Edom Will Be a Wasteland
1 The Lord said:
2 Ezekiel, son of man, condemn the people of Edom 3 and say to them:
I, the Lord God,
am now your enemy!
And I will turn your nation
into an empty wasteland,
4 leaving your towns in ruins.
Your land will be a desert,
and then you will know
that I am the Lord.
5 People of Edom, not only have you been Israel's longtime enemy, you simply watched when disaster wiped out its people as punishment for their sins. 6 And so, as surely as I am the living Lord God, you are guilty of murder and must be put to death. 7 I will destroy your nation and kill anyone who travels through it. 8 Dead bodies will cover your mountains and fill up your valleys, 9 and your land will lie in ruins forever. No one will live in your towns ever again. You will know that I am the Lord.
10 You thought the nations of Judah and Israel belonged to you, and that you could take over their territory. But I am their God, 11 and as surely as I live, I will punish you for treating my people with anger and hatred. Then they will know that I, the Lord, am punishing you! 12 And you will finally realize that I heard you laugh at their destruction and say their land was yours to take. 13 You even insulted me, but I heard it all.
14 Everyone on earth will celebrate when I destroy you, 15 just as you celebrated when Israel was destroyed. Your nation of Edom will be nothing but a wasteland. Then everyone will know that I am the Lord.
© Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®) © 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.