Ezekiel 34

1 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

The LORD’s word came to me, saying,

2 Son of man, be a prophet against the keepers of the flock of Israel, and say to them, O keepers of the sheep! this is the word of the Lord: A curse is on the keepers of the flock of Israel who take the food for themselves! is it not right for the keepers to give the food to the sheep?

“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! Shouldn’t the shepherds feed the sheep?

3 You take the milk and are clothed with the wool, you put the fat beasts to death, but you give the sheep no food.

You eat the fat. You clothe yourself with the wool. You kill the fatlings, but you don’t feed the sheep.

4 You have not made the diseased ones strong or made well that which was ill; you have not put bands on the broken or got back that which had been sent away or made search for the wandering ones; and the strong you have been ruling cruelly.

You haven’t strengthened the diseased. You haven’t healed that which was sick. You haven’t bound up that which was broken. You haven’t brought back that which was driven away. You haven’t sought that which was lost, but you have ruled over them with force and with rigor.

5 And they were wandering in every direction because there was no keeper: and they became food for all the beasts of the field.

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

6 And my sheep went out of the way, wandering through all the mountains and on every high hill: my sheep went here and there over all the face of the earth; and no one was troubled about them or went in search of them.

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.”

7 For this cause, O keepers of the flock, give ear to the word of the Lord:

“‘Therefore, you shepherds, hear the LORD’s word:

8 By my life, says the Lord, truly, because my sheep have been taken away, and my sheep became food for all the beasts of the field, because there was no keeper, and my keepers did not go in search of the sheep, but the keepers took food for themselves and gave my sheep no food;

“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 didn’t search for my sheep, but the shepherds fed themselves, and didn’t feed my sheep,

9 For this reason, O you keepers of the flock, give ear to the word of the Lord;

therefore, you shepherds, hear the LORD’s word!”

10 This is what the Lord has said: See I am against the keepers of the flock, and I will make search and see what they have done with my sheep, and will let them be keepers of my sheep no longer; and the keepers will no longer get food for themselves; I will take my sheep out of their mouths so that they may not be food for them.

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 won’t feed themselves any more. I will deliver my sheep from their mouth, that they may not be food for them.”

11 For this is what the Lord has said: Truly, I, even I, will go searching and looking for my sheep.

“‘For the Lord GOD says: “Behold, I myself, even I, will search for my sheep, and will seek them out.

12 As the keeper goes looking for his flock when he is among his wandering sheep, so I will go looking for my sheep, and will get them safely out of all the places where they have been sent wandering in the day of clouds and black night.

As a shepherd seeks out his flock in the day that he is amongst 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.

13 And I will take them out from among the peoples, and get them together from the countries, and will take them into their land; and I will give them food on the mountains of Israel by the water-streams and wherever men are living in the country.

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.

14 I will give them good grass-land for their food, and their safe place will be the mountains of the high place of Israel: there they will take their rest in a good place, and on fat grass-land they will take their food on the mountains of Israel.

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.

15 I myself will give food to my flock, and I will give them rest, says the Lord.

I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will cause them to lie down,” says the Lord GOD.

16 I will go in search of that which had gone wandering from the way, and will get back that which had been sent in flight, and will put bands on that which was broken, and give strength to that which was ill: but the fat and the strong I will give up to destruction; I will give them for their food the punishment which is theirs by right.

“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.”’

17 And as for you, O my flock, says the Lord, truly, I will be judge between sheep and sheep, the he-sheep and the he-goats.

“As for you, O my flock, the Lord GOD says: ‘Behold, I judge between sheep and sheep, the rams and the male goats.

18 Does it seem a small thing to you to have taken your food on good grass-land while the rest of your grass-land is stamped down under your feet? and that after drinking from clear waters you make the rest of the waters dirty 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 must you foul the residue with your feet?

19 And as for my sheep, their food is the grass which has been stamped on by your feet, and their drink the water which has been made dirty by your feet.

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 For this reason the Lord has said to them, Truly, I, even I, will be judge between the fat sheep and the thin sheep.

“Therefore the Lord GOD says to them: ‘Behold, I, even I, will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep.

21 Because you have been pushing with side and leg, pushing the diseased with your horns till they were sent away in every direction;

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 make my flock safe, and they will no longer be taken away, and I will be judge between sheep and sheep.

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

23 And I will put over them one keeper, and he will give them food, even my servant David; he will give them food and be their keeper.

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.

24 And I the Lord will be their God and my servant David their ruler; I the Lord have said it.

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

25 And I will make with them an agreement of peace, and will put an end to evil beasts through all the land: and they will be living safely in the waste land, sleeping in the woods.

“‘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.

26 And I will give the rain at the right time, and I will make the shower come down at the right time; there will be showers of blessing.

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.

27 And the tree of the field will give its fruit and the earth will give its increase, and they will be safe in their land; and they will be certain that I am the Lord, when I have had their yoke broken and have given them salvation from the hands of those who made them servants.

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.

28 And their goods will no longer be taken by the nations, and they will not again be food for the beasts of the earth; but they will be living safely and no one will be a cause of fear to them.

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.

29 And I will give them planting-places of peace, and they will no longer be wasted from need of food or put to shame by the nations.

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.

30 And they will be certain that I the Lord their God am with them, and that they, the children of Israel, are my people, says the Lord.

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.

31 And you are my sheep, the sheep of my grass-lands, and I am your God, says the Lord.

You my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, are men, and I am your God,’ says the Lord GOD.”