Ezekiel 34

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

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

2 Sonne of man, prophesie against the shepherdes of Israel, prophesie and say vnto them, Thus saieth the Lord God vnto the shepherds, Wo be vnto the shepherds of Israel, that feede them selues: should not the shepherds feede the flockes?

“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?

3 Yee eate the fat, and yee clothe you with the wooll: yee kill them that are fed, but ye feede not the sheepe.

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

4 The weake haue ye not strengthened: the sicke haue ye not healed, neither haue ye bounde vp the broken, nor brought againe that which was driuen away, neither haue yee sought that which was lost, but with crueltie, and with rigour haue yee ruled them.

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.

5 And they were scattered without a shepherde: and when they were dispersed, they were deuoured of all the beastes of the fielde.

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

6 My sheepe wandred through all the mountaines, and vpon euery hie hill: yea, my flocke was scattered through al the earth, and none did seeke or search after them.

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.’

7 Therefore ye shepherds, heare the woorde of the Lord.

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

8 As I liue, sayeth the Lord God, surely because my flocke was spoyled, and my sheepe were deuoured of all the beasts of the fielde, hauing no shepherde, neither did my shepherdes seeke my sheepe, but the shepherdes fedde them selues, and fedde not my sheepe,

‘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,

9 Therefore, heare ye the word of the Lord, O ye shepherds.

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

10 Thus saieth the Lord God, Behold, I come against the shepherds, and will require my sheepe at their hands, and cause them to cease from feeding the sheepe: neither shall the shepherds feede them selues any more: for I wil deliuer my sheepe from their mouthes, and they shall no more deuoure them.

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.’

11 For thus sayeth the Lord God, Beholde, I will search my sheepe, and seeke them out.

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

12 As a shepherd searcheth out his flocke, when he hath bene among his sheepe that are scattered, so wil I seeke out my sheepe and wil deliuer them out of all places, where they haue beene scattered in the cloudie and darke day,

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.

13 And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countreis, and will bring them to their owne lande, and feede them vpon the mountaines of Israel, by the riuers, and in all the inhabited places of the countrey.

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.

14 I will feede them in a good pasture, and vpon the hie mountaines of Israel shall their folde be: there shall they lie in a good folde and in fat pasture shall they feede vpon the mountaines of Israel.

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.

15 I will feede my sheepe, and bring them to their rest, sayth the Lord God.

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

16 I will seeke that which was lost, and bring againe that which was driue away, and will binde vp that which was broken, and will strengthen the weake but I wil destroy the fat and the strong, and I will feede them with iudgement.

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.’

17 Also you my sheepe, Thus saieth the Lord God, behold, I iudge betweene sheepe, and sheepe, betweene the rammes and the goates.

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.

18 Seemeth it a small thing vnto you to haue eaten vp the good pasture, but yee must treade downe with your feete the residue of your pasture? and to haue drunke of the deepe waters, but yee must trouble the residue with your feete?

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?

19 And my sheepe eate that which yee haue troden with your feete, and drinke that which ye haue troubled with your feete.

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

20 Therefore thus sayth the Lord God vnto them, behold, I, euen I wil iudge betweene the fat sheepe and the leane sheepe.

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

21 Because ye haue thrust with side and with shoulder, and pusht al the weake with your hornes, till ye haue scattered them abroade,

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

22 Therefore wil I helpe my sheepe, and they shall no more be spoyled, and I wil iudge betweene sheepe and sheepe.

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

23 And I wil set vp a shepherd ouer them, and he shall feede them, euen my seruant Dauid, he shall feede them, and he shalbe their shepherd.

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

24 And I the Lord will be their God, and my seruant Dauid shalbe the prince amog them. I the Lord haue spoken it.

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

25 And I will make with them a couenant of peace, and will cause the euil beastes to cease out of the land: and they shall dwel safely in the wildernesse, and sleepe in the woods.

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.

26 And I wil set them, as a blessing, euen roud about my mountaine: and I will cause rayne to come downe in due season, and there shalbe raine of blessing.

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

27 And the tree of the fielde shall yeeld her fruite, and the earth shall giue her fruite, and they shalbe safe in their land, and shall know that I am the Lord, when I haue broken the cordes of their yoke, and deliuered them out of the hands of those that serued themselues of them.

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.

28 And they shall no more be spoyled of the heathen, neither shall the beastes of the land deuoure them, but they shall dwell safely and none shall make them afrayd.

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.

29 And I will rayse vp for them a plant of renoume, and they shalbe no more consumed with hunger in the land, neither beare the reproche of the heathen any more.

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.

30 Thus shall they vnderstande, that I the Lord their God am with them, and that they, euen the house of Israel, are my people, sayth the Lord God.

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.

31 And yee my sheepe, the sheepe of my pasture are men, and I am your God, saith the Lord God.

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