יחזקאל 34
| ויהי דבר יהוה אלי לאמר | 1 |
Yahweh gave me another message. He said,
| בן אדם הנבא על רועי ישראל הנבא ואמרת אליהם לרעים כה אמר אדני יהוה הוי רעי ישראל אשר היו רעים אותם--הלוא הצאן ירעו הרעים | 2 |
“You human, prophesy about [leaders] of Israel. [They should be taking care of my people like] [MET] shepherds [take care of their sheep]. Say to them, ‘This is what Yahweh the Lord says: Terrible things will happen to you leaders [MET] of Israel who only take care of yourselves! You should certainly [RHQ] take care of [your people like] [MET] a shepherd takes care of his flock of sheep!
| את החלב תאכלו ואת הצמר תלבשו הבריאה תזבחו הצאן לא תרעו | 3 |
[It is as though] you eat the curds, you slaughter the very good animals and wear clothes made from their wool. But you do not take care of the flock.
| את הנחלות לא חזקתם ואת החולה לא רפאתם ולנשברת לא חבשתם ואת הנדחת לא השבתם ואת האבדת לא בקשתם ובחזקה רדיתם אתם ובפרך | 4 |
You have not enabled those who are weak to become strong. You have not healed those who were sick. You have not bandaged those who were wounded/injured. You have not brought back those who went astray. You have not searched for those who became lost. You have ruled your people harshly and cruelly.
| ותפוצינה מבלי רעה ותהיינה לאכלה לכל חית השדה ותפוצינה | 5 |
So they were scattered, because you did not [take care of them like] [MET] a shepherd [takes care of his sheep]. And when they were scattered, [it was as though] wild animals attacked and [killed them and ate] their flesh.
| ישגו צאני בכל ההרים ועל כל גבעה רמה ועל כל פני הארץ נפצו צאני ואין דורש ואין מבקש | 6 |
My people wandered like sheep all over the high hills and mountains. They were scattered all over the earth, and no one searched for them [DOU].
| לכן רעים שמעו את דבר יהוה | 7 |
Therefore, you [who should be acting like] shepherds, listen to what I, Yahweh the Lord say:
| חי אני נאם אדני יהוה אם לא יען היות צאני לבז ותהיינה צאני לאכלה לכל חית השדה מאין רעה ולא דרשו רעי את צאני וירעו הרעים אותם ואת צאני לא רעו | 8 |
As surely as I am alive, my people [are like a flock of sheep that has] no shepherd, and as a result [it is as though] wild animals have attacked my people and eaten them. You did not search for them; instead, you only wanted to provide food for yourselves.
| לכן הרעים--שמעו דבר יהוה | 9 |
Therefore, you [who should be like] [MET] shepherds, listen to what I, Yahweh say:
| כה אמר אדני יהוה הנני אל הרעים ודרשתי את צאני מידם והשבתים מרעות צאן ולא ירעו עוד הרעים אותם והצלתי צאני מפיהם ולא תהיין להם לאכלה | 10 |
I am opposed to [you leaders who should be like] [MET] shepherds for my people. I will remove you from taking care of my people, with the result that you will no longer feed yourselves [instead of feeding them]. I will rescue my people from you, with the result that you will longer be able to [butcher them and] eat them.
| כי כה אמר אדני יהוה הנני אני ודרשתי את צאני ובקרתים | 11 |
This is what I, Yahweh the Lord, say to you leaders: I myself will search for my sheep and take care of them.
| כבקרת רעה עדרו ביום היותו בתוך צאנו נפרשות--כן אבקר את צאני והצלתי אתהם מכל המקומת אשר נפצו שם ביום ענן וערפל | 12 |
Like a shepherd finds his scattered sheep, I will rescue my people from all the places to which they have been scattered, at a time when things were very gloomy and they experienced disasters.
| והוצאתים מן העמים וקבצתים מן הארצות והביאותים אל אדמתם ורעיתים אל הרי ישראל באפיקים ובכל מושבי הארץ | 13 |
I will bring them back from many countries and gather them together again in their own land. [Because my people are like sheep] [MET], [it is as though] I will enable them to find good pastureland on the hills of Israel, and in the ravines, and in the villages of Israel.
| במרעה טוב ארעה אתם ובהרי מרום ישראל יהיה נוהם שם תרבצנה בנוה טוב ומרעה שמן תרעינה אל הרי ישראל | 14 |
[It is as though] I will allow them to graze in good pastures on the mountaintops. They will lie down in good (grazing areas/grassy fields) there [DOU].
| אני ארעה צאני ואני ארביצם נאם אדני יהוה | 15 |
I myself will take care of my people and enable them to lie down and rest.
| את האבדת אבקש ואת הנדחת אשיב ולנשברת אחבש ואת החולה אחזק ואת השמנה ואת החזקה אשמיד ארענה במשפט | 16 |
I will search for those who are lost and bring back the ones who have strayed away. I will bandage those who have been injured and strengthen those who are weak. But I will get rid of those who are fat and powerful. I will act fairly toward [the people who are like] [MET] my sheep. That is what I, Yahweh, promise.
| ואתנה צאני כה אמר אדני יהוה הנני שפט בין שה לשה לאילים ולעתודים | 17 |
And as for you who are like [MET] my sheep, this is what I, Yahweh the Lord, say: I will judge between each of you; and I will separate [those that are peaceful like] sheep from [those that are always trying to dominate others like] goats.
| המעט מכם המרעה הטוב תרעו ויתר מרעיכם תרמסו ברגליכם ומשקע מים תשתו--ואת הנותרים ברגליכם תרפשון | 18 |
It is bad that [RHQ] some of you keep the best pastures for yourselves. It is even worse that [RHQ] you trample the good grass with your feet. You yourselves drink the clear water [RHQ]. But with your feet you cause the other water to become muddy [RHQ].
| וצאני--מרמס רגליכם תרעינה ומרפש רגליכם תשתינה | 19 |
[It is as though] you [RHQ] are forcing my flock to eat the grass that you have trampled and to drink the water that you have caused to become muddy!
| לכן כה אמר אדני יהוה--אליהם הנני אני--ושפטתי בין שה בריה ובין שה רזה | 20 |
Therefore, this is what I, Yahweh the Lord, say to you: I myself will judge between [those of you who are like] [MET] the fat sheep and [those of you who are like] the thin sheep.
| יען בצד ובכתף תהדפו ובקרניכם תנגחו כל הנחלות--עד אשר הפיצותם אותנה אל החוצה | 21 |
[who are like] strong sheep, [it is as though] with your shoulders and buttocks you have shoved away [those who are like] thin sheep, and you have butted them with your horns, until you have chased them all away [from the good pastureland].
| והושעתי לצאני ולא תהיינה עוד לבז ושפטתי בין שה לשה | 22 |
But I will rescue my people, and they no longer will be (harassed/treated cruelly). I will judge between one person and another.
| והקמתי עליהם רעה אחד ורעה אתהן--את עבדי דויד הוא ירעה אתם והוא יהיה להן לרעה | 23 |
And I will appoint one leader [MET] for them, [someone who will be like] King David, who served me [very well]. That leader will take care of them and be like their shepherd.
| ואני יהוה אהיה להם לאלהים ועבדי דוד נשיא בתוכם אני יהוה דברתי | 24 |
I, Yahweh, will be their God, and [the one who is like] [MET] King David will be their king. [That will surely happen because] I, Yahweh, have said it.
| וכרתי להם ברית שלום והשבתי חיה רעה מן הארץ וישבו במדבר לבטח וישנו ביערים | 25 |
I will make a peace agreement with the people of Israel. In this agreement I will promise to get rid of all the wild animals in Israel, in order that my people may live safely, even in the desert and in the forests.
| ונתתי אותם וסביבות גבעתי ברכה והורדתי הגשם בעתו גשמי ברכה יהיו | 26 |
I will bless them, and I will bless the places close to my sacred hill. I will bless them by sending them rain showers at the right season; they will be showers to bless them.
| ונתן עץ השדה את פריו והארץ תתן יבולה והיו על אדמתם לבטח וידעו כי אני יהוה בשברי את מטות עלם והצלתים מיד העבדים בהם | 27 |
The fruit trees will produce fruit and the ground will produce crops. And my people will live safely in their land. When I rescue them from people who caused them to be slaves [MET, DOU], they will know that I, Yahweh, [have the power to do what I say that I will do].
| ולא יהיו עוד בז לגוים וחית הארץ לא תאכלם וישבו לבטח ואין מחריד | 28 |
[Soldiers from] other nations will no longer take away their valuable possessions, and wild animals will no longer attack them. They will live safely, and no one will cause them to be afraid.
| והקמתי להם מטע לשם ולא יהיו עוד אספי רעב בארץ ולא ישאו עוד כלמת הגוים | 29 |
I will cause their land to be famous/well-known for its good crops. There will no longer be famines in the land, and people in other nations will no longer ridicule them.
| וידעו כי אני יהוה אלהיהם--אתם והמה עמי בית ישראל--נאם אדני יהוה | 30 |
Then they will know that I, Yahweh their God, am helping them, and they will know that they, the Israeli people, are my people.
| ואתן צאני צאן מרעיתי אדם אתם אני אלהיכם--נאם אדני יהוה | 31 |
[It will be as though] [MET] my people are my sheep whom I will take care of, and I will be their God. That is what I, Yahweh the Lord, declare.’”
