<p class="poetry">This is what the <sc>Lordsc> says:p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;Because Moab has committed three crimes<n id="1" /> &#8211;p> <p class="poetry">make that four!<n id="2" /> &#8211; I will not revoke my decree of judgment.<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">They burned the bones of Edom&#8217;s king into lime.<n id="4" />p>

<t /><p class="poetry">This is what the <sc>Lordsc> says:p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;Because Israel has committed three covenant transgressions<n id="1" /> &#8211;p> <p class="poetry">make that four!<n id="2" /> &#8211; I will not revoke my decree of judgment.<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">They sold the innocent<n id="4" /> for silver,p> <p class="poetry">the needy for a pair of sandals.<n id="5" />p>

<p class="poetry">Therefore,&#8221; says the sovereign <sc>Lordsc>, &#8220;an enemy will encircle the land.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">He will take away your power;<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">your fortresses will be looted.&#8221;p>

<p class="poetry">The sovereign <sc>Lordsc> says this:p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;The city that marches out with a thousand soldiers<n id="1" /> will have only a hundred left;p> <p class="poetry">the town<n id="2" /> that marches out with a hundred soldiers<n id="3" /> will have only ten left for the family of Israel.&#8221;<n id="4" />p>

So now listen to the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s message! You say, &#8216;Don&#8217;t prophesy against Israel! Don&#8217;t preach<n id="1" /> against the family of Isaac!&#8217;p>

<p class="poetry">I will plant them on their landp> <p class="poetry">and they will never again be uprooted from the<n id="1" /> land I have given them,&#8221;p> <p class="bodytext">says the <sc>Lordsc> your God.p>

<t /><p class="poetry">The vision<n id="1" /> that Obadiah<n id="2" /> saw.<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">The Lord <sc>Godsc><n id="4" /> says this concerning<n id="5" /> Edom:<n id="6" />p><t /><p class="poetry">We have heard a report from the <sc>Lordsc>.p> <p class="poetry">An envoy was sent among the nations, saying,<n id="7" />p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;Arise! Let us make war against Edom!&#8221;<n id="8" />p>

<p class="poetry">Your presumptuous heart<n id="1" /> has deceived you &#8211;p> <p class="poetry">you who reside in the safety of the rocky cliffs,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">whose home is high in the mountains.<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">You think to yourself,<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">&#8216;No one can<n id="5" /> bring me down to the ground!&#8217;<n id="6" />p>

<t /><p class="poetry">Listen to what the <sc>Lordsc> says:p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;Get up! Defend yourself<n id="1" /> before the mountains!<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">Present your case before the hills!&#8221;<n id="3" />p>

<t /><p class="poetry">This is what the <sc>Lordsc> says:<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;Even though<n id="2" /> they are powerful<n id="3" /> &#8211;p> <p class="poetry">and what is more,<n id="4" /> even though their army is numerous<n id="5" /> &#8211;p> <p class="poetry">nevertheless,<n id="6" /> they will be destroyed<n id="7" /> and trickle away!<n id="8" />p> <p class="poetry">Although I afflicted you,p> <p class="poetry">I will afflict you no more.<n id="9" />p>

<p class="poetry">The one who says to wood, &#8216;Wake up!&#8217; is as good as dead<n id="1" /> &#8211;p> <p class="poetry">he who says<n id="2" /> to speechless stone, &#8216;Awake!&#8217;p> <p class="poetry">Can it give reliable guidance?<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">It is overlaid with gold and silver;p> <p class="poetry">it has no life&#8217;s breath inside it.p>

<t /><p class="bodytext">The <sc>Lordsc> who rules over all<n id="1" /> says this: &#8220;These people have said, &#8216;The time for rebuilding the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s temple has not yet come.&#8217;&#8221;<n id="2" />

&#8220;Ask the following questions to<n id="1" /> Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, the high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak,<n id="2" /> and the remnant of the people:

I will also shake up all the nations, and they<n id="1" /> will offer their treasures;<n id="2" /> then I will fill this temple with glory,&#8217; says the <sc>Lordsc> who rules over all.

&#8216;The future splendor of this temple will be greater than that of former times,&#8217;<n id="1" /> the <sc>Lordsc> who rules over all declares, &#8216;and in this place I will give peace.&#8217;&#8221;<n id="2" />p>

Turning to me, the messenger then said, &#8220;Cry out that the <sc>Lordsc> who rules over all says, &#8216;I am very much moved<n id="1" /> for Jerusalem and for Zion.

<t /><p class="bodytext">&#8220;&#8216;Therefore,&#8217; says the <sc>Lordsc>, &#8216;I have become compassionate<n id="1" /> toward Jerusalem<n id="2" /> and will rebuild my temple<n id="3" /> in it,&#8217; says the <sc>Lordsc> who rules over all. &#8216;Once more a surveyor&#8217;s measuring line will be stretched out over Jerusalem.&#8217;

Then say to him, &#8216;The <sc>Lordsc> who rules over all says, &#8220;Look &#8211; here is the man whose name is Branch,<n id="1" /> who will sprout up from his place and build the temple of the <sc>Lordsc>.

&#8220;The <sc>Lordsc> who rules over all said, &#8216;Exercise true judgment and show brotherhood and compassion to each other.

The Lord says, &#8216;I have returned to Zion and will live within Jerusalem.<n id="1" /> Now Jerusalem will be called &#8220;truthful city,&#8221; &#8220;mountain of the <sc>Lordsc> who rules over all,&#8221; &#8220;holy mountain.&#8221;&#8217;