Zechariah 11
1 [You people of] [APO] Lebanon [should] open your gates, [because you will not be able to stop] fire from burning your cedar [trees]!
| افْتَحْ أَبْوَابَكَ يَا لُبْنَانُ حَتَّى تَلْتَهِمَ النَّارُ أَرْزَكَ. | ١ |
2 Your cypress/pine [trees] [APO] should [also] wail because the cedar [trees] have been cut down. Those glorious/great trees have been destroyed. The oak trees in the Bashan [region] should also wail, because the other trees in the forest have been cut down.
| انْتَحِبْ أَيُّهَا السَّرْوُ لأَنَّ الأَرْزَ قَدْ تَهَاوَى، وَالْعُظَمَاءَ قَدْ هَلَكُوا. انْتَحِبْ يَا بَلُّوطَ بَاشَانَ لأَنَّ الْغَابَاتِ الْكَثِيفَةَ دُمِّرَتْ. | ٢ |
3 And listen to the shepherds crying because the fertile pastures have been ruined. Listen to the lions roar; they roar because the delightful forest [where they live] near the Jordan [River] has been ruined.
| اسْتَمِعُوا إِلَى نُوَاحِ الرُّعَاةِ (أَيِ الْحُكَّامِ) لأَنَّ مَرَابِعَهُمُ الثَّرِيَّةَ قَدْ تَلِفَتْ. أَنْصِتُوا إِلَى زَمْجَرَةِ الأُسُودِ لأَنَّ أَجَمَاتِ وَادِي الأُرْدُنِّ قَدْ صَارَتْ خَرَاباً. | ٣ |
4 This is what Yahweh my God said [to me]: “[I want you to] become a shepherd for a flock [of sheep that are about] to be slaughtered.
| هَكَذَا قَالَ الرَّبُّ إِلَهِي: «ارْعَ الْغَنَمَ الْمُعَدَّ لِلذَّبْحِ، | ٤ |
5 The people who are going to buy the sheep will kill the sheep, and they will not be punished. Those who are selling the sheep say, ‘[I] praise Yahweh, [because] I will become rich!’ Even the shepherds do not feel sorry for the sheep.
| الَّذِينَ يَقْتُلُهُمْ مَالِكُوهُمْ وَيُفْلِتُونَ مِنَ الْعِقَابِ، وَكُلُّ مَنْ يَبِيعُهُمْ يَقُولُ: تَبَارَكَ الرَّبُّ فَإِنِّي قَدْ أَثْرَيْتُ. أَمَّا رُعَاتُهُمْ فَلا يُضْمِرُونَ لَهُمْ شَفَقَةً». | ٥ |
6 And similarly, I no longer feel sorry for the people of this country. I am going to allow many of them [HYP] to be captured by other people or by their king. Those who capture them will ruin this country, and I will not rescue any [of the people].”
| وَيَقُولُ الرَّبُّ: «لِذَلِكَ لَا أُشْفِقُ بَعْدُ عَلَى سُكَّانِ الأَرْضِ، بَلْ أَنَا أُسَلِّمُ كُلَّ وَاحِدٍ إِلَى قَرِيبِهِ أَوْ مَالِكِهِ، فَيُهْلِكُونَ النَّاسَ وَلا أُنْقِذُ أَحَداً مِنْ أَيْدِيهِمْ». | ٦ |
7 So I became the shepherd of a flock [of sheep that were about] to be slaughtered [for their meat to be sold] to the dealers. [I took good care of the sheep, even the ones that were the weakest sheep. Then] I took two [shepherds’] /walking sticks). I named the one [staff] ‘Kindness’ and the other [staff] ‘Union’. And I took good care of the sheep.
| وَهَكَذَا صِرْتُ رَاعِياً لأَهْزَلِ الْغَنَمِ الْمُعَدِّ لِلذَّبْحِ، وَأَخَذْتُ لِنَفْسِي عَصَوَيْنِ دَعَوْتُ إِحْدَاهُمَا نِعْمَةَ وَالأُخْرَى وَحْدَةً، وَقُمْتُ بِرِعَايَةِ الْغَنَمِ. | ٧ |
8 But the three shepherds [who had been working with me] detested me, and I became impatient with them. Within one month I (dismissed/got rid of) those shepherds.
| وَفِي غُضُونِ شَهْرٍ وَاحِدٍ أَفْنَيْتُ الرُّعَاةَ الثَّلاثَةَ. وَلَكِنْ صَبْرِي نَفَدَ عَلَى الأَغْنَامِ، كَمَا أَضْمَرُوا هُمْ أَيْضاً لِيَ الْكَرَاهِيَةَ. | ٨ |
9 So I said [to the dealers], “I will no [longer] be the shepherd. I will allow the ones that are dying to die. I will allow the ones that are getting lost to get lost. And I will not prevent those that remain from destroying each other.”
| لِذَلِكَ قُلْتُ: «لَنْ أَكُونَ لَكُمْ رَاعِياً. مَنْ يَمُتْ مِنْكُمْ فَلْيَمُتْ، وَمَنْ يَهْلِكْ فَلْيَهْلِكْ، وَلْيَأْكُلْ مَنْ يَبْقَى مِنْكُمْ لَحْمَ بَعْضِكُمْ بَعْضاً». | ٩ |
10 Then I took the staff that I had named ‘Kindness’ and I broke it. [That showed that Yahweh] was annulling/canceling the agreement that he had made with all the people-groups.
| وَتَنَاوَلْتُ عَصَايَ، نِعْمَةَ، وَكَسَرْتُهَا نَاقِضاً بِذَلِكَ الْعَهْدَ الَّذِي أَبْرَمْتُهُ مَعَ جَمِيعِ الشُّعُوبِ. | ١٠ |
11 So that agreement was ended immediately. And the men who bought and sold sheep who were watching me knew [by seeing what I was doing] that I was giving them a message from Yahweh.
| وَهَكَذَا بَطَلَ الْعَهْدُ فِي ذَلِكَ الْيَوْمِ، وَأَدْرَكَ أَهْزَلُ الْغَنَمِ الَّذِينَ كَانُوا يُرَاقِبُونَنِي أَنَّ مَا جَرَى كَانَ بِقَضَاءِ الرَّبِّ. | ١١ |
12 I told them, “If you think it is what you should do, pay me [for taking care of the sheep]. If you do not think that is what you should do, do not pay me.” So they paid me [only] 30 pieces of silver.
| ثُمَّ قُلْتُ لَهُمْ: «إِنْ طَابَ لَكُمْ فَأَعْطُونِي أُجْرَتِي، وَإلَّا فَاحْتَفِظُوا بِها». فَوَزَنُوا أُجْرَتِي ثَلاثِينَ شَاقِلاً مِنَ الْفِضَّةِ. | ١٢ |
13 Then Yahweh said to me, “[That is a ridiculously small amount of money that they have paid you]! [So] throw it to the man who makes clay pots!” So I took the silver to the temple of Yahweh, and I threw it in the chest where the offerings/money is kept.
| فَقَالَ الرَّبُّ لِي: «أَعْطِ هَذَا الثَّمَنَ الْكَرِيمَ الَّذِي ثَمَّنُونِي بِهِ إِلَى الْفَخَّارِيِّ». فَأَخَذْتُ الثَّلاثِينَ قِطْعَةً مِنَ الْفِضَّةِ وَأَلْقَيْتُهَا فِي بَيْتِ الرَّبِّ إِلَى الْفَخَّارِيِّ. | ١٣ |
14 Then I broke my second staff, [the one that I named] ‘Union’. That [indicated that] Judah and Israel would no longer be united.
| وَحَطَّمْتُ عَصَايَ الأُخْرَى، وَحْدَةَ لأَنْقُضَ الإِخَاءَ بَيْنَ يَهُوذَا وَإِسْرَائِيلَ. | ١٤ |
15 Then Yahweh said to me, “Take again the things that a foolish shepherd uses,
| ثُمَّ قَالَ لِي الرَّبُّ: «اذْهَبْ وَتَجَهَّزْ ثَانِيَةً بِأَدَوَاتِ رَاعٍ أَحْمَقَ. | ١٥ |
16 because I am going to appoint a new king for the people, [one who will not take care of my people. He will be like a foolish shepherd]: [MET] He will not take care of those who are dying, those who are very young, those who have been injured, or those who do not have enough food. Instead, he will [treat them very cruelly, like a shepherd who would] [MET] kill and eat the best sheep and tear off their hoofs.
| فَهَا أَنَا مُزْمِعٌ أَنْ أَقُيِمَ فِي الأَرْضِ رَاعِياً لَا يَعْبَأُ بِالْغَنَمِ الشَّارِدَةِ، وَلا يَفْتَقِدُ الْحُمْلانَ أَوْ يَجْبُرُ الْمَكْسُورِينَ، وَلا يُغَذِّي الصَّحِيحَ. وَلَكِنَّهُ يَفْتَرِسُ السِّمَانَ مِنْهُمْ وَيَنْزِعُ أَظْلافَهَا. | ١٦ |
17 But terrible things will happen to that foolish/useless king who abandons the people [MET] over whom he rules. [His enemies] will strike his arm and his right eye with their swords. [The result will be that] he will have no strength in his arm, and his right eye will become completely blind.”
| وَيْلٌ لِلرَّاعِي الأَحْمَقِ الَّذِي يَهْجُرُ الْقَطِيعَ. لِيَبْتُرِ السَّيْفُ ذِرَاعَهُ وَيَفْقَأْ عَيْنَهُ الْيُمْنَى، فَتَيْبَسَ ذِرَاعُهُ وَتَكُفَّ عَيْنُهُ الْيُمْنَى عَنِ الْبَصَرِ». | ١٧ |
