1 O pen your doors, O Lebanon, so that fire may destroy your cedars!

Open your doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may devour your cedars!

2 C ry in sorrow, O cypress, for the cedar has fallen. The beautiful trees have been destroyed. Cry in sorrow, O oaks of Bashan, for the many trees have fallen.

Wail, O fir tree and cypress, for the cedar has fallen, because the glorious and lofty trees are laid waste! Wail, O you oaks of Bashan, for the thick and inaccessible forest has in flames been felled!

3 L isten to the cry of the shepherds, for their great land is laid waste. Listen to the sound of the young lions, for the trees along the valley of the Jordan River lay waste. The Two Shepherds

A voice of the wailing of the shepherds, for their glory, the broad pasturage, is laid waste! A voice of the roaring of young lions, for the pride of the Jordan is ruined!

4 T he Lord my God said, “Take care of the flock that is to be killed.

Thus says the Lord my God: Shepherd the flock for slaughter,

5 T hose who buy them kill them and are not punished. And those who sell them say, ‘Thanks and honor be to the Lord, for I have become rich!’ Their own shepherds have no pity on them.

Whose buyers or possessors slay them and hold themselves not guilty; and they who sell them say, Blessed be the Lord, for I have become rich! And their own shepherds neither pity nor spare them.

6 F or I will no longer have pity on the people who live in this land,” says the Lord. “I will give everyone over to the power of his neighbor and his king. They will bring trouble to the land, and I will not save them from their power.”

For I will no more pity or spare the inhabitants of the land, says the Lord; but behold, I will deliver every man into his neighbor’s hand and into the hand of his king. And shall lay waste the land, and I will not deliver out of the hand.

7 S o I took care of the flock that was to be killed, and those of the flock who suffered. I took two walking sticks. One I called Favor, and the other I called Agreement. I took care of the flock.

So I shepherded the flock of slaughter, truly the most miserable of sheep. And I took two staffs, the one I called Beauty or Grace and the other I called Bands or Union; and I fed and shepherded the flock.

8 I destroyed the three shepherds in one month. I was angry with them, and they hated me.

And I cut off the three shepherds in one month, for I was weary and impatient with them, and they also loathed me.

9 T hen I said, “I will not take care of you. Let those die who are to die. And what is to be destroyed, let it be destroyed. Let those who are left eat each other’s flesh.”

So I said, I will not be your shepherd. What is to die, let it die, and what is to be destroyed, let it be destroyed; and let the survivors devour one another’s flesh.

10 A nd I took my walking stick Favor and cut it in pieces, to break the agreement I had made with all the people.

And I took my staff, Beauty or Grace, and broke it in pieces to show that I was annulling the covenant or agreement which I had made with all the peoples.

11 S o it was broken on that day. And those of the flock who suffered and were watching me knew that it was the Word of the Lord.

So the covenant was annulled on that day, and thus the most wretched of the flock and the traffickers in the sheep who were watching me knew (recognized and understood) that it was truly the word of the Lord.

12 I said to them, “If you think it is right, give me my pay. But if not, keep it.” So they weighed out thirty pieces of silver as my pay.

And I said to them, If it seems just and right to you, give me my wages; but if not, withhold them. So they weighed out for my price thirty pieces of silver.

13 T hen the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the one who makes pots—the great price they thought I was worth.” So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them to the pot maker in the house of the Lord.

And the Lord said to me, Cast it to the potter —the munificently sum at which I am priced by them! And I took the thirty pieces of silver and cast them to the potter in the house of the Lord.

14 T hen I cut my second walking stick, Agreement, in pieces, to break the agreement between Judah and Israel.

Then I broke into pieces my other staff, Bands or Union, indicating that I was annulling the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.

15 T hen the Lord said to me, “Take again the tools of a foolish shepherd.

And the Lord said to me, Take up once more the implements of a worthless and wicked shepherd.

16 F or I am going to have a shepherd rule over the land who will not care for the dying. He will not look for those who were sent everywhere or heal the hurt, or feed those who are well. But he will eat the flesh of the fat sheep and tear off their feet.

For behold, I will raise up a false shepherd in the land; the lost and perishing he will not miss or visit, the young and scattered he will not go to seek, the wounded and broken he will not heal, nor will he feed those that are sound and strong; but he will eat the flesh of the fat ones and break off their hoofs.

17 I t is bad for the shepherd who has no worth and who leaves the flock! A sword will destroy his arm and his right eye! His arm will be all dried up, and his right eye will be blind.”

Woe to the worthless and foolish shepherd who deserts the flock! The sword shall smite his arm and his right eye; his arm shall be utterly withered and his right eye utterly blinded.