1 T he Word of the Lord came to me saying,

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

2 “ Son of man, speak against the shepherds of Israel. Speak in My name and tell those shepherds, ‘The Lord God says, “It is bad for the shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flock?

Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them, even to the shepherds, Thus says the Lord God: Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the sheep?

3 Y ou eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool. You kill the fat sheep without feeding the flock.

You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you kill the fatlings, but you do not feed the sheep.

4 Y ou have not given strength to the weak ones. You have not healed the sick. You have not helped the ones that are hurt. You have not brought back those that have gone away. And you have not looked for the lost. But you have ruled them with power and without pity.

The diseased and weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the hurt and crippled you have not bandaged, those gone astray you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought to find, but with force and hardhearted harshness you have ruled them.

5 T hey went everywhere because they had no shepherd. And they became food for every animal of the field.

And they were scattered because there was no shepherd, and when they were scattered they became food for all the wild beasts of the field.

6 M y flock went many different ways through all the mountains and on every high hill. My sheep were spread over all the earth, and there was no one looking for them.”’”

My sheep wandered through all the mountains and upon every high hill; yes, My sheep were scattered upon all the face of the earth and no one searched or sought for them.

7 S o, you shepherds, hear the Word of the Lord.

Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord:

8 “ As I live,” says the Lord God, “My flock has been killed and become food for wild animals because they had no shepherd. My shepherds did not look for My flock. They fed themselves, but have not fed My flock.”

As I live, says the Lord God, surely because My sheep became a prey, and My sheep became food for every beast of the field because there was no shepherd—neither did My shepherds search for My sheep, but the shepherds fed themselves and fed not My sheep—

9 S o, you shepherds, hear the Word of the Lord.

Therefore, O you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord:

10 T he Lord God says, “I am against the shepherds, and I will ask them for My sheep. I will stop them from feeding the sheep, so they will no longer be able to feed themselves. I will save my sheep from their mouths, so that they will no longer be food for them.” The Good Shepherd

Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require My sheep at their hand and cause them to cease feeding the sheep, neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more. I will rescue My sheep from their mouths, that they may not be food for them.

11 F or the Lord God says, “I Myself will look for My sheep and find them.

For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I, I Myself, will search for My sheep and will seek them out.

12 A s a shepherd looks for his sheep when they are not together, so I will look for My sheep. And I will save them from all the places where they were spread out on a day of clouds and darkness.

As a shepherd seeks out his sheep in the day that he is among his flock that are scattered, so will I seek out My sheep; and I will rescue them out of all places where they have been scattered in the day of clouds and thick darkness.

13 I will bring them out from the people and gather them from the countries, and bring them to their own land. I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the rivers, and in all the places of the land where people live.

And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries and will bring them to their own land; and I will feed them upon the mountains of Israel, by the watercourses, and in all the inhabited places of the country.

14 I will feed them in a good field. The ground they eat upon will be on the mountains of Israel. There they will lie down in a good field and feed on good grass on the mountains of Israel.

I will feed them with good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be; there shall they lie down in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel.

15 I will feed My sheep, and give them rest,” says the Lord God.

I will feed My sheep and I will cause them to lie down, says the Lord God.

16 “ I will look for the lost, bring back those that have gone away, help those who have been hurt, and give strength to the sick. But I will destroy the fat and the strong. I will feed them with punishment.

I will seek that which was lost and bring back that which has strayed, and I will bandage the hurt and the crippled and will strengthen the weak and the sick, but I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment and punishment.

17 “ As for you, My flock, the Lord God says, ‘I will judge between one sheep and another, between the rams and the male goats.

And as for you, O My flock, thus says the Lord God: Behold, I judge between sheep and sheep, between the rams and the great he-goats.

18 I s it not enough for you to eat in the good field? Must you crush under foot the rest of your fields? Is it not enough for you to drink of the clear waters? Must your feet fill the rest with mud?

Is it too little for you that you feed on the best pasture, but you must tread down with your feet the rest of your pasture? And to have drunk of the waters clarified by subsiding, but you must foul the rest of the water with your feet?

19 M ust My flock eat what you have crushed with your feet, and drink what you have made dirty with your feet?’”

And My flock, must they feed on what your feet have trodden and drink what your feet have fouled?

20 S o the Lord God says to them, “I Myself will judge between the fat sheep and the weak sheep.

Therefore thus says the Lord God to them: Behold, I, I Myself, will judge between fat sheep and impoverished sheep, or fat goats and lean goats.

21 B ecause you push with your side and shoulder and run against all the weak with your horns until you have driven them away,

Because you push with side and with shoulder and thrust with your horns all those that have become weak and diseased, till you have scattered them abroad,

22 I will save My flock. They will no longer be hurt. And I will judge between one sheep and another.

Therefore will I rescue My flock, and they shall no more be a prey; and I will judge between sheep and sheep.

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

And I will raise up over them one Shepherd and He shall feed them, even My Servant David; He shall feed them and He shall be their Shepherd.

24 I , the Lord, will be their God, and My servant David will be their leader. I, the Lord, have spoken.

And I the Lord will be their God and My Servant David a Prince among them; I the Lord have spoken it.

25 “ I will make a peace agreement with them and take away wild animals from the land. Then they will be safe as they live in the desert and sleep in the woods.

And I will confirm with them a covenant of peace and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land, and shall dwell safely in the wilderness, desert, or pastureland and sleep in the woods.

26 I will bring good to them and to the places around My hill. I will give them rain when they need it. Good will rain down upon them.

And I will make them and the places round about My hill a blessing, and I will cause the showers to come down in their season; there shall be showers of blessing.

27 T he trees of the field will give their fruit and the earth will give its food. They will be safe in their land. Then they will know that I am the Lord, when I have broken the load from their backs and have saved them from those who made servants of them.

And the tree of the field shall yield its fruit and the earth shall yield its increase; and shall be secure in their land, and they shall be confident and know (understand and realize) that I am the Lord, when I have broken the bars of their yoke and have delivered them out of the hand of those who made slaves of them.

28 T hey will no longer be under the power of the nations. And the wild animals of the earth will not eat them. But they will be safe, and no one will make them afraid.

And they shall no more be a prey to the nations, nor shall the beasts of the earth devour them, but they shall dwell safely and none shall make them afraid '> day of the Messiah’s reign].

29 I will give them a land well known for its fields of food. They will never suffer with hunger again, and will no longer be put to shame by the nations.

And I will raise up for them a planting of crops for renown, and they shall be no more consumed with hunger in the land nor bear the reproach of the nations any longer.

30 T hen they will know that I, the Lord their God, am with them, and that they, the people of Israel, are My people,” says the Lord God.

Then shall they know that I, the Lord their God, am with them and that they, the house of Israel, are My people, says the Lord God,

31 “ You, My sheep, the sheep of My field, are people, and I am your God,” says the Lord God.

And that you, My sheep, the sheep of My pasture, are men and I am your God, says the Lord God.