“You should not
Have gloated
Over your brother
On the day of his misfortune!
You should not
Have rejoiced
Over the people of Judah
On the day of his misfortune!
You should not
Have boasted
On the day of distress!
You should not
Have entered
The gate of my people
On the day of their calamity!
You should not
Have joined in the gloating
Over Judah’s disaster
On the day of his calamity!
You should not
Have looted his goods
On the day of his calamity!
You should not
Have stood at crossings
To cut off his fugitives!
You should not
Have handed over
His survivors
On the day of distress!”
Yahweh, via Obadiah, listed the various things that Edom did on the day of the invasion of Jerusalem. First, they gloated over their brother Judah. Then they rejoiced at the problems of the people of Judah. These Edomites even boasted and entered the gates of Jerusalem. They joined with the others, as they looted the goods of the people in Jerusalem. They kept others from escaping. They even handed over the survivors to the foreign attackers. They were really complicit in this attack on Jerusalem.
Eugene Finnegan Bible Project 