OBADIAH.



Introductory matter



THE ARGVMENT.

The Idumeans, which came of Esau, were mortall enemies alway to the Israelites, which came of Iaakob, and therefore did not onely vexe them continually with sundrie kindes of crueltie, but also stirred vp others to fight against them. Therefore when they were nowe in their greatest prosperitie, and did most triumph against Israel, which was in great affliction and miserie, God raysed vp his Prophet to comfort the Israelites, for as much as God had nowe determined to destroy their aduersaries, which did so sore vexe them, and to sende them such as should deliuer them, and set vp the kingdome of Messiah, which he had promised.


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[Edoms crueltie.]





[Chapter 1]


1 The vision of Obadiah. Thus saith the Lorde God against Edom, [Note: [a] God hath certainely reueiled to his Prophets that he wil raise vp the heathen to destroy ye Edomites, wherof ye rumor is now published, Iere. 49 14. ] We haue heard a rumor fro the Lorde, and an ambassadour is sent among the heathen: arise, & [Note: [b] Thus the heathe encourage themselues to rise against Edom. ] let vs rise vp against her to battel.

2 Beholde, I haue made thee smal among the heathen: thou art vtterly despised.

3 The [Note: [c] Which despisest al others in respect of thy selfe, & yet art but an handfull in comparison of others, & art shut vp among ye hilles as separate fro the rest of the world. ] pride of thine heart hath deceiued thee: thou yt dwellest in the cleftes of the rockes, whose habitatio is hie, that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me downe to the ground?

4 Though thou exalt thy selfe as the egle, and make thy nest among the starres, thence will I bring thee downe, sayth the Lord.

5 [Note: [d] God will so destroy them that he will leaue none, though theeues when they come, take but till they haue inough, and they that gather grapes, euer leaue some behinde the, Iere 49 9. ] Came theeues to thee or robbers by night? howe wast thou brought to silence? woulde they not haue stolen, til they had ynough? if the grape gatherers came to thee, woulde they not leaue some grapes?

6 Howe are the things of Esau sought vp, and his treasures searched?

7 All the men of thy confederacie [Note: [e] They in whom thou diddest trust, for to haue helpe and friendship of them, shalbe thine enemies and destroy thee. ] haue driuen thee to ye borders: the men that were at peace wt thee, haue deceiued thee, and preuailed against thee: they that eate thy [Note: [f] That is, thy familiar friends and ghestes haue by secrete practises destroyed thee. ] bread, haue laid a wound vnder thee: there is none vnderstanding in him.

8 Shall not I in that day, saith the Lorde, euen destroy the wise men out of Edom, and vnderstanding from the mount of Esau?

9 And thy strong men, O Teman, shall bee afraide, because euery one of the mount of Esau shalbe cut off by slaughter.

10 For thy crueltie against thy [Note: [g] He sheweth the cause why the Edomites were so sharpely punished: to wit, because they were enemies to his Church, whom nowe he comforteth by punishing their enemies. ] brother Iaakob, shame shal couer thee, and thou shalt be cut off for euer.

11 When thou stoodest [Note: [h] When Nebuchad-nezzar came against Ierusalem, thou ioynedst with him, and hadst part of the spoile, & so didst reioyce when my people, that is, thy brother, were afflicted, wheras thou shouldst haue pitied & holpe thy brother. ] on the other side, in the day yt the strangers caried away his substance, and straungers entred into his gates, and cast lots vpon Ierusalem, euen thou wast as one of them.

12 But thou shouldest not haue beholden the

[Fire, flame, and stubble.]



day of thy brother, in the day that hee was made [Note: [i] When the Lord depriued them of their former dignitie and gaue the to be caried into captiuitie. ] a stranger, neither shouldest thou haue reioyced ouer the children of Iudah, in the day of their destruction: thou shouldest not haue spoken proudly in the day of affliction.

13 Thou shouldest not haue entred into the gate of my people, in the day of their destruction, neither shouldest thou haue once looked on their affliction in the day of their destruction, nor haue layde hands on their substance in the day of their destruction.

14 Neyther shouldest thou haue stande in the crosse wayes to cut off them, that shoulde escape, neither shouldest thou haue shut vp the remnant thereof in the day of affliction.

15 For the day [Note: [k] When he will summon al ye heathen, and send the to destroy thee. ] of the Lorde is neere, vpon all the heathen: as thou hast done, it shall bee done to thee: thy reward shall returne vpon thine head.

16 For as yee haue [Note: [l] That is, reioyced and triumphed. ] drunke vpon mine holy Mountaine, so shall all the heathen drinke continually: yea, they shall drinke and swallow vp, and they shalbe [Note: [m] The Edomites shalbe vtterly destroyed, and yet in despite of all the enemies I will reserue my church and restore it. ] as though they had not bene.

17 But vpon mount Zion shalbe deliuerance, and it shalbe holy, and the house of Iaakob shall possesse their possessions,

18 And the house of Iaakob shalbe [Note: [n] God attributeth this power, to consume his enemies, to his Church, which power is onely proper to him selfe, as Isa.10. 17. deut.4.24. heb.12.29. ] a fire, & the house of Ioseph a flame, and the house of Esau as stubble, and they shall kindle in them and deuoure them: and there shall bee no remnant of the house of Esau for the Lord hath spoken it.

19 And they shall possesse the South side of the [Note: [o] He describeth howe the Church shalbe enlarged & haue great possessions, but this chiefly is accoplished vnder Christ when as the faithful are made heires and lords of all things by him which is their head. ] mount of Esau, and the plaine of the Philistims: and they shall possesse the fieldes of Ephraim, and the fieldes of Samaria, and Beniamin shall haue Gilead.

20 And the captiuitie of this host of the children of Israel, which were among the [Note: [p] By the Canaanites the Iewes meane ye Dutchmê, & by Zarephath, Fraunce, & by Sepharad, Spaine. ] Canaanites, shall possesse vnto Zarephath, and the captiuitie of Ierusalem, which is in Sepharad, shall possesse the cities of the South.

21 And they [Note: [q] Meaning, yt God will raise vp in his Church such as shall rule and gouerne for the defence of the same, and destruction of his enemies vnder Messiah, whom the Prophet calleth here the Lord and head of this kingdome. ] that shal saue, shal come vp to mount Zion to iudge the mount of Esau, and the kingdome shalbe the Lords.