Ezekiel 34

1 A message from the Lord came to me, saying,

And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

2 “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds who lead Israel. Prophesy and tell them that this is what the Lord God says: Disaster is coming to the shepherds of Israel, who only look after themselves, and not the sheep! Shouldn't shepherds make sure their flock is fed?

Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto the shepherds; Woe [be] to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks?

3 You eat the cream, you use the wool for clothes, and you slaughter the fattened sheep, but you don't feed the flock.

Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: [but] ye feed not the flock.

4 You haven't taken care of the weak, healed the sick, bandaged the injured, brought home the strays, or looked for the lost. On the contrary, you ruled them using violence and cruelty.

The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up [that which was] broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them.

5 They were scattered because they didn't have a shepherd. When they scattered they were preyed on by all the wild animals for food.

And they were scattered, because [there is] no shepherd: and they became meat to all the beasts of the field, when they were scattered.

6 My sheep strayed, going to all the mountains and high hills. They were scattered everywhere, and there was no one to go and look for them.

My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill: yea, my flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek [after them].

7 So, you shepherds, listen to what the Lord has to say:

Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD;

8 As I live, declares the Lord God, because my sheep didn't have a shepherd and were preyed on by all the wild animals for food, and because my shepherds didn't look after my sheep but instead only fed themselves,

[As] I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely because my flock became a prey, and my flock became meat to every beast of the field, because [there was] no shepherd, neither did my shepherds search for my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my flock;

9 so, you shepherds, you listen to what the Lord has to say!

Therefore, O ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD;

10 This is what the Lord God says: Watch out, because I'm condemning the shepherds, and I will take my sheep back and stop them looking after the sheep so they won't be able to feed themselves anymore. I will take away my sheep from them, and I won't let them eat the sheep anymore.

Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I [am] against the shepherds; and I will require my flock at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the flock; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more; for I will deliver my flock from their mouth, that they may not be meat for them.

11 For this is what the Lord God says: Watch as I myself will go looking for my sheep, searching to find them.

For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, [even] I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out.

12 Just like a shepherd goes looking for his lost sheep when he is with the flock, so I will look for my sheep. I will rescue them from everywhere they were scattered on a dark and dismal day.

As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep [that are] scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.

13 I will take them out from among the other nations. I will gather them from the different countries, and bring them back to their own country. Like a shepherd I will have them feed them on the mountains of Israel, in the valleys and everywhere that people live in the country.

And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the country.

14 I will provide them with good pasture and places to graze in the high mountains of Israel. They will also be able to rest there in the good pasture and in the places to graze in mountains of Israel.

I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie in a good fold, and [in] a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel.

15 I myself will look after my sheep and give them a place to rest, declares the Lord God.

I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord GOD.

16 I will go looking for the lost, bring home the strays, bandage the injured, and strengthen the weak. However, I will destroy those who are fat and strong. Because I do what's right, I will be sure to take care of them.

I will seek that which was lost, and bring again 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 with judgment.

17 My flock, this is what the Lord God says to you: Watch, because I will judge between one sheep and the next, between the rams and the goats.

And [as for] you, O my flock, thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I judge between cattle and cattle, between the rams and the he goats.

18 Aren't you satisfied with feeding in good pasture? Do you have to trample down the rest of the pasture with your feet? Aren't you satisfied to drink the clear water? Do you have to muddy the rest of it with your feet?

[Seemeth it] a small thing unto you to have eaten up the good pasture, but ye must tread down with your feet the residue of your pastures? and to have drunk of the deep waters, but ye must foul the residue with your feet?

19 Why does my flock have to feed on what your feet have trampled down, and drink the water that your feet have muddied?

And [as for] my flock, they eat that which ye have trodden with your feet; and they drink that which ye have fouled with your feet.

20 That's why the Lord God says to them: Watch, because I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the skinny sheep.

Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD unto them; Behold, I, [even] I, will judge between the fat cattle and between the lean cattle.

21 Since you push others around with your sides and your shoulders, and use your horns to attack all the weak ones until you have chased them away,

Because ye have thrust with side and with shoulder, and pushed all the diseased with your horns, till ye have scattered them abroad;

22 I will rescue my flock, and they will no longer be your victims. I will judge between one sheep and the next.

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

23 I will put one shepherd in charge of them, my servant David, and he will take care of them. He will take care of them and 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 will be their leader. I the Lord have spoken.

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

25 I will make an agreement of peace with them, and get rid of the wild animals from the country, so that they can live safely in the wilderness and sleep securely in the forest.

And I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land: and they shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods.

26 I will bless them and everywhere around my hill. I will send rain at the right time. They will be showers of blessing.

And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing.

27 The trees in the orchards will produce their fruit; the earth will grow its crops; and my flock will be live in safety in their country. Then they will know that I am the Lord, when I break their yokes of slavery, and set them free from those who made them slaves.

And the tree of the field shall yield her fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase, and they shall be safe in their land, and shall know that I [am] the LORD, when I have broken the bands of their yoke, and delivered them out of the hand of those that served themselves of them.

28 They won't be the victims of other nations anymore, and wild animals won't eat them. They will live in safety, and no one will terrorize them.

And they shall no more be a prey to the heathen, neither shall the beast of the land devour them; but they shall dwell safely, and none shall make [them] afraid.

29 I will make their fields produce remarkable harvests, and they won't suffer famine in their country again or be mocked by others.

And I will raise up for them a plant of renown, and they shall be no more consumed with hunger in the land, neither bear the shame of the heathen any more.

30 Then they will know that I am with them as the Lord their God, and that the people of Israel belong to me, declares the Lord God.

Thus shall they know that I the LORD their God [am] with them, and [that] they, [even] the house of Israel, [are] my people, saith the Lord GOD.

31 You are my sheep, the sheep that I feed. You are my people, and I am your God, declares the Lord God.”

And ye my flock, the flock of my pasture, [are] men, [and] I [am] your God, saith the Lord GOD.