Ezekiel 34

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

The word of the LORD came 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 against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and tell them, even to the shepherds, 'Thus says the LORD: "Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves. Shouldn't the shepherds feed the sheep?

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 clothe yourself with the wool, you kill the fatlings; but you do not feed the sheep.

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 haven't strengthened the diseased, neither have you healed that which was sick, neither have you bound up that which was broken, neither have you brought back that which was driven away, neither have you sought that which was lost; but with force and with rigor you have ruled over them.

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

They were scattered, because there was no shepherd; and they became food to all the animals of the field.

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 sheep wandered through all the mountains, and on every high hill: yes, my sheep were scattered on all the surface of the earth; and there was none who searched or sought."'

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

"'"Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD:

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,' says the LORD, 'surely because my sheep became a prey, and my sheep became food to all the animals of the field, because there was no shepherd, neither did my shepherds search for my sheep, but the shepherds fed themselves, and didn't feed my sheep';

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

therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD:

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 says the LORD: 'Look, I am against the shepherds; and I will require my sheep at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the sheep; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more; and I will deliver my sheep from their mouth, that they may not be food for them.'"

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

"'For thus says the LORD: "Look, I myself, even I, will search for my sheep, and will seek them 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 seeks out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered abroad, so will I seek out my sheep; and I will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.

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.

I will bring them out from the peoples, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land; and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the watercourses, and in all the inhabited places of the country.

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 will feed them with good pasture; and on the mountains of the height of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie down in a good fold; and on fat pasture shall they feed on the mountains of Israel.

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

I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will cause them to lie down," says the LORD.

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 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 the fat and the strong I will destroy; I will feed them in justice."

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.

"'As for you, O my flock, thus says the LORD: "Look, I judge between sheep and sheep, the rams and the 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?

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 you must foul the residue with your feet?

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

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."

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 says the LORD to them: "Look, I, even I, will judge between the fat sheep and the 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 with side and with shoulder, and push all the diseased with your horns, until you have scattered them abroad;

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

therefore I will save my flock, and they shall no more be a prey; and I will judge 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.

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 will be a prince among them. I, the LORD, have spoken.

I, the LORD, will be their God, and my servant David prince among them;" I, the LORD, have spoken it.

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.

"'I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause evil animals to cease out of the land; and they shall dwell securely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods.

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

I will make them and the places around my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in its season; there shall be 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.

The tree of the field shall yield its fruit, and the earth shall yield its increase, and they shall be secure in their land; and they shall 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.

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.

They shall no more be a prey to the nations, neither shall the animals of the earth devour them; but they shall dwell securely, and none shall make them afraid.

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.

I will raise up to them a plantation for renown, and they shall be no more consumed with famine in the land, neither bear the shame of the nations any more.

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.

They shall know that I, the LORD, their God am with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are my people," says the LORD.

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

"You my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, are men, and I am your God," says the LORD.'"