Ezekiel 34

1 And there is a word of YHWH to me, saying,

Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying,

2 “Son of man, prophesy concerning shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and you have said to them, Thus said Lord YHWH to the shepherds: Woe [to] the shepherds of Israel, Who have been feeding themselves! Do the shepherds not feed the flock?

“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 eat the fat, and you put on the wool, You slaughter the fed one, You do not feed the flock.

You eat the fatty portions and you dress in wool. You slaughter the fatlings of the flock. You do not shepherd at all.

4 You have not strengthened the weak, And you have not healed the sick one, And you have not bound up the broken, And have not brought back the driven away, And you have not sought the lost, And you have ruled them with might and with rigor.

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 they are scattered from want of a shepherd, And are for food to every beast of the field, Indeed, they are scattered.

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 flock goes astray on all the mountains, And on every high hill, And My flock has been scattered on [the] whole face of the earth, And there is none inquiring, and none seeking.

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 Therefore, shepherds, hear a word of YHWH:

Therefore, shepherds, hear the word of Yahweh:

8 [As] I live—a declaration of Lord YHWH, If not, because of My flock being for a prey, Indeed, My flock is for food to every beast of the field, Because there is no shepherd, And My shepherds have not sought My flock, And the shepherds feed themselves, And they have not fed My flock.

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 Therefore, O shepherds, hear a word of YHWH!

Therefore, shepherds, hear the word of Yahweh:

10 Thus said Lord YHWH: Behold, I [am] against the shepherds, And have required My flock from their hand, And caused them to cease from feeding the flock, And the shepherds feed themselves no more, And I have delivered My flock from their mouth, And they are not for food to 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 said Lord YHWH: Behold, I—even I, have required My flock, And I have sought it out.

For the Lord Yahweh says this: Behold! I myself will seek out my flock and I will look after them,

12 As a shepherd’s searching of his drove, In the day of his being in the midst of his scattered flock, so I seek My flock, And have delivered them out of all places, To where they have been scattered, In a day of cloud and thick 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 have brought them out from the peoples, And have gathered them from the lands, And brought them to their own ground, And have fed them on mountains of Israel, By streams, and by all dwellings 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 feed them with good pasture, And their habitation is on mountains of the high place of Israel, There they lie down in a good habitation, And they enjoy fat pastures on 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 feed My flock, and cause them to lie down, A declaration of Lord YHWH.

I myself will shepherd my flock, and I myself will make them lie down—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration—

16 I seek the lost, and bring back the driven away, And I bind up the broken, and I strengthen the sick, And I destroy the fat and the strong, I feed it with 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 And you, My flock, thus said Lord YHWH: Behold, I am judging between sheep and sheep, Between rams and male 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 Is it a little thing for you—[that] you enjoy the good pasture, And tread down the remnant of your pasture with your feet, And drink a depth of waters, And trample 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 flock consumes the trodden thing of your feet, And drinks the trampled thing of your feet?

Must my sheep eat what you have trampled with your feet, and drink what you have muddied with your feet?

20 Therefore, thus said Lord YHWH to them: Behold, I—even I, have judged between fat sheep and lean sheep.

Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this to them: Behold! I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the thin ones,

21 Because you thrust away with side and with shoulder, And push all the diseased with your horns, Until you have scattered them to the out-place,

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 Therefore I have given safety to My flock, And they are not for prey anymore, And I have judged between sheep and sheep.

I will save my flock and they will no longer be plunder, and I will judge between one sheep and another!

23 And have raised up one shepherd over them, And he has fed them—My servant David, He feeds them, and he is 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, YHWH, I am their God, And My servant David [is] prince in their midst, I, YHWH, 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 have made a covenant of peace with them, And caused evil beasts to cease out of the land, And they have dwelt confidently in a wilderness, And they have slept in 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 have given them, and the outskirts of My hill, a blessing, And caused the shower to come down in its season, They are 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 has given its fruit, And the land gives her increase, And they have been confident on their land, And they have known that I [am] YHWH, In My breaking the bands of their yoke, And I have delivered them from the hand of those laying service on 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 are no longer a prey to nations, And the beast of the earth does not devour them, And they have dwelt confidently, And there is none troubling.

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 have raised a plantation of renown for them, And they are no longer consumed by hunger in the land, And they no longer bear the shame of the nations.

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 have known that I, YHWH, their God, [am] with them, And they—the house of Israel—My people, A declaration of Lord YHWH.

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 And you, My flock, the flock of My pasture, You [are] men [and] I [am] your God, A declaration of Lord YHWH!”

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.'”