Zekhariah 11

1 Lebanon nang loh na thohkhaih ong lamtah, na lamphai te hmai loh hlawp saeh.

[You people of] [APO] Lebanon [should] open your gates, [because you will not be able to stop] fire from burning your cedar [trees]!

2 Lamphai loh a cungku dongah hmaical khaw rhung saeh. Bashan thingnu aka khuet khaw rhoelrha uh dongah rhung laeh saeh. Duup kah thingding a cakrhuet te bung coeng.

Your cypress/pine [trees] [APO] should [also] wail because the cedar [trees] have been cut down. Those glorious/great trees have been destroyed. The oak trees in the Bashan [region] should also wail, because the other trees in the forest have been cut down.

3 A bu a rhoelrha pah dongah boiva aka dawn kah rhungol olthang mah, Jordan kah hoemdamnah a rhoelrha pah dongah sathuengca kah kawknah ol rhoe mah.

And listen to the shepherds crying because the fertile pastures have been ruined. Listen to the lions roar; they roar because the delightful forest [where they live] near the Jordan [River] has been ruined.

4 Kai kah Pathen Yahweh loh he ni a thui. Ngawnnah dongkah boiva te luem sak laeh.

This is what Yahweh my God said [to me]: “[I want you to] become a shepherd for a flock [of sheep that are about] to be slaughtered.

5 Amih kah a ngawn a lai uh dae a boe uh moenih. Amih aka yoi tah BOEIPA te a uem uh tih, “Ka boei,” a ti uh. Te dongah amih aka dawn long khaw amih te lungma ti pawh.

The people who are going to buy the sheep will kill the sheep, and they will not be punished. Those who are selling the sheep say, ‘[I] praise Yahweh, [because] I will become rich!’ Even the shepherds do not feel sorry for the sheep.

6 Te dongah diklai khosa rhoek soah lungma ka ti voel moenih. He tah BOEIPA kah olphong ni. Kai loh hlang te ka yan coeng. Hlang boeih he a hui kut dongah, a manghai kut dongah ka tloeng. Te vaengah khohmuen te a soek uh akhaw amih kut lamloh ka huul mahpawh.

And similarly, I no longer feel sorry for the people of this country. I am going to allow many of them [HYP] to be captured by other people or by their king. Those who capture them will ruin this country, and I will not rescue any [of the people].”

7 Boiva he a mang a daeng tangkhuet dongah ngawnnah kah boiva te ka luem puei. Kamah loh conghol panit ka loh tih pakhat te mueithen ka sui, pakhat te cabol ka sui tih boiva te ka luem puei.

So I became the shepherd of a flock [of sheep that were about] to be slaughtered [for their meat to be sold] to the dealers. [I took good care of the sheep, even the ones that were the weakest sheep. Then] I took two [shepherds’] /walking sticks). I named the one [staff] ‘Kindness’ and the other [staff] ‘Union’. And I took good care of the sheep.

8 Hla khat ah boiva aka dawn pathum ka thup. Amih taengah ka hinglu pawn tih amih hinglu long khaw kai he n'tuei.

But the three shepherds [who had been working with me] detested me, and I became impatient with them. Within one month I (dismissed/got rid of) those shepherds.

9 Te phoeiah, “Nangmih te kan luem puei mahpawh. Aka duek te duek saeh lamtah aka pat tah pat mai saeh. A sueng khaw huta loh a hui kah a saa te ca ngawn saeh,” ka ti.

So I said [to the dealers], “I will no [longer] be the shepherd. I will allow the ones that are dying to die. I will allow the ones that are getting lost to get lost. And I will not prevent those that remain from destroying each other.”

10 Te phoeiah kamah kah conghol mueithen te ka loh tih ka paipi aka phae taengah ka khaem pah. Te kah te pilnam boeih neh ka saii.

Then I took the staff that I had named ‘Kindness’ and I broke it. [That showed that Yahweh] was annulling/canceling the agreement that he had made with all the people-groups.

11 Te khohnin ah a phae coeng. Te dongah boiva mang aka daeng sak loh kai aka ngaithuen BOEIPA kah ol ni tila a ming uh van.

So that agreement was ended immediately. And the men who bought and sold sheep who were watching me knew [by seeing what I was doing] that I was giving them a message from Yahweh.

12 Te phoeiah amih te, “Na mik dongah a then mak atah ka thapang m'pae uh lamtah a then pawt atah paa uh,” ka ti nah. Te dongah ka thapang tangka sawmthum han sang uh.

I told them, “If you think it is what you should do, pay me [for taking care of the sheep]. If you do not think that is what you should do, do not pay me.” So they paid me [only] 30 pieces of silver.

13 Te vaengah BOEIPA loh kai te, “Umponah tangpueng tah amsai hamla voeih pah,” a ti. Amih taeng lamkah tah ka kueinah dongah tangka sawmthum ka khuen tih BOEIPA im kah imsa taengah ka voeih pah.

Then Yahweh said to me, “[That is a ridiculously small amount of money that they have paid you]! [So] throw it to the man who makes clay pots!” So I took the silver to the temple of Yahweh, and I threw it in the chest where the offerings/money is kept.

14 Te phoeiah Judah laklo neh Israel laklo kah pacaboeina te paa sak hamla kamah kah conghol pabae, cabol te ka khaem.

Then I broke my second staff, [the one that I named] ‘Union’. That [indicated that] Judah and Israel would no longer be united.

15 Te phoeiah BOEIPA loh kai taengah, “Tu dawn ang kah hnopai te namah loh koep loh pah.

Then Yahweh said to me, “Take again the things that a foolish shepherd uses,

16 Khohmuen ah tu aka dawn ka thoh coeng ne. Aka ving khaw tae pawt vetih a ca khaw toem mahpawh, aka khaem khaw toi mahpawh, aka pai khaw cangbam mahpawh. Tedae a saa toitup te a caak vetih a khomae a maeng pah ni.

because I am going to appoint a new king for the people, [one who will not take care of my people. He will be like a foolish shepherd]: [MET] He will not take care of those who are dying, those who are very young, those who have been injured, or those who do not have enough food. Instead, he will [treat them very cruelly, like a shepherd who would] [MET] kill and eat the best sheep and tear off their hoofs.

17 Anunae, a honghi la aka dawn tih boiva aka hnoo aih. A ban neh a bantang mik dongah cunghang tlaeh ni. A ban te koh la koh saeh lamtah a bantang mik hmang la hmang saeh,” a ti.

But terrible things will happen to that foolish/useless king who abandons the people [MET] over whom he rules. [His enemies] will strike his arm and his right eye with their swords. [The result will be that] he will have no strength in his arm, and his right eye will become completely blind.”