Zacarías 11

1 Abre tus puertas, Líbano, para que el fuego devore tus cedros.

[You people of] [APO] Lebanon [should] open your gates, [because you will not be able to stop] fire from burning your cedar [trees]!

2 Lamenta, ciprés, porque el cedro ha caído, porque las majestuosas son destruidas. Aullad, robles de Basán, porque el bosque fuerte ha bajado.

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.

3 ¡La voz del lamento de los pastores! Porque su gloria está destruida: ¡una voz de rugido de leones jóvenes! Porque el orgullo del Jordán está arruinado.

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.

4 El Señor, mi Dios, dice: “Apacienta el rebaño de la matanza.

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.

5 Sus compradores los sacrifican y quedan impunes. Los que los venden dicen: ‘Bendito sea Yahvé, porque soy rico’; y sus propios pastores no se apiadan de ellos.

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.

6 Porque ya no me apiadaré de los habitantes de la tierra — dice Yahvé —, sino que entregaré a cada uno de los hombres en manos de su vecino y en manos de su rey. Golpearán la tierra, y de su mano no los libraré”.

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].”

7 Así que alimenté al rebaño que iba a ser sacrificado, especialmente a los oprimidos del rebaño. Tomé para mí dos bastones. Al uno lo llamé “Favor” y al otro lo llamé “Unión”, y alimenté al rebaño.

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.

8 En un mes eliminé a los tres pastores, porque mi alma estaba cansada de ellos, y su alma también me aborrecía.

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.

9 Entonces dije: “No los alimentaré. Lo que muera, que muera; y lo que deba ser cortado, que sea cortado; y que los que queden se coman la carne unos a otros”.

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.”

10 Tomé mi bastón de mando y lo corté, para romper mi pacto que había hecho con todos los pueblos.

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.

11 Aquel día se rompió, y así los pobres del rebaño que me escuchaban supieron que era palabra de Yahvé.

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.

12 Les dije: “Si les parece mejor, denme mi salario; y si no, guárdenlo”. Así que pesaron por mi salario treinta piezas de plata.

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.

13 El Señor me dijo: “Tíralo al alfarero: el buen precio en que me valoraron”. Tomé las treinta piezas de plata y las arrojé al alfarero en la casa de Yahvé.

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.

14 Luego corté mi otro bastón, Unión, para romper la hermandad entre Judá e Israel.

Then I broke my second staff, [the one that I named] ‘Union’. That [indicated that] Judah and Israel would no longer be united.

15 El Señor me dijo: “Vuelve a tomar para ti el equipo de un pastor insensato.

Then Yahweh said to me, “Take again the things that a foolish shepherd uses,

16 Porque he aquí que yo suscitaré en la tierra un pastor que no visitará a los desheredados, ni buscará a los dispersos, ni curará a los rotos, ni alimentará a los sanos; sino que comerá la carne de las ovejas gordas, y les desgarrará las pezuñas.

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.

17 ¡Ay del pastor inútil que abandona el rebaño! La espada golpeará su brazo y su ojo derecho. Su brazo se marchitará por completo, y su ojo derecho quedará totalmente ciego”.

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.”