Prophecy Concerning Israel’s Shepherds and Sheep

1 And the word of Yahweh cameto me, saying,

2 “Son of man,prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and you must say to them, to the shepherds, ‘Thus says the Lord Yahweh: “Woe to the shepherds of Israel who were feeding themselves! Must not the shepherds feed the flock?

3 The fat you eat, and you clothe yourself with the wool; the well-nourished animals you slaughter, but you do not feed the flock.

4 The weak you have not strengthened, and the sick you have not healed, and with respect tothe hurtyou have not bound them up, and you have not brought back the scattered, and you have not sought the lost, but rather you ruled over them with forceand with ruthlessness.

5 And they were scattered withouta shepherd, and they wereas food for all the animalsof the field when they were scattered.

6 My flock went astray upon all of the mountains and on every high hill, and so upon all the surface of the worldmy flock were scattered, and there was no one seeking them,and there was no one searching for them.”

7 Therefore, hear, O shepherds, the word of Yahweh:

8 “As I live,”declaresthe Lord Yahweh, “Surelybecause my flock have become as plunder, and my flock became as food toall the animalsof the field, since there was not a shepherd, since my shepherds have not sought my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves, and they fed not my flock,’ ”

9 therefore, O shepherds, hear the word of Yahweh,

10 ‘Thus says the Lord Yahweh: “Look! I am against the shepherds, and I will seek my flock from their hand, and I will put an end to them from shepherding flocks, and the shepherds will no longerfeed themselves, and I will deliver my flocks from their mouth, so that they will not be as food for them.”

11 “ ‘For thus says the Lord Yahweh: “Look! I, even I, will seek my flock, and I will look after them,

12 just like the caring of a shepherd for his herd onthe day when he is in the midst of his scattered flock. Thus I will look after my flock, and I will deliver them from all the places to which they were scatteredon the day of storm and stress.

13 And I will bring them out from the peoples, and I will gather them from the countries, and I will bring them to their soil, and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, in the valleys, and in all of the settlements of the land.

14 I will feed them in good pasture, and their pasture will be on the mountains of the heights of Israel; there they will lie down in good pasture, and on lush pasture they will feed on the mountains of Israel.

15 I myselfwill feed my flock and I myselfwill allow them to lie down,” declaresthe Lord Yahweh.

16 “I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the scattered, and I will bind up the one hurt, and I will strengthen the sick; and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed her with justice.”

17 “ ‘And you, my flock, thus says the Lord Yahweh: “Look! I am judging between one sheep and another,between the rams and between the he-goats.

18 Is it not enough for youthat you feed on the good pasture? And still you must trample the remainder of your pasture with your feet, and clear wateryou drink, and the leftover wateryou must make muddy with your feet.

19 And my flock must graze the pasture treaded upon byyour feet, and must drink the mud puddle stirred up byyour feet.”

20 “ ‘Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh to them: “Look! I, even I will judge between fat sheep and between lean sheep,

21 because with your flank and with your shoulder you shoved, and with your horns you pushed all of the sick animals untilyou scattered itto the outside.

22 And so I will save my flock, and they will no longer befor plunder, and I will judge between one sheep and another.

23 And I will set up over them one shepherd, and he will feed them; that is, my servant David. He will feed them, and he will be for them asa shepherd.

24 And I, Yahweh, I will be for them as God,and my servant David will be a leader in the midst of them. I, Yahweh, I have spoken.

25 And I will make them a covenant of peace, and I will put an end to wild animalsfrom the land, and they will dwell in the desert safely,and they will sleep in the forest.

26 And I will make them and the area all around my hill a blessing, and I will let the rain go down at its appointed time;they will be rains of blessing.

27 And the treeof the field will give its fruit, and the land will give its produce, and they will be on their land safely,and they will know that I am Yahweh when I break their yoke, and I will deliver them from the hand of the ones enslaving them.

28 And they will not be any longer plunder to the nations, and the animals of the land will not eat them, and they will dwell in safety,and there will not be anyone frightening them.

29 And I will raise for them a garden plotof renown, and they will no longerbe victims of famine in the land, and they will not bear any more the insult of the nations.

30 And they will know that I, Yahweh their God, am with them and they are my people, the house of Israel,” declaresthe Lord Yahweh,

31 “and you are my flock, the flock of my pasture. You are my people;I am your God,” declaresthe Lord Yahweh.’ ”