Ezekiel 34

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

The LORD’s word came to me, saying,

2 Son of man, prophesy concerning the shepherds of Israel; prophesy, and say unto them, unto the shepherds, Thus hath said the Lord Eternal, Woe to the shepherds of Israel who do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks?

“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! Should not the shepherds feed the sheep?

3 The fat ye eat, and with the wool ye clothe yourselves, those that are well fed ye slaughter; but the flock ye feed not.

You eat the fat. You clothe yourself with the wool. You kill the fatlings, but you do not feed the sheep.

4 The diseased have ye not strengthened, and the sick have ye not healed, and that which had a limb broken have ye not bound up, and the strayed have ye not brought back again, and what was lost have ye not sought for; but with force have ye ruled them and with rigor.

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

5 And they were scattered for want of a shepherd; and they became food unto all the beasts of the field, and they were scattered.

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

6 My sheep have to wander about on all the mountains, and upon every high hill: yea, over all the face of the land are my flock scattered, and there is none that inquireth and none that seeketh [after 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 Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord,

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

8 As I live, saith the Lord Eternal, surely because my flock became a prey, and my flock became food unto every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, and my shepherds did not inquire for my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves, and my flock they fed not:

“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 did not search for my sheep, but the shepherds fed themselves, and did not feed my sheep,

9 Therefore, O ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord,

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

10 Thus hath said the Lord Eternal, Behold, I will be against the shepherds, and I will require my flock from their hand, and I will stop them from feeding the flock; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more: and I will deliver my flock out of their mouth, that they may not serve them for food.

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

11 For thus hath said the Lord Eternal, Behold, I am here, and I will both inquire for my flocks, and search for them.

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

12 As a shepherd searcheth for his flock on the day that he is among his flocks that are scattered: so will I search for my flocks; and I will deliver them out of all places whither they have been scattered on the day of clouds and [tempestuous] darkness.

As a shepherd seeks out his flock in the day that he is among 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 bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and I will bring them to their own land; and I will feed them upon the mountains of Israel, in the ravines, and in all the inhabited places of 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 On a good pasture will I feed them, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall be their fold: there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed 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 feed my flock, and I myself will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord Eternal.

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

16 That which was lost will I seek for, and that which was gone astray will I bring back again, and that which had a limb broken will I bind up, and the sick will I strengthen: but the fat and the strong will I destroy; I will feed them in 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 I will destroy the fat and the strong. I will feed them in justice.”’

17 And as for you, O my flock, thus hath said the Lord Eternal, Behold, I will judge between lamb and lamb, between the wethers 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 Is it too little for you that ye can feed on the good pasture, that ye must tread down the residue of your pastures with your feet? and that ye can drink clear waters, that ye must render muddy with your feet what is left?

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 flock, what ye have trodden with your feet must they eat; and what ye have made muddy with your feet must they drink.

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 thus hath said the Lord Eternal unto them, Behold, I am here, and I will judge between the fat lamb and the lean lamb.

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

21 Because ye thrust with side and with shoulder, and push with your horns all the diseased, till ye 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 Therefore will I save my flock, and they shall no more be a prey; and I will judge between lamb and lamb.

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 appoint over them one shepherd, and he shall feed them, namely, my servant David: he it is that shall feed them, and he it is that shall be unto them for a shepherd.

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—I will be unto them for a God, and my servant David shall be a prince in their midst: I the Lord have spoken it.

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

25 And I will make with them a covenant of peace, and I will cause the wild beasts to cease out of the land: and they shall dwell in the wilderness in safety, and sleep in the forests.

“‘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 make them and the environs of my hill a blessing; and I will cause the rain to come down in its season; rains of blessing shall they be.

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 shall yield its fruit, and the earth shall yield her products, and they shall be on their land in safety: and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I break the bands of their yoke, and deliver them out of the hand of those that had made them labor for them.

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 they shall be no more a prey to the nations, and the beasts of the land shall not devour them; but they shall dwell in safety, with none to make them afraid.

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 raise up for them a plantation for a [perpetual] renown, and they shall be no more taken away by hunger in the land, neither bear the shameful reproach of the nations any more.

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 Thus shall they experience that I the Lord their God am with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are my people, saith the Lord Eternal.

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

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