Ezekiel 34

1 Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying,

And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

2 “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?

Son of man, be a prophet against the keepers of the flock of Israel, and say to them, O keepers of the sheep! this is the word of the Lord: A curse is on the keepers of the flock of Israel who take the food for themselves! is it not right for the keepers to give the food to the sheep?

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

You take the milk and are clothed with the wool, you put the fat beasts to death, but you give the sheep no food.

4 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.

You have not made the diseased ones strong or made well that which was ill; you have not put bands on the broken or got back that which had been sent away or made search for the wandering ones; and the strong you have been ruling cruelly.

5 Then they were scattered without a shepherd, and they became food for all the living beasts in the fields, after they were scattered.

And they were wandering in every direction because there was no keeper: and they became food for all the beasts of the field.

6 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.

And my sheep went out of the way, wandering through all the mountains and on every high hill: my sheep went here and there over all the face of the earth; and no one was troubled about them or went in search of them.

7 Therefore, shepherds, hear the word of Yahweh:

For this cause, O keepers of the flock, give ear to the word of the Lord:

8 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.

By my life, says the Lord, truly, because my sheep have been taken away, and my sheep became food for all the beasts of the field, because there was no keeper, and my keepers did not go in search of the sheep, but the keepers took food for themselves and gave my sheep no food;

9 Therefore, shepherds, hear the word of Yahweh:

For this reason, O you keepers of the flock, give ear to the word of the Lord;

10 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.

This is what the Lord has said: See I am against the keepers of the flock, and I will make search and see what they have done with my sheep, and will let them be keepers of my sheep no longer; and the keepers will no longer get food for themselves; I will take my sheep out of their mouths so that they may not be food for them.

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

For this is what the Lord has said: Truly, I, even I, will go searching and looking for my sheep.

12 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.

As the keeper goes looking for his flock when he is among his wandering sheep, so I will go looking for my sheep, and will get them safely out of all the places where they have been sent wandering in the day of clouds and black night.

13 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.

And I will take them out from among the peoples, and get them together from the countries, and will take them into their land; and I will give them food on the mountains of Israel by the water-streams and wherever men are living in the country.

14 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.

I will give them good grass-land for their food, and their safe place will be the mountains of the high place of Israel: there they will take their rest in a good place, and on fat grass-land they will take their food on the mountains of Israel.

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

I myself will give food to my flock, and I will give them rest, says the Lord.

16 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.

I will go in search of that which had gone wandering from the way, and will get back that which had been sent in flight, and will put bands on that which was broken, and give strength to that which was ill: but the fat and the strong I will give up to destruction; I will give them for their food the punishment which is theirs by right.

17 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.

And as for you, O my flock, says the Lord, truly, I will be judge between sheep and sheep, the he-sheep and the he-goats.

18 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?

Does it seem a small thing to you to have taken your food on good grass-land while the rest of your grass-land is stamped down under your feet? and that after drinking from clear waters you make the rest of the waters dirty with your feet?

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

And as for my sheep, their food is the grass which has been stamped on by your feet, and their drink the water which has been made dirty by your feet.

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

For this reason the Lord has said to them, Truly, I, even I, will be judge between the fat sheep and the thin sheep.

21 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.

Because you have been pushing with side and leg, pushing the diseased with your horns till they were sent away in every direction;

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

I will make my flock safe, and they will no longer be taken away, and I will be judge between sheep and sheep.

23 I will set over them one shepherd, my servant David. He will shepherd them, he will feed them, and he will be their shepherd.

And I will put over them one keeper, and he will give them food, even my servant David; he will give them food and be their keeper.

24 For I, Yahweh, will be their God, and my servant David will be a prince among them—I, Yahweh, have declared this.

And I the Lord will be their God and my servant David their ruler; I the Lord have said it.

25 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.

And I will make with them an agreement of peace, and will put an end to evil beasts through all the land: and they will be living safely in the waste land, sleeping in the woods.

26 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.

And I will give the rain at the right time, and I will make the shower come down at the right time; there will be showers of blessing.

27 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.

And the tree of the field will give its fruit and the earth will give its increase, and they will be safe in their land; and they will be certain that I am the Lord, when I have had their yoke broken and have given them salvation from the hands of those who made them servants.

28 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.

And their goods will no longer be taken by the nations, and they will not again be food for the beasts of the earth; but they will be living safely and no one will be a cause of fear to them.

29 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.

And I will give them planting-places of peace, and they will no longer be wasted from need of food or put to shame by the nations.

30 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.

And they will be certain that I the Lord their God am with them, and that they, the children of Israel, are my people, says the Lord.

31 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.'”

And you are my sheep, the sheep of my grass-lands, and I am your God, says the Lord.