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, ‘Thus says the Lord God to the shepherds: “Woe to the shepherds of Israel who 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.

You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool; you slaughter the fatlings, but you 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.

The weak you have not strengthened, nor have you healed those who were sick, nor bound up the broken, nor brought back what was driven away, nor sought what was lost; but with force and cruelty you have ruled them.

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

So they were scattered because there was no shepherd; and they became food for all the beasts of the field when 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 wandered through all the mountains, and on every high hill; yes, My flock was scattered over the whole face of the earth, and no one was seeking or searching 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 flock became a prey, and My flock became food for every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, nor 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 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 flock at their hand; I will cause them to cease feeding the sheep, and the shepherds shall feed themselves no more; for I will deliver My flock from their mouths, that they may no longer be food for them.” God, the True Shepherd

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

‘For thus says the Lord God: “Indeed 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 seeks out his flock on the day he is among his scattered sheep, so will I seek out My sheep and deliver them from all the places where they were scattered on a 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; I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, in the valleys 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 in good pasture, and their fold shall be on the high mountains of Israel. There they shall lie down in a good fold 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 make them 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 what was lost and bring back what was driven away, bind up the broken and strengthen what was sick; but I will destroy the fat and the strong, and 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 says the Lord God: “Behold, I shall judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and 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 to have eaten up the good pasture, that you must tread down with your feet the residue of your pasture—and to have drunk of the clear waters, that you must 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 as for My flock, they eat what you have trampled with your feet, and they drink what you 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 says the Lord God to them: “Behold, I Myself will judge between the fat 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 have pushed with side and shoulder, butted all the weak ones with your horns, and 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 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.

I will establish one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them—My servant David. He shall feed them 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 a 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 cause wild beasts to cease from the land; and they will 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.

I will make them and the places all around My hill a blessing; and I will cause 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.

Then the trees of the field shall yield their fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase. They shall be safe in their land; and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I have broken the bands of their yoke and 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.

And they shall no longer be a prey for the nations, nor shall beasts 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.

I will raise up for them a garden of renown, and they shall no longer be consumed with hunger in the land, nor bear the shame of the Gentiles 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.

Thus they shall know that I, the Lord their God, am with them, and 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.

“You are My flock, the flock of My pasture; you are men, and I am your God,” says the Lord God.