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

¶ And the word of the LORD came unto 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 unto the pastors, Thus hath the Lord GOD said; Woe unto the shepherds of Israel that feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks?

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

Ye eat the milk, and ye clothe yourselves with the wool, ye kill those that are fat; but ye do not feed the flock.

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.

Ye have not strengthened the weak, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty ye 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 are dispersed because there is no shepherd; and they became food to all the beasts of the field, and they were scattered.

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 were lost and wandered through all the mountains and upon every high hill; my flock was dispersed upon all the face of the earth, and there was no one to search for them or to require anything of them.

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

¶ Therefore, ye 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, said the Lord GOD, surely because my flock became a prey, and my flock became food to every beast of the field, without a pastor, neither did my shepherds search for my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves and did not feed my flock;

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

therefore, O ye pastors, 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 hath the Lord GOD said: Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require my flock at their hand and cause them to cease from feeding the flock; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any longer; for I will deliver my flock from their mouth, and they shall no longer be food for them.

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

For thus hath the Lord GOD said: Behold, I, even I, will both search and recognize my sheep.

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 the shepherd recognizes his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered, so will I recognize my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.

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 feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers and in all the habitations 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 in good pastures and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be; there they shall sleep in a good fold, and in fat pastures they shall be fed upon the mountains of Israel.

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

I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to have a fold, saith 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 again that which was driven away and will bind up that which was broken and will strengthen that which was sick but I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them in judgment.

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 hath the Lord GOD said: Behold, I judge between sheep and sheep, between the rams and the 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?

Does it seem a small thing unto you that ye eat of the good pastures, but ye also tread down with your feet the residue of your pastures? and that in drinking of the deep waters, ye must also foul the residue 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 sheep eat that which ye have trodden with your feet, and they drink that which ye have fouled with your feet.

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

Therefore thus hath the Lord GOD said unto them; Behold, I, even I, will judge between the fat sheep and between the lean sheep,

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 ye have thrust with side and with shoulder and pushed all the weak with your horns until ye have scattered them outside.

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

I will save my flock, and they shall no longer 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 one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my slave 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 slave David 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 establish with them a covenant of peace and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land: and they shall dwell safely in the wilderness 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 give unto them and to the places round about my hill blessing, and I will cause the rain to come down in its season; they shall be rains 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 her fruit, and the earth shall yield her fruit, and they shall be safe in their land and shall know that I am the LORD when I have broken the bands of their yoke and delivered them out of the hand of those that served themselves 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 longer be a prey to the Gentiles, neither shall the beast of the land devour them; but they shall dwell safely, and no one shall make them afraid.

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 plant by name, and they shall no longer be consumed with hunger in the land, neither bear the shame of the Gentiles 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.

Thus shall they know that I the LORD their God am with them and that they, even the house of Israel, are my people, said the Lord GOD.

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

And ye my flock, the flock of my pasture, are men, and I am your God, said the Lord GOD.