your land empty forever. No one will live in your towns. Then you will know that I am the Lord.“‘ “You said,‘ The nations of Israel and Judah will belong to us. We will take them over.’ You said that, even though I was there. I am the Lord.You were full of anger, jealousy and hatred toward my people. So I will punish you. When I judge you, they will know that I am the Lord. And that is just as sure as I am alive,” announces the Lord and King.“ You will know that I have heard all the terrible things you said. You said them about those who live in the mountains of Israel. You made fun of them. You said,‘ They have been destroyed. They’ve been handed over to us. Let’s wipe them out.’You bragged that you were better than I am. You spoke against me. You did not hold anything back. But I heard it.” ’ ”The Lord and King says,“ The whole earth will be glad. But I will make your land empty.You were happy when the land of Israel became empty. So I will treat you in the same way. Mount Seir, you will be empty. So will the whole land of Edom. Then you will know that I am the Lord.”

The boys grew up. Esau became a skillful hunter. He liked the open country. But Jacob was content to stay at home among the tents.

All of them agree on the evil plans they have made. They join forces against you.Their forces include the people of Edom, Ishmael, Moab and Hagar.They also include the people of Byblos, Ammon, Amalek, Philistia and Tyre.Even Assyria has joined them to give strength to the people of Moab and Ammon.Do to them what you did to the people of Midian. Do to them what you did to Sisera and Jabin at the Kishon River.Sisera and Jabin died near the town of Endor. Their bodies were left on the ground like human waste.Do to the nobles of your enemies what you did to Oreb and Zeeb. Do to all their princes what you did to Zebah and Zalmunna.They said,“ Let’s take over the grasslands that belong to God.”My God, make them like straw that the wind blows away. Make them like tumbleweed.Destroy them as fire burns up a forest. Destroy them as a flame sets mountains on fire.Chase them with your mighty winds. Terrify them with your storm.

At that time Edom didn’t have a king. An area governor was in charge.

Nations, come near and listen to me! Pay attention to what I’m about to say. Let the earth and everything in it listen. Let the world and everything that comes out of it pay attention.The Lord is angry with all the nations. His anger is against all their armies. He will totally destroy them. He will have them killed.Those who are killed won’t be buried. Their dead bodies will be thrown on the ground. They will stink. Their blood will cover the mountains.All the stars in the sky will vanish. The heavens will be rolled up like a scroll. All the stars in the sky will fall like dried- up leaves from a vine. They will drop like wrinkled figs from a fig tree.The sword of the Lord will finish its deadly work in the sky. Then it will come down to strike Edom. He will totally destroy that nation.His sword will be red with blood. It will be covered with fat. The blood will flow like the blood of lambs and goats being sacrificed. The fat will be like the fat taken from the kidneys of rams. That’s because the Lord will offer a sacrifice in the city of Bozrah. He will kill many people in the land of Edom.The people and their leaders will be killed like wild oxen and young bulls. Their land will be wet with their blood. The dust will be covered with their fat.That’s because the Lord has set aside a day to pay Edom back. He has set aside a year to pay them back. He will pay them back for what they did to Zion.The streams of Edom will be turned into tar. Its dust will be turned into blazing sulfur. Its land will become burning tar.The fire will keep burning night and day. It can’t be put out. Its smoke will go up forever. Edom will lie empty for all time to come. No one will ever travel through it again.The desert owl and screech owl will make it their home. The great owl and the raven will build their nests there. God will use his measuring line to show how completely Edom will be destroyed. He will use his plumb line to show how empty Edom will become.Edom’s nobles won’t have anything left there that can be called a kingdom. All its princes will vanish.Thorns will cover its forts. Bushes and weeds will cover its safest places. It will become a home for wild dogs. It will become a place where owls live.Desert creatures will meet with hyenas. Wild goats will call out to each other. Night creatures will also lie down there. They will find places where they can rest.Owls will make their nests and lay their eggs there. And they will hatch them. They will take care of their little ones under the shadow of their wings. Male and female falcons will also gather there.Look in the book of the Lord. Here is what you will read there. None of those animals will be missing. Male and female alike will be there. The Lord himself has commanded it. And his Spirit will gather them together.The Lord will decide what part of the land goes to each animal. Then he will give each one its share. It will belong to them forever. And they will live there for all time to come.

Then Amaziah showed how strong he was. He led his army to the Valley of Salt. There he killed 10,000 men of Seir.The army of Judah also captured 10,000 men alive. The army of Judah took them to the top of a cliff. Then they threw them down. All of them were smashed to pieces.

He himself went on ahead. As he came near his brother, he bowed down to the ground seven times.

“ This is my covenant with you. You will be the father of many nations.

The Lord says,“ The people of Edom have sinned again and again. So I will judge them. They chased Israel with swords that were ready to strike them down. They killed the women of the land. They were angry all the time. Their anger was like a fire that blazed out. It could not be stopped.So I will send fire to destroy the city of Teman. It will burn up Bozrah’s forts.”