Ezekiel 34

1 And the word of Yahweh came unto me, saying:

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

2 Son of man, Prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, - Prophesy, and thou shalt say unto them, even to the shepherds— Thus, saith My Lord Yahweh— Alas! for the shepherds of Israel who have been tending, themselves, Is it not the flock that the shepherds should tend?

“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 The milk, ye do eat And with the wool, ye do clothe your- selves, The well-fed, ye do sacrifice, The flock, ye do not tend

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

4 The weak, have ye not strengthened And, the sick, have ye not healed. And the torn, have ye not bound up, And that which was driven out, have ye not brought back, And that which was straying, have ye not sought out; But with force, have ye ruled them and with rigour.

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, because there was no shepherd; And they became food for every wild beast of the field. So were they scattered.

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

6 My sheep did wander through all the mountains, And over every high hill, - And over all the face of the land, were my sheep scattered, And there was none to inquire And none to seek out.

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 Wherefore ye shepherds, hear ye the word of Yahweh:

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

8 As I live, — Declareth My Lord Yahweh, Surely because my flock became a prey. And my flock became food for every wild beast of the field, through having no shepherd, Neither did my shepherds inquire after the flock, —But the shepherds tended themselves. And my flock, they tended not

‘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 ye shepherds, hear ye the word of Yahweh:

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

10 Thus, saith My Lord. Yahweh, Behold me! against the shepherds So then I will require my flock at their hand And will cause them to cease tending the flock, Neither shall the shepherds any longer tend themselves, But I will deliver my flock out of their mouth, that they may not be their food.

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 saith My Lord. Yahweh, - Here am I myself Therefore will I inquire after my flock and seek 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 seeketh out his flock in the day he is in the midst of his sheep that are scattered, So! will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all the places where they were scattered in the day of cloud and thick darkness;

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 among the peoples And will gather them out of the lands, And will bring them upon their own soil, And will tend them Upon the mountains of Israel, In the ravines. And in all the habitable places of the land:

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 In good pastures, will I feed them, And on the mountains of the height of Israel, shall be their fold, — There, shall they lie down in a fold that is good, And on pasture that is fat, shall they feed. among the mountains 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 myself, will tend my flock. And, I myself, will cause them to lie down, Declareth My Lord Yahweh:

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

16 That which is straying, will I seek out. And that which hath been driven away, will I bring back, And that which is torn, will I bind up, And the weak, will I strengthen, - But the fat and the strong, will I watch I will feed them with justice.

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 And as for you O my flock, Thus saith My Lord. Yahweh: Behold me! judging between one kind of small cattle and another as well the rams as the he-goats.

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 Is it too small a thing for you that on the good pasture, ye feed, But the remainder of your pastures, ye must needs trample down with your feet? Or that of the pure waters, ye drink But the waters left remaining—with your feet, ye must needs foul?

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 flock On what hath been trampled down by your feet, may feed, And of what hath been fouled by your feet, may drink?

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

20 Therefore Thus, saith My Lord Yahweh, unto them: Here am I myself. Therefore will I judge between fat sheep and lean sheep,

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 with the side and with the shoulder, ye do thrust, And with your horns, ye do push all the sick, — Until you have scattered them abroad

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

22 Therefore will I bring salvation to my flock, and they shall be no longer a prey, —but I will judge between one sheep and another,

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

23 And I will raise up over them one shepherd And he shall tend them, Even my servant David, — He, will tend them, And, he, will become to them a 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 Yahweh, will become to them a God. my servant David, being a prince in their midst, — I Yahweh, have spoken;

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 solemnise for them a covenant of prosperity, And will cause to cease the mischievous wild-beast out of the land, And they shall dwell in the wilderness, securely, And shall sleep in the forests;

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, will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing, - And I will cause the abundant rain to come down in its season abundant rains of blessing, shall they be;

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 field shall yield his fruit And, the land, shall yield her increase, And they shall remain on their own soil in security, - So shall they know that I, am Yahweh, When I have broken the bars of their yoke, And shall deliver them out of the hand of them who have been using them as slaves.

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 be no longer a prey for the nations, Nor shall the wild beast of the earth! devour them, — But they shall dwell securely with none to put them in terror.

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 raise up unto them a plantation for fame, - And there shall be no longer the destroyed of hunger in the land, Neither shall they bear any longer the reproach of the nations.

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 So shall they know that, I, Yahweh their God am with them, - And that they are my people the house of Israel, Declareth My Lord. Yahweh.

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 Ye, therefore, my flock the flock of my pasture, are, men, — I, am your God, Declareth My Lord Yahweh.

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