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

Then 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 those shepherds, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Woe, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flock?

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 and clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat sheep without feeding 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.

Those who are sickly you have not strengthened, the diseased you have not healed, the broken you have not bound up, the scattered you have not brought back, nor have you sought for the lost; but with force and with severity you have dominated them.

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

They were scattered for lack of a shepherd, and they became food for every beast of the field and 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 flock wandered through all the mountains and on every high hill; My flock was scattered over all the surface of the earth, and there was no one to search or seek 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,” declares the Lord God, “surely because My flock has become a prey, My flock has even become food for all the beasts of the field for lack of a shepherd, and My shepherds did not search for My flock, but rather the shepherds fed themselves and did not feed My flock;

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

therefore, 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 demand My sheep from them and make them cease from feeding sheep. So the shepherds will not feed themselves anymore, but I will deliver My flock from their mouth, so that they will not be food for them.”’” The Restoration of Israel

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 Myself will search for My sheep and 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 cares for his herd in the day when he is among his scattered sheep, so I will care for My sheep and will deliver them from all the places to which they were scattered on a cloudy and gloomy 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.

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

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 a good pasture, and their grazing ground will be on the mountain heights of Israel. There they will lie down on good grazing ground and feed in rich pasture on 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 lead them to rest,” declares 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 the lost, bring back the scattered, bind up the broken and strengthen the sick; but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them with 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.

“As for you, My flock, thus says the Lord God, ‘Behold, I will judge between one sheep and another, between the rams and the male 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 slight a thing for you that you should feed in the good pasture, that you must tread down with your feet the rest of your pastures? Or that you should drink of the clear waters, that you must foul the rest 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?’”

As for My flock, they must eat what you tread down with your feet and drink what you foul 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 says the Lord God to them, “Behold, I, even I, will judge between the fat sheep and 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 you push with side and with shoulder, and thrust at all the weak with your horns until 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, I will deliver My flock, and they will no longer be a prey; and I will judge between one sheep and another.

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.

“Then I will set over them one shepherd, My servant David, and he will feed them; he will feed them himself and 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 will be prince among them; I the Lord have spoken.

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.

“I will make a covenant of peace with them and eliminate harmful beasts from the land so that they may live securely 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.

I will make them and the places around My hill a blessing. And I will cause showers to come down in their season; they will 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.

Also the tree of the field will yield its fruit and the earth will yield its increase, and they will be secure on their land. Then they will know that I am the Lord, when I have broken the bars of their yoke and have delivered them from the hand of those who enslaved 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.

They will no longer be a prey to the nations, and the beasts of the earth will not devour them; but they will live securely, and no one will 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.

I will establish for them a renowned planting place, and they will not again be victims of famine in the land, and they will not endure the insults of the nations anymore.

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 they will know that I, the Lord their God, am with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are My people,” declares the Lord God.

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

“As for you, My sheep, the sheep of My pasture, you are men, and I am your God,” declares the Lord God.