Edom was at odds with Israel ever since its forefather Esau had struggled in the womb with his twin brother Jacob, the patriarch of Israel. After Edom played a role in the destruction of Jerusalem, the prophet Obadiah gives warning to the nation of their coming judgment, fulfilling God's promise from hundreds of years earlier: 'I will bless them that bless thee, and curse them that curseth thee.' (Gen. 12:3)