< Ezekiel 34 >

1 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:
Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying,
2 “Son of man, prophesy about the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy, and you shall say to the shepherds: Thus says the Lord God: Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the flocks be fed by the shepherds?
“Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and say to them, 'The Lord Yahweh says this to the shepherds: Woe to the shepherds of Israel who are shepherding themselves. Should not shepherds guard the flock?
3 You consumed the milk, and you covered yourselves with the wool, and you killed what was fattened. But my flock you did not feed.
You eat the fatty portions and you dress in wool. You slaughter the fatlings of the flock. You do not shepherd at all.
4 What was weak, you have not strengthened, and what was sick, you have not healed. What was broken, you have not bound, and what was cast aside, you have not led back again, and what was lost, you have not sought. Instead, you ruled over them with severity and with power.
You have not strengthened those who have diseases, nor do you heal the ones who are ill. You do not bind up the ones who are broken, and you do not restore the outcasts or seek the lost. Instead, you rule over them through strength and violence.
5 And my sheep were scattered, because there was no shepherd. And they became devoured by all the wild beasts of the field, and they were dispersed.
Then they were scattered without a shepherd, and they became food for all the living beasts in the fields, after they were scattered.
6 My sheep have wandered to every mountain and to every exalted hill. And my flocks have been scattered across the face of the earth. And there was no one who sought them; there was no one, I say, who sought them.
My flock strays on all of the mountains and on every high hill, and it is dispersed over the entire surface of the earth. Yet no one is searching for them.
7 Because of this, O shepherds, listen to the word of the Lord:
Therefore, shepherds, hear the word of Yahweh:
8 As I live, says the Lord God, since my flocks have become a prey, and my sheep have been devoured by all the wild beasts of the field, since there was no shepherd, for my shepherds did not seek my flock, but instead the shepherds fed themselves, and they did not feed my flocks:
As I live—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration—because my flock has become plunder and food for all the beasts in the fields, because there was no shepherd and none of my shepherds sought my flock, but the shepherds guarded themselves and did not shepherd my flock.
9 because of this, O shepherds, listen to the word of the Lord:
Therefore, shepherds, hear the word of Yahweh:
10 Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I myself will be over the shepherds. I will require my flock at their hand, and I will cause them to cease, so that they no longer refrain from feeding the flock. Neither will the shepherds feed themselves any more. And I will deliver my flock from their mouth; and it will no longer be food for them.
The Lord Yahweh says this: Behold! I am against the shepherds, and I will require my flock from their hand. Then I will dismiss them from shepherding the flock; neither will the shepherds any longer shepherd themselves since I will take away my flock from their mouths, so that my flock will no longer be food for them.
11 For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I myself will seek my sheep, and I myself will visit them.
For the Lord Yahweh says this: Behold! I myself will seek out my flock and I will look after them,
12 Just as a shepherd visits his flock, in the day when he will be in the midst of his sheep that were scattered, so will I visit my sheep. And I will deliver them from all the places to which they had been scattered in the day of gloom and darkness.
like a shepherd seeking his flock on the day he is within the midst of his scattered flock. Thus I will seek my flock, and I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on the day of clouds and darkness.
13 And I will lead them away from the peoples, and I will gather them from the lands, and I will bring them into their own land. And I will pasture them on the mountains of Israel, by the rivers, and in all the settlements of the land.
Then I will bring them out from among the peoples; I will gather them from the lands and bring them to their land. I will put them in pastures on the mountainsides of Israel, by the streams, and in every settlement in the land.
14 I will feed them in very fertile pastures, and their pastures will be on the lofty mountains of Israel. There they will rest on the green grass, and they will be fed in the fat pastures, on the mountains of Israel.
I will put them in good pastures; the high mountains of Israel will be their grazing places. They will lie down there in good places for grazing, in abundant pastures, and they will graze on the mountains of Israel.
15 I will feed my sheep, and I will cause them to lie down, says the Lord God.
I myself will shepherd my flock, and I myself will make them lie down—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration—
16 I will seek what had been lost. And I will lead back again what had been cast aside. And I will bind up what had been broken. And I will strengthen what had been infirm. And I will preserve what was fat and strong. And I will feed them on judgment.
I will seek the lost and restore the outcast. I will bind up the broken sheep and heal the sick sheep but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd with justice.
17 But as for you, O my flocks, thus says the Lord God: Behold, I judge between cattle and cattle, among rams and among he-goats.
So now you, my flock—this is what the Lord Yahweh says—behold, I will be a judge between sheep and sheep and between rams and male goats.
18 Was it not enough for you to feed upon good pastures? For you even trample with your feet upon the remainder of your pastures. And when you drank the purist water, you disturbed the remainder with your feet.
Is it not enough to feed on the good pasture, that you must trample down with your feet what is left of the pasture; and to drink from clear waters, that you must muddy the rivers with your feet?
19 And my sheep were pastured from what you had trampled with your feet, and they drank from what your feet had disturbed.
Must my sheep eat what you have trampled with your feet, and drink what you have muddied with your feet?
20 Because of this, thus says the Lord God to you: Behold, I myself am judging between the fat cattle and the lean.
Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this to them: Behold! I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the thin ones,
21 For you have pushed with your sides and shoulders, and you have threatened all the weak cattle with your horns, until they were scattered abroad.
for you have pushed them with your sides and shoulders, and you have gored all of the weak ones with your horns until you have scattered them away from the land.
22 I will save my flock, and it will no longer be a prey, and I will judge between cattle and cattle.
I will save my flock and they will no longer be plunder, and I will judge between one sheep and another!
23 And I will raise up over them ONE SHEPHERD, who will feed them, my servant David. He himself will feed them, and he will be their shepherd.
I will set over them one shepherd, my servant David. He will shepherd them, he will feed them, and he will be their shepherd.
24 And I, the Lord, will be their God. And my servant David will be the leader in their midst. I, the Lord, have spoken.
For I, Yahweh, will be their God, and my servant David will be a prince among them—I, Yahweh, have declared this.
25 And I will make a covenant of peace with them. And I will cause the very harmful beasts to cease from the land. And those who are living in the desert will sleep securely in the forests.
Then I will make a covenant of peace with them and remove the evil wild animals from the land, so that they will live securely in the wilderness and safely sleep in the forests.
26 And I will make them a blessing all around my hill. And I will send the rain in due time; there will be showers of blessing.
I will also bring blessings on them and on the places around my hill, for I will send out showers in due season. These will be showers of blessing.
27 And the tree of the field will yield its fruit, and the land will yield its crop. And they will be in their own land without fear. And they shall know that I am the Lord, when I will have crushed the chains of their yoke, and when I will have rescued them from the hand of those who rule over them.
Then the trees of the field will produce their fruit, and the earth will yield its produce. My sheep will be secure in their land; then they will know that I am Yahweh, when I break the bars of their yoke, and when I rescue them from the hand of those who enslaved them.
28 And they will no longer be a prey to the Gentiles, nor will the wild beasts of the earth devour them. Instead, they will live in confidence without any terror.
They will no longer be plunder for the nations, and the wild animals on the earth will no longer devour them. For they will live securely, and no one will frighten them.
29 And I will raise up for them a renowned branch. And they will be no longer be diminished by famine in the land, nor will they carry any longer the reproach of the Gentiles.
For I will provide them a land known for its crops; so they will not be victims of famine in the land, and they will not bear the scorn of the nations.
30 And they shall know that I, the Lord their God, am with them, and that they are my people, the house of Israel, says the Lord God.
Then they will know that I, Yahweh their God, am with them. They are my people, the house of Israel—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.
31 For you are my flocks; the flocks of my pasture are men. And I am the Lord your God, says the Lord God.”
For you are my sheep, the flock of my pasture, and my people, and I am your God—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.'”

< Ezekiel 34 >