< Ezekiel 34 >
1 The LORD’s word came to me, saying,
And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:
2 “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy, and tell them, even the shepherds, ‘The Lord GOD says: “Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the sheep?
Son of man, prophesy concerning the shepherds of Israel: prophesy, and say to the shepherds: Thus saith the Lord God: Woe to the shepherds of Israel, that fed themselves: should not the hocks be fed by the shepherds?
3 You eat the fat. You clothe yourself with the wool. You kill the fatlings, but you do not feed the sheep.
You ate the milk, and you clothed yourselves with the wool, and you killed that which was fat: but my flock you did not feed.
4 You have not strengthened the diseased. You have not healed that which was sick. You have not bound up that which was broken. You have not brought back that which was driven away. You have not sought that which was lost, but you have ruled over them with force and with rigor.
The weak you have not strengthened, and that which was sick you have not healed, that which was broken you have not bound up, and that which was driven away you have not brought again, neither have you sought that which was lost: but you ruled over them with rigour, and with a high hand.
5 They were scattered, because there was no shepherd. They became food to all the animals of the field, and were scattered.
And my sheep were scattered, because there was no shepherd: and they became the prey of all the beasts of the field, and were scattered.
6 My sheep wandered through all the mountains and on every high hill. Yes, my sheep were scattered on all the surface of the earth. There was no one who searched or sought.”
My sheep have wandered in every mountain, and in every high hill: and my flocks mere scattered upon the face of the earth, and there was none that sought them, there was none, I say, that sought them.
7 “‘Therefore, you shepherds, hear the LORD’s word:
Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord:
8 “As I live,” says the Lord GOD, “surely because my sheep became a prey, and my sheep became food to all the animals of the field, because there was no shepherd, and my shepherds did not search for my sheep, but the shepherds fed themselves, and did not feed my sheep,
As I live, saith the Lord God, forasmuch as my flocks have been made a spoil, and my sheep are become a prey to all the beasts of the field, because there was no shepherd: for my shepherds did not seek after my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my flocks:
9 therefore, you shepherds, hear the LORD’s word!”
Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord:
10 The Lord GOD says: “Behold, I am against the shepherds. I will require my sheep at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the sheep. The shepherds will not feed themselves any more. I will deliver my sheep from their mouth, that they may not be food for them.”
Thus saith the Lord God: Behold I myself come upon the shepherds, I will require my hock at their hand, and I will cause them to cease from feeding the flock any more, neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more: and I will deliver my flock from their mouth, and it shall no more be meat for them.
11 “‘For the Lord GOD says: “Behold, I myself, even I, will search for my sheep, and will seek them out.
For thus saith the Lord God: Behold I myself will seek my sheep, and will visit them.
12 As a shepherd seeks out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered abroad, so I will seek out my sheep. I will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.
As the shepherd visiteth his hock in the day when he shall be in the midst of his sheep that were scattered, so will I visit my sheep, and will deliver them out of all the places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.
13 I will bring them out from the peoples, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land. I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the watercourses, and in all the inhabited places of the country.
And I will bring them out from the peoples, and will gather them out of the countries, and will bring them to their own land: and I will feed them in the mountains of Israel, by the rivers, and in all the habitations of the land.
14 I will feed them with good pasture, and their fold will be on the mountains of the height of Israel. There they will lie down in a good fold. They will feed on rich pasture on the mountains of Israel.
I will feed them in the most fruitful pastures, and their pastures shall be in the high mountains of Israel: there shall they rest on the green grass, and be fed in fat pastures upon the mountains of Israel.
15 I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will cause them to lie down,” says the Lord GOD.
I will feed my sheep: and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord God.
16 “I will seek that which was lost, and will bring back 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 in justice.”’
I will seek that which was lost: and that which was driven away, I will bring again: and I will bind up that which was broken, and I will strengthen that which was weak, and that which was fat and strong I will preserve: and I will feed them in judgment.
17 “As for you, O my flock, the Lord GOD says: ‘Behold, I judge between sheep and sheep, the rams and the male goats.
And as for you, O my flocks, thus saith the Lord God: Behold I judge between cattle and cattle, of rams and of he goats.
18 Does it seem a small thing to you to have fed on the good pasture, but you must tread down with your feet the residue of your pasture? And to have drunk of the clear waters, but must you foul the residue with your feet?
Was it not enough for you to feed upon good pastures? but you must also tread down with your feet the residue of your pastures: and when you drank the dearest water, you troubled the rest with your feet.
19 As for my sheep, they eat that which you have trodden with your feet, and they drink that which you have fouled with your feet.’
And my sheep were fed with that which you had trodden with your feet: and they drank what your feet had troubled.
20 “Therefore the Lord GOD says to them: ‘Behold, I, even I, will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep.
Therefore thus saith the Lord God to you: Behold, I myself will judge between the fat cattle and the lean.
21 Because you thrust with side and with shoulder, and push all the diseased with your horns, until you have scattered them abroad,
Because you thrusted with sides and shoulders, and struck all the weak cattle with your horns, till they were scattered abroad:
22 therefore I will save my flock, and they will no more be a prey. I will judge between sheep and sheep.
I will save my dock, and it shall be no more a spoil, and I will judge between cattle and cattle.
23 I will set up one shepherd over them, and he will feed them, even my servant David. He will feed them, and he will be their shepherd.
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 I, the LORD, will be their God, and my servant David prince among them. I, the LORD, have spoken it.
And I the Lord will be their God: and my servant David the prince in the midst of them: I the Lord have spoken it.
25 “‘I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause evil animals to cease out of the land. They will dwell securely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods.
And I will make a covenant of peace with them, and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land: and they that dwell in the wilderness shall sleep secure in the forests.
26 I will make them and the places around my hill a blessing. I will cause the shower to come down in its season. There will be showers of blessing.
And I will make them a blessing round about my hill: and I will send down the rain in its season, there shall be showers of blessing.
27 The tree of the field will yield its fruit, and the earth will yield its increase, and they will be secure in their land. Then they will know that I am the LORD, when I have broken the bars of their yoke, and have delivered them out of the hand of those who made slaves of them.
And the tree of the field shall yield its fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase, and they shall be in their land without fear: and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall have broken the bonds of their yoke, and shall have delivered them out of the hand of those that rule over them.
28 They will no more be a prey to the nations, neither will the animals of the earth devour them; but they will dwell securely, and no one will make them afraid.
And they shall be no more for a spoil to the nations, neither shall the beasts of the earth devour them: but they shall dwell securely without any terror.
29 I will raise up to them a plantation for renown, and they will no more be consumed with famine in the land, and not bear the shame of the nations any more.
And I will raise up for them a bud of renown: and they shall be no more consumed with famine in the land, neither shall they bear any more the reproach of the Gentiles.
30 They will know that I, the LORD, their God am with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are my people, says the Lord GOD.
And they shall know that I the Lord their God am with them, and that they are my people the house of Israel: saith the Lord God.
31 You my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, are men, and I am your God,’ says the Lord GOD.”
And you my flocks, the flocks of my pasture are men: and I am the Lord your God, saith the Lord God.