Ezekiel 34

1 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

And there is a word of YHWH to me, saying,

2 “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Woe to the shepherds of Israel, who only feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed their flock?

“Son of man, prophesy concerning shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and you have said to them, Thus said Lord YHWH to the shepherds: Woe [to] the shepherds of Israel, Who have been feeding themselves! Do the shepherds not feed the flock?

3 You eat the fat, wear the wool, and butcher the fattened sheep, but you do not feed the flock.

You eat the fat, and you put on the wool, You slaughter the fed one, You do not feed the flock.

4 You have not strengthened the weak, healed the sick, bound up the injured, brought back the strays, or searched for the lost. Instead, you have ruled them with violence and cruelty.

You have not strengthened the weak, And you have not healed the sick one, And you have not bound up the broken, And have not brought back the driven away, And you have not sought the lost, And you have ruled them with might and with rigor.

5 They were scattered for lack of a shepherd, and when they were scattered they became food for all the wild beasts.

And they are scattered from want of a shepherd, And are for food to every beast of the field, Indeed, they are scattered.

6 My flock went astray on all the mountains and every high hill. They were scattered over the face of all the earth, with no one to search for them or seek them out.’

My flock goes astray on all the mountains, And on every high hill, And My flock has been scattered on [the] whole face of the earth, And there is none inquiring, and none seeking.

7 Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD:

Therefore, shepherds, hear a word of YHWH:

8 ‘As surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, because My flock lacks a shepherd and has become prey and food for every wild beast, and because My shepherds did not search for My flock but fed themselves instead,

[As] I live—a declaration of Lord YHWH, If not, because of My flock being for a prey, Indeed, My flock is for food to every beast of the field, Because there is no shepherd, And My shepherds have not sought My flock, And the shepherds feed themselves, And they have not fed My flock.

9 therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD!’

Therefore, O shepherds, hear a word of YHWH!

10 This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will demand from them My flock and remove them from tending the flock, so that they can no longer feed themselves. For I will deliver My flock from their mouths, and it will no longer be food for them.’

Thus said Lord YHWH: Behold, I [am] against the shepherds, And have required My flock from their hand, And caused them to cease from feeding the flock, And the shepherds feed themselves no more, And I have delivered My flock from their mouth, And they are not for food to them.

11 For this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Behold, I Myself will search for My flock and seek them out.

For thus said Lord YHWH: Behold, I—even I, have required My flock, And I have sought it out.

12 As a shepherd looks for his scattered sheep when he is among the flock, so I will look for My flock. I will rescue them from all the places to which they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness.

As a shepherd’s searching of his drove, In the day of his being in the midst of his scattered flock, so I seek My flock, And have delivered them out of all places, To where they have been scattered, In a day of cloud and thick darkness.

13 I will bring them out from the peoples, gather them from the countries, and bring them into their own land. I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines, and in all the settlements of the land.

And I have brought them out from the peoples, And have gathered them from the lands, And brought them to their own ground, And have fed them on mountains of Israel, By streams, and by all dwellings of the land.

14 I will feed them in good pasture, and the lofty mountains of Israel will be their grazing land. There they will lie down in a good grazing land; they will feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel.

I feed them with good pasture, And their habitation is on mountains of the high place of Israel, There they lie down in a good habitation, And they enjoy fat pastures on mountains of Israel.

15 I will tend My flock and make them lie down, declares the Lord GOD.

I feed My flock, and cause them to lie down, A declaration of Lord YHWH.

16 I will seek the lost, bring back the strays, bind up the broken, and strengthen the weak; but the sleek and strong I will destroy. I will shepherd them with justice.’

I seek the lost, and bring back the driven away, And I bind up the broken, and I strengthen the sick, And I destroy the fat and the strong, I feed it with judgment.

17 This is what the Lord GOD says to you, My flock: ‘I will judge between one sheep and another, between the rams and the goats.

And you, My flock, thus said Lord YHWH: Behold, I am judging between sheep and sheep, Between rams and male goats.

18 Is it not enough for you to feed on the good pasture? Must you also trample the rest of the pasture with your feet? Is it not enough for you to drink the clear waters? Must you also muddy the rest with your feet?

Is it a little thing for you—[that] you enjoy the good pasture, And tread down the remnant of your pasture with your feet, And drink a depth of waters, And trample the remainder with your feet,

19 Why must My flock feed on what your feet have trampled, and drink what your feet have muddied?’

And My flock consumes the trodden thing of your feet, And drinks the trampled thing of your feet?

20 Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says to them: ‘Behold, I Myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep.

Therefore, thus said Lord YHWH to them: Behold, I—even I, have judged between fat sheep and lean sheep.

21 Since you shove with flank and shoulder, butting all the weak ones with your horns until you have scattered them abroad,

Because you thrust away with side and with shoulder, And push all the diseased with your horns, Until you have scattered them to the out-place,

22 I will save My flock, and they will no longer be prey. I will judge between one sheep and another.

Therefore I have given safety to My flock, And they are not for prey anymore, And I have judged between sheep and sheep.

23 I will appoint over them one shepherd, My servant David, and he will feed them. He will feed them and be their shepherd.

And have raised up one shepherd over them, And he has fed them—My servant David, He feeds them, and he is their shepherd,

24 I, the LORD, will be their God, and My servant David will be a prince among them. I, the LORD, have spoken.

And I, YHWH, I am their God, And My servant David [is] prince in their midst, I, YHWH, have spoken.

25 I will make with them a covenant of peace and rid the land of wild animals, so that they may dwell securely in the wilderness and sleep in the forest.

And I have made a covenant of peace with them, And caused evil beasts to cease out of the land, And they have dwelt confidently in a wilderness, And they have slept in forests.

26 I will make them and the places around My hill a blessing. I will send down showers in season—showers of blessing.

And I have given them, and the outskirts of My hill, a blessing, And caused the shower to come down in its season, They are showers of blessing.

27 The trees of the field will give their fruit, and the land will yield its produce; My flock 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 delivered them from the hands that enslaved them.

And the tree of the field has given its fruit, And the land gives her increase, And they have been confident on their land, And they have known that I [am] YHWH, In My breaking the bands of their yoke, And I have delivered them from the hand of those laying service on them.

28 They will no longer be prey for the nations, and the beasts of the earth will not consume them. They will dwell securely, and no one will frighten them.

And they are no longer a prey to nations, And the beast of the earth does not devour them, And they have dwelt confidently, And there is none troubling.

29 And I will raise up for them a garden of renown, and they will no longer be victims of famine in the land or bear the scorn of the nations.

And I have raised a plantation of renown for them, And they are no longer consumed by hunger in the land, And they no longer bear the shame of the nations.

30 Then they will know that I, the LORD their God, am with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are My people,’ declares the Lord GOD.

And they have known that I, YHWH, their God, [am] with them, And they—the house of Israel—My people, A declaration of Lord YHWH.

31 ‘You are My flock, the sheep of My pasture, My people, and I am your God,’ declares the Lord GOD.”

And you, My flock, the flock of My pasture, You [are] men [and] I [am] your God, A declaration of Lord YHWH!”