11 Open your gates, Lebanon,
so that the fires can burn down your cedar trees.
2 Cry aloud, cypress tree, because the cedar tree has fallen.
Enemies have cut down the tall and beautiful trees.
Cry aloud, oak trees in Bashan,
because they have cut down the thick forest.
3 Listen to the shepherds!
They are crying because enemies have destroyed their fields.
Listen to the noise of the lions!
They are roaring because the trees beside the Jordan River
are no longer there.
4 This is what the Lord said to me, Zechariah. ‘My people are like sheep. There will be a time when men will buy them. And then they will kill them. But feed them until that time.
5 Those men who buy the sheep will kill them. Nobody will punish them. They will sell them. And they will say, “Thank you Lord , because I am a rich man.” Their own shepherds do not give the sheep any help.’
6 The Lord says, ‘The people in this country were my people, but they are not my people now. I will not go on being kind to them. I myself will give them to their enemies and to foreign kings. The foreign kings will do very bad things to the country, but I will not come to help.’
7 So I was a good shepherd to the sheep that men would soon kill. I took special care of the weakest sheep. Then I took two sticks. And I called one stick ‘Grace’ and I called the other stick ‘Together’. I fed the sheep.
8 In one month, I sent away three shepherds. They did not like me and I was not patient with them.
9 I said to the sheep, ‘I will not be your shepherd and you will die. The sheep that do not die will eat each other.’
10 I took ‘Grace’ which was my first stick. I broke it into two pieces. The Lord 's promise to his people finished.
11 On the day that the Lord 's promise finished, the weak sheep watched me. They knew that it was the Lord 's message.
12 I said to them, ‘You may think that I should have some money for my work. If you do think that, pay me my money. If you do not want to pay me, keep it.’ So they paid me 30 silver coins.
13 The Lord said to me, ‘Throw the 30 silver coins to the man who makes pots in the house of the Lord .’ They thought that I was not worth very much! I took the 30 coins. And I threw them to the man who makes pots. He makes them for the house of the Lord .
14 Then I broke the second stick called ‘Together’. I made the kingdom of Judah separate from the kingdom of Israel. 15 Then the Lord said to me, Zechariah, ‘Take again the tools of a useless shepherd. 16 I have chosen a man to watch the sheep. He will not help the sheep that are dying. He will not look for the sheep that have gone away. He will not help the sick sheep or feed the strong sheep. He will eat the meat of the fat sheep. He will tear off their feet to get all the meat.
17 Bad things will happen to the bad shepherd who leaves his sheep.
His enemy's knife will cut his arm and his right eye.
His arm will become like a dry stick. And his right eye will no longer be able to see anything.’
11 Lebanon, open your gates so that the fire will come
and burn your cedar trees. [ a ]
2 The cypress trees will cry because the cedar trees have fallen.
Those powerful trees will be taken away.
Oak trees in Bashan will cry
for the forest that was cut down.
3 Listen to the crying shepherds.
Their powerful leaders were taken away.
Listen to the roaring of the young lions.
Their thick bushes near the Jordan River have all been taken away.
4 The Lord my God says, “Care for the sheep that have been raised to be killed. 5 Buyers kill their sheep and are not punished. Those who sell the sheep say, ‘Praise the Lord , I am rich!’ The shepherds don’t feel sorry for their sheep. 6 And I don’t feel sorry for the people who live in this country.” This is what the Lord said: “Look, I will let everyone be under the control of their neighbor and king. I will let them destroy the country—I will not stop them!”
7 So I took care of the sheep that had been raised to be killed—those poor sheep. I found two sticks. I called one stick Favor, and I called the other stick Union. Then I began caring for the sheep. 8 I fired the three shepherds all in one month. I got angry at the sheep, and they began to hate me. 9 Then I said, “I quit! I will not take care of you! I will let those who want to die, die. I will let those who want to be destroyed, be destroyed, and those who are left will destroy each other.” 10 Then I took the stick named Favor, and I broke it. I did this to show that God’s agreement with his people was broken. 11 So that day the agreement was finished, and those poor sheep watching me knew that this message was from the Lord .
12 Then I said, “If you want to pay me, pay me. If not, don’t!” So they paid me 30 pieces of silver. 13 Then the Lord told me, “So that’s how much they think I’m worth. Throw that large amount of money [ b ] into the Temple treasury.” So I took the 30 pieces of silver and threw them into the treasury at the Lord ’s Temple. 14 Then I cut the stick named Union into two pieces. I did this to show that the union between Judah and Israel had been broken.
15 Then the Lord said to me, “Now, get the things a foolish shepherd might use. 16 This will show that I will get a new shepherd for this country. But this young man will not be able to take care of the sheep that are being destroyed. He will not be able to heal the hurt sheep or feed those that are left alive. And the healthy ones will be eaten completely—only their hoofs will be left.”
17 Too bad for you, you worthless shepherd!
You abandoned my sheep.
Punish him!
Strike his arm and right eye with a sword.
His arm will be useless.
His right eye will be blind.
11 Open thy doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may devour thy cedars.
2 Howl, fir tree; for the cedar is fallen; because the mighty are spoiled: howl, O ye oaks of Bashan; for the forest of the vintage is come down.
3 There is a voice of the howling of the shepherds; for their glory is spoiled: a voice of the roaring of young lions; for the pride of Jordan is spoiled.
4 Thus saith the Lord my God; Feed the flock of the slaughter;
5 Whose possessors slay them, and hold themselves not guilty: and they that sell them say, Blessed be the Lord ; for I am rich: and their own shepherds pity them not.
6 For I will no more pity the inhabitants of the land, saith the Lord : but, lo, I will deliver the men every one into his neighbour's hand, and into the hand of his king: and they shall smite the land, and out of their hand I will not deliver them.
7 And I will feed the flock of slaughter, even you, O poor of the flock. And I took unto me two staves; the one I called Beauty, and the other I called Bands; and I fed the flock.
8 Three shepherds also I cut off in one month; and my soul lothed them, and their soul also abhorred me.
9 Then said I, I will not feed you: that that dieth, let it die; and that that is to be cut off, let it be cut off; and let the rest eat every one the flesh of another.
10 And I took my staff, even Beauty, and cut it asunder, that I might break my covenant which I had made with all the people.
11 And it was broken in that day: and so the poor of the flock that waited upon me knew that it was the word of the Lord .
12 And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver.
13 And the Lord said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prised at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the Lord .
14 Then I cut asunder mine other staff, even Bands, that I might break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.
15 And the Lord said unto me, Take unto thee yet the instruments of a foolish shepherd.
16 For, lo, I will raise up a shepherd in the land, which shall not visit those that be cut off, neither shall seek the young one, nor heal that that is broken, nor feed that that standeth still: but he shall eat the flesh of the fat, and tear their claws in pieces.
17 Woe to the idol shepherd that leaveth the flock! the sword shall be upon his arm, and upon his right eye: his arm shall be clean dried up, and his right eye shall be utterly darkened.
11 Open your doors, Lebanon,
So that a ( A ) fire may feed on your ( B ) cedars.
2 Wail, juniper, because the cedar has fallen,
For the magnificent trees have been destroyed;
Wail, oaks of Bashan,
Because the [ a ] impenetrable forest has come down.
3 There is a sound of the shepherds’ ( C ) wail,
For their splendor is ruined;
There is a ( D ) sound of the young lions’ roar,
For the [ b ] pride of the Jordan is ruined.
4 This is what the Lord my God says: “Pasture the flock doomed to ( E ) slaughter. 5 Those who buy them slaughter them and [ c ] go ( F ) unpunished, and each of those who sell them says, ‘Blessed be the Lord , for ( G ) I have become rich!’ And their ( H ) own shepherds have no compassion for them. 6 For I will ( I ) no longer have compassion for the inhabitants of the land,” declares the Lord ; “but behold, I will ( J ) let the people fall, each into another’s [ d ] power and into the [ e ] power of his king; and they will crush the land, and I will ( K ) not rescue them from their [ f ] power.”
7 So I ( L ) pastured the flock doomed to slaughter, [ g ] therefore also the ( M ) afflicted of the flock. And I took for myself two ( N ) staffs: the one I called [ h ] ( O ) Favor, and the other I called ( P ) Union; so I pastured the flock. 8 Then I did away with the three shepherds in ( Q ) one month, for my soul was impatient with them, and their soul also [ i ] was tired of me. 9 Then I said, “I will not pasture you. What is to ( R ) die, [ j ] let it die, and what is to perish, [ k ] let it perish; and [ l ] let those who are left eat one another’s flesh.” 10 And I took my staff [ m ] ( S ) Favor and cut it in pieces, to [ n ] ( T ) break my covenant which I had made with all the peoples. 11 So it was [ o ] broken on that day, and [ p ] so the ( U ) afflicted of the flock who were watching me realized that it was the word of the Lord . 12 And I said to them, “If it is good in your sight, give me my ( V ) wages; but if not, [ q ] never mind!” So they weighed out ( W ) thirty shekels of silver as my wages. 13 Then the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the ( X ) potter, that magnificent price at which I was valued by them.” So I took the thirty shekels of silver and threw them to the potter in the house of the Lord . 14 Then I cut in pieces my second staff ( Y ) Union, to ( Z ) break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.
15 And the Lord said to me, “Take again for yourself the equipment of a ( AA ) foolish shepherd. 16 For behold, I am going to raise up a shepherd in the land who will ( AB ) not care for the perishing, seek the scattered, heal the broken, or provide for the one who is exhausted, but will ( AC ) devour the flesh of the fat sheep and tear off their hoofs.
17 ( AD ) Woe to the worthless shepherd
Who abandons the flock!
A ( AE ) sword will be on his arm
And on his right eye!
His ( AF ) arm will be totally withered,
And his right eye will be [ r ] blind.”
11 Open your doors, Lebanon, ( A )
so that fire ( B ) may devour your cedars!
2 Wail, you juniper, for the cedar has fallen;
the stately trees are ruined!
Wail, oaks ( C ) of Bashan;
the dense forest ( D ) has been cut down! ( E )
3 Listen to the wail of the shepherds;
their rich pastures are destroyed!
Listen to the roar of the lions; ( F )
the lush thicket of the Jordan is ruined! ( G )
4 This is what the Lord my God says: “Shepherd the flock marked for slaughter. ( H ) 5 Their buyers slaughter them and go unpunished. Those who sell them say, ‘Praise the Lord , I am rich!’ Their own shepherds do not spare them. ( I ) 6 For I will no longer have pity on the people of the land,” declares the Lord . “I will give everyone into the hands of their neighbors ( J ) and their king. They will devastate the land, and I will not rescue anyone from their hands.” ( K )
7 So I shepherded the flock marked for slaughter, ( L ) particularly the oppressed of the flock. Then I took two staffs and called one Favor and the other Union, and I shepherded the flock. 8 In one month I got rid of the three shepherds.
The flock detested ( M ) me, and I grew weary of them 9 and said, “I will not be your shepherd. Let the dying die, and the perishing perish. ( N ) Let those who are left eat ( O ) one another’s flesh.”
10 Then I took my staff called Favor ( P ) and broke it, revoking ( Q ) the covenant I had made with all the nations. 11 It was revoked on that day, and so the oppressed of the flock who were watching me knew it was the word of the Lord .
12 I told them, “If you think it best, give me my pay; but if not, keep it.” So they paid me thirty pieces of silver. ( R )
13 And the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—the handsome price at which they valued me! So I took the thirty pieces of silver ( S ) and threw them to the potter at the house of the Lord . ( T )
14 Then I broke my second staff called Union, breaking the family bond between Judah and Israel.
15 Then the Lord said to me, “Take again the equipment of a foolish shepherd. 16 For I am going to raise up a shepherd over the land who will not care for the lost, or seek the young, or heal the injured, or feed the healthy, but will eat the meat of the choice sheep, tearing off their hooves.
