34 The Lord gave this message to me: 2 ‘Son of man, you must speak my message to the shepherds of Israel to warn them. [ a ] Tell them, “This is what the Almighty Lord says: Terrible trouble will come to you shepherds of Israel who only think about yourselves. Shepherds should take care of the sheep and feed them. 3 You drink their milk and you use their wool to make clothes for yourselves. You kill the best animals to eat. But you do not take care of the sheep! 4 You have not helped the weak sheep to be strong. You have not made the sick sheep well. Nor have you covered their wounds. You have not looked for lost sheep and brought them back. Instead, you have ruled my people in a cruel way. 5 So my sheep ran away to different places because they did not have a shepherd to take care of them. Then the wild animals found them and ate them. 6 My sheep went over all the mountains and the high hills. They went to places everywhere on the earth. And nobody went to look for them and bring them back again.
7 So, you shepherds, listen to the Lord 's message. 8 My sheep do not have any shepherds to take care of them. So they are not safe from danger. They have become food for all the wild animals. You, my shepherds, have not gone to look for the sheep that were lost. You only wanted to help yourselves instead of my sheep. So I, the Almighty Lord , promise you this, as surely as I live. 9 You shepherds, listen to the Lord 's message! 10 The Almighty Lord says this: I have become the shepherds' enemy. I will take my sheep away from them. I will no longer allow them to be shepherds. They will not be able to kill my sheep to feed themselves. I will rescue my sheep, so that the shepherds cannot eat them.
11 So this is what the Almighty Lord says: I myself will go and look for my sheep to bring them back. 12 I will be like a shepherd who looks everywhere to find his lost sheep. I will find them and I will rescue them. I will bring them back from the places that they have run away to. It was a dark day with many clouds when they ran away. 13 They have been living in foreign countries among other people. I will bring them back to live in their own land. I will feed them on the mountains of Israel. They will eat beside its rivers and in all the places where people live. 14 I will feed them in fields on Israel's mountains where grass grows. They will lie down in the good fields. They will eat the green grass that grows on the mountains. 15 I myself will take care of my sheep. I will give them safe places to lie down and rest. I, the Almighty Lord , say this. 16 I will find the lost sheep and I will bring them back. I will cover their wounds. I will help those who are weak to become strong. But I will destroy those who are fat and powerful. I will give them justice as their food!
17 This is what I, the Almighty Lord , say to you, my sheep: I will judge you. I will decide which of you are good and which of you are bad. I will judge between male sheep and goats. 18 You bad sheep make sure that you have plenty of good grass to eat. But then you spoil the other grass so that no other sheep can eat it. You have clean water to drink. But then you spoil the water which remains. It is too dirty for other sheep to drink. 19 Because of that, my sheep eat grass that you have spoiled. They drink water that you have made dirty with your feet.
20 So this is what I, the Almighty Lord , say to the sheep: I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the thin sheep. 21 You fat sheep use your shoulders to push the other sheep away. You attack the weak sheep with your horns so that they run away. 22 Because you do this, I will rescue my sheep. They will no longer be in danger from other animals. I will judge between one sheep and another sheep.
23 Then I will choose one shepherd to lead them. He is my servant, David. He will take care of them as their shepherd. 24 I, the Lord , will be their God. My servant David will be their ruler. I, the Lord , have said this. [ b ]
25 I will make an agreement with them, that I will give them peace. I will remove the dangerous wild animals from the land. Then they can live there safely, even in the wilderness. They will not be afraid when they sleep in the forests. 26 I will bless them with many good things as they live around my holy hill. I will send rain at the proper time each year. The rain will bring my blessings to them. 27 The trees in the fields will give them fruit to eat. Crops of food will grow in the ground. The people will live safely in their land. I will take away the power of those who were cruel to them. I will rescue them from the people who made them their slaves. Then they will know that I am the Lord . 28 They will no longer be in danger from other nations. Wild animals will no longer eat them. They will live safely and nobody will cause them to be afraid. 29 I will give them a land that is famous for its good crops. So famine will never cause them to suffer in that land. Other nations will no longer insult them. 30 Then they will know that I, the Lord their God, am with them. They will know that they are my people, the Israelites. That is what the Almighty Lord says.
31 You are my people and I take care of you, as a shepherd takes care of his sheep. You are my people and I am your God. That is what the Almighty Lord says.” ’
34 The word of the Lord came to me. He said, 2 “Son of man, [ a ] speak against the shepherds of Israel for me. Speak to them for me. Tell them that this is what the Lord God says: ‘You shepherds of Israel have only been feeding yourselves. It will be very bad for you! Why don’t you shepherds feed the flock? 3 You eat the fat sheep and use their wool to make clothes for yourselves. You kill the fat sheep, but you don’t feed the flock. 4 You have not made the weak strong. You have not cared for the sick sheep. You have not put bandages on the sheep that were hurt. Some of the sheep wandered away, and you did not go get them and bring them back. You did not go to look for the lost sheep. No, you were cruel and severe—that’s the way you tried to lead the sheep!
5 “‘And now the sheep are scattered because there was no shepherd. They became food for every wild animal, so they were scattered. 6 My flock wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. My flock was scattered over all the face of the earth. There was no one to search or to look for them.’”
7 So, you shepherds, listen to the word of the Lord . 8 The Lord God says, “I swear that wild animals will catch my sheep, and my people will become food for all those animals because they did not have any real shepherds. My shepherds did not look out for my flock. They did not feed my flock. No, they only killed the sheep and fed themselves!”
9 So, you shepherds, listen to the word of the Lord ! 10 The Lord God says, “I am against the shepherds. I will demand my sheep from them. I will fire them. They will not be my shepherds anymore. Then the shepherds will not be able to feed themselves, and I will save my flock from their mouths. Then my sheep will not be food for them.”
11 The Lord God says, “I myself will be their Shepherd. I will search for my sheep and take care of them. 12 If a shepherd is with his sheep when they begin to wander away, he will go searching for them. In the same way I will search for my sheep. I will save them and bring them back from all the places where they were scattered on that dark and cloudy day. 13 I will bring them back from those nations. I will gather them from those countries and bring them back to their own land. I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the streams, and in all the places where people live. 14 I will lead them to grassy fields. They will go to the place high on the mountains of Israel and lie down on good ground and eat the grass. They will eat in rich grassland on the mountains of Israel. 15 Yes, I will feed my flock, and I will lead them to a place of rest.” This is what the Lord God said.
16 “I will search for the lost sheep. I will bring back the sheep that were scattered and put bandages on the sheep that were hurt. I will make the weak sheep strong, but I will destroy the fat and powerful shepherds. I will feed them the punishment they deserve.”
17 This is what the Lord God says: “And you, my flock, I will judge between one sheep and another. I will judge between the male sheep and the male goats. 18 You can eat the grass growing on the good land. So why do you also crush the grass that other sheep want to eat? You can drink plenty of clear water. So why do you also stir the water that other sheep want to drink? 19 My flock must eat the grass you crushed with your feet, and they must drink the water you stir with your feet!”
20 So the Lord God says to them: “I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the thin sheep! 21 You push with your side and shoulder. You knock down all the weak sheep with your horns. You push until you have forced them away, 22 so I will save my flock. They will not be caught by wild animals anymore. I will judge between one sheep and another. 23 Then I will put one shepherd over them, my servant David. He will feed them and be their shepherd. 24 Then I, the Lord , will be their God, and my servant David will be the ruler living among them. I, the Lord , have spoken.
25 “And I will make a peace agreement with my sheep. I will take harmful animals away from the land. Then the sheep can be safe in the desert and sleep in the woods. 26 I will bless the sheep and the places around my hill. I will cause the rains to fall at the right time and will shower them with blessings. 27 And the trees growing in the field will produce their fruit. The earth will give its harvest, so the sheep will be safe on their land. I will break the yokes on them and save them from the power of the people who made them slaves. Then they will know that I am the Lord . 28 They will not be caught like an animal by the nations anymore. Those animals will not eat them anymore. No, they will live safely. No one will make them afraid. 29 I will give them some land that will make a good garden. Then they will not suffer from hunger in that land or suffer the insults from the nations anymore. 30 Then they will know that I am the Lord their God. The family of Israel will know that I am with them and that they are my people.” This is what the Lord God said!
31 “You are my sheep, the sheep of my grassland. You are only human beings, and I am your God.” This is what the Lord God said.
34 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks?
3 Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock.
4 The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them.
5 And they were scattered, because there is no shepherd: and they became meat to all the beasts of the field, when they were scattered.
6 My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill: yea, my flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them.
7 Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord ;
8 As I live, saith the Lord God , surely because my flock became a prey, and my flock became meat to every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, neither did my shepherds search for my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my flock;
9 Therefore, O ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord ;
10 Thus saith the Lord God ; Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require my flock at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the flock; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more; for I will deliver my flock from their mouth, that they may not be meat for them.
11 For thus saith the Lord God ; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out.
12 As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.
13 And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the country.
14 I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel.
15 I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord God .
16 I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick: but I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment.
17 And as for you, O my flock, thus saith the Lord God ; Behold, I judge between cattle and cattle, between the rams and the he goats.
18 Seemeth it a small thing unto you to have eaten up the good pasture, but ye must tread down with your feet the residue of your pastures? and to have drunk of the deep waters, but ye must foul the residue with your feet?
19 And as for my flock, they eat that which ye have trodden with your feet; and they drink that which ye have fouled with your feet.
20 Therefore thus saith the Lord God unto them; Behold, I, even I, will judge between the fat cattle and between the lean cattle.
21 Because ye have thrust with side and with shoulder, and pushed all the diseased with your horns, till ye have scattered them abroad;
22 Therefore will I save my flock, and they shall no more be a prey; and I will judge between cattle and cattle.
23 And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd.
24 And I the Lord will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them; I the Lord have spoken it.
25 And I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land: and they shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods.
26 And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing.
27 And the tree of the field shall yield her fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase, and they shall be safe in their land, and shall know that I am the Lord , when I have broken the bands of their yoke, and delivered them out of the hand of those that served themselves of them.
28 And they shall no more be a prey to the heathen, neither shall the beast of the land devour them; but they shall dwell safely, and none shall make them afraid.
29 And I will raise up for them a plant of renown, and they shall be no more consumed with hunger in the land, neither bear the shame of the heathen any more.
30 Thus shall they know that I the Lord their God am with them, and that they, even the house of Israel, are my people, saith the Lord God .
31 And ye my flock, the flock of my pasture, are men, and I am your God, saith the Lord God .
34 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, prophesy against the ( A ) shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and say to [ a ] those shepherds, ‘This is what the Lord [ b ] God says: “Woe, shepherds of Israel who have been [ c ] ( B ) feeding themselves! Should the shepherds not [ d ] ( C ) feed the flock? 3 You ( D ) eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool, you ( E ) slaughter the fat sheep [ e ] without feeding the flock. 4 Those who are sickly you have not strengthened, the diseased you have not healed, ( F ) the broken you have not bound up, the scattered you have not brought back, nor have you ( G ) searched for the lost; but with force and with violence you have [ f ] dominated them. 5 They ( H ) scattered for lack of a shepherd, and they became ( I ) food for every animal of the field and scattered. 6 My flock ( J ) strayed through all the mountains and on every high hill; ( K ) My flock was scattered over all the surface of the earth, and there was ( L ) no one to search or seek for them .”’”
7 Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord : 8 “As I live,” declares the Lord God , “certainly, because My flock has become ( M ) plunder, and My flock has become food for all the animals of the field for lack of a shepherd, and My shepherds did not search for My flock, but rather the shepherds fed themselves and did not feed My flock, 9 therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord : 10 ‘This is what the Lord God says: “Behold, I am ( N ) against the shepherds, and I will demand My [ g ] sheep [ h ] from them and make them ( O ) stop tending sheep. So the shepherds will not [ i ] feed themselves anymore, but I will ( P ) save My sheep from their mouth, so that they will not be food for them.”’”
11 For the Lord God says this: “Behold, I Myself will ( Q ) search for My sheep and look after them. 12 ( R ) As a shepherd cares for his flock on a day when he is among his scattered [ j ] sheep, so I will ( S ) care for My [ k ] sheep and will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a ( T ) cloudy and gloomy day. 13 I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries and bring them to their own land; and I will ( U ) feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the ( V ) streams, and in all the inhabited places of the land. 14 I will feed them in a ( W ) good pasture, and their grazing place will be on the mountain heights of Israel. There they will lie down in a good grazing place and feed in [ l ] ( X ) rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. 15 I Myself will ( Y ) feed My flock and I Myself will [ m ] lead them to rest,” declares the Lord God . 16 “I will seek the lost, bring back the scattered, bind up the broken, and strengthen the sick; but the ( Z ) fat and the strong I will eliminate. I will ( AA ) feed them with judgment.
17 “As for you, My flock, this is what the Lord God says: ‘Behold, I am going to ( AB ) judge between one [ n ] sheep and another, between the rams and the male goats. 18 Is it too ( AC ) little a thing for you to feed in the good pasture, that you must trample with your feet the rest of your pastures? Or too little for you to drink the clear waters, that you must muddy the rest with your feet? 19 But as for My flock, they must eat what you trample with your feet, and drink what you muddy with your feet!’”
20 Therefore, this is what the Lord God says to them: “Behold, I, I Myself will also judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. 21 Since you push away with your side and shoulder, and ( AD ) gore all the [ o ] weak with your horns until you have scattered them [ p ] abroad, 22 therefore, I will ( AE ) save My flock, and they will no longer be plunder; and I will judge between one sheep and another.
23 “Then I will ( AF ) appoint over them one ( AG ) shepherd, My servant ( AH ) David, and he will feed them; he will feed them himself and be their shepherd. 24 And I, the Lord , will be their God, and My servant ( AI ) David will be prince among them; I the Lord have spoken.
25 “And I will make a ( AJ ) covenant of peace with them and ( AK ) eliminate harmful animals from the land, so that they may ( AL ) live securely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods. 26 I will make them and the places around My hill a ( AM ) blessing. And I will make ( AN ) showers fall in their season; they will be showers of ( AO ) blessing. 27 Also the tree of the field will yield its fruit and the earth will yield its produce, and they will be ( AP ) secure on their land. Then they will know that I am the Lord , when I have ( AQ ) broken the bars of their yoke and have saved them from the hand of those who enslaved them. 28 They will no longer be plunder to the nations, and the animals of the earth will not devour them; but they will ( AR ) live securely, and no one will make them afraid. 29 I will establish for them a ( AS ) renowned planting place, and they will ( AT ) not again be [ q ] victims of famine in the land, and they will not ( AU ) endure the insults of the nations anymore. 30 Then they will know that ( AV ) I, the Lord their God, am with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are My people,” declares the Lord God . 31 “As for you, My ( AW ) sheep, [ r ] the ( AX ) sheep of My pasture, you are mankind, and I am your God,” declares the Lord God .
34 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to you shepherds of Israel who only take care of yourselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock? ( A ) 3 You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock. ( B ) 4 You have not strengthened the weak or healed ( C ) the sick or bound up ( D ) the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally. ( E ) 5 So they were scattered because there was no shepherd, ( F ) and when they were scattered they became food for all the wild animals. ( G ) 6 My sheep wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. ( H ) They were scattered ( I ) over the whole earth, and no one searched or looked for them. ( J )
7 “‘Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord : 8 As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord , because my flock lacks a shepherd and so has been plundered ( K ) and has become food for all the wild animals, ( L ) and because my shepherds did not search for my flock but cared for themselves rather than for my flock, ( M ) 9 therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord : 10 This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against ( N ) the shepherds and will hold them accountable for my flock. I will remove them from tending the flock so that the shepherds can no longer feed themselves. I will rescue ( O ) my flock from their mouths, and it will no longer be food for them. ( P )
11 “‘For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search for my sheep ( Q ) and look after them. 12 As a shepherd ( R ) looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness. ( S ) 13 I will bring them out from the nations and gather ( T ) them from the countries, and I will bring them into their own land. ( U ) I will pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in all the settlements in the land. ( V ) 14 I will tend them in a good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel ( W ) will be their grazing land. There they will lie down in good grazing land, and there they will feed in a rich pasture ( X ) on the mountains of Israel. ( Y ) 15 I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, ( Z ) declares the Sovereign Lord . ( AA ) 16 I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up ( AB ) the injured and strengthen the weak, ( AC ) but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. ( AD ) I will shepherd the flock with justice. ( AE )
17 “‘As for you, my flock, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will judge between one sheep and another, and between rams and goats. ( AF ) 18 Is it not enough ( AG ) for you to feed on the good pasture? Must you also trample the rest of your pasture with your feet? ( AH ) Is it not enough for you to drink clear water? Must you also muddy the rest with your feet? 19 Must my flock feed on what you have trampled and drink what you have muddied with your feet?
20 “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says to them: See, I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. ( AI ) 21 Because you shove with flank and shoulder, butting all the weak sheep with your horns ( AJ ) until you have driven them away, 22 I will save my flock, and they will no longer be plundered. I will judge between one sheep and another. ( AK ) 23 I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend ( AL ) them; he will tend them and be their shepherd. ( AM ) 24 I the Lord will be their God, ( AN ) and my servant David ( AO ) will be prince among them. ( AP ) I the Lord have spoken. ( AQ )
25 “‘I will make a covenant ( AR ) of peace ( AS ) with them and rid the land of savage beasts ( AT ) so that they may live in the wilderness and sleep in the forests in safety. ( AU ) 26 I will make them and the places surrounding my hill a blessing. [ a ] ( AV ) I will send down showers in season; ( AW ) there will be showers of blessing. ( AX ) 27 The trees will yield their fruit ( AY ) and the ground will yield its crops; ( AZ ) the people will be secure ( BA ) in their land. They will know that I am the Lord , when I break the bars of their yoke ( BB ) and rescue them from the hands of those who enslaved them. ( BC ) 28 They will no longer be plundered by the nations, nor will wild animals devour them. They will live in safety, ( BD ) and no one will make them afraid. ( BE ) 29 I will provide for them a land renowned ( BF ) for its crops, and they will no longer be victims of famine ( BG ) in the land or bear the scorn ( BH ) of the nations. ( BI ) 30 Then they will know that I, the Lord their God, am with them and that they, the Israelites, are my people, declares the Sovereign Lord . ( BJ ) 31 You are my sheep, ( BK ) the sheep of my pasture, ( BL ) and I am your God, declares the Sovereign Lord .’”
