CHAPTER 34
1 And the word of the Lord was made to me, and he said,
2 Son of man, prophesy thou of the shepherds of Israel, prophesy thou; and thou shalt say to the shepherds, The Lord God saith these things, Woe to the shepherds of Israel, that fed himself [or themselves]; whether flocks be not fed of shepherds?
3 Ye ate [the] milk, and were covered with [the] wools, and ye killed that that was fat; but ye fed not my flock.
4 Ye made not firm that that was unsteadfast, and ye made not whole that that was sick; ye bound not up that that was broken, and ye brought not again that that was cast away, and ye sought not that that perished; but ye commanded to them with sternness, and with power.
5 And my sheep were scattered, for no shepherd was; and they were made into devouring of all beasts of the field, and they were scattered.
6 My flocks erred in all mountains, and in each high hill, and my flocks were scattered on all the face of earth, and none was that sought.
7 Therefore, shepherds, hear ye the word of the Lord;
8 I live, saith the Lord God, for why for that that my flocks be made into raven, and my sheep into devouring of all beasts of the field, for that that no shepherd was, for the shepherds sought not my flocks, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my flocks;
9 therefore, shepherds, hear ye the word of the Lord,
10 The Lord God saith these things, Lo! I myself am over [the] shepherds; I shall seek my flock of the hand of them, and I shall make them to cease, that they feed no more my flock, and that the shepherds feed no more themselves. And I shall deliver my flock from the mouth of them, and it shall no more be into meat to them.
11 For the Lord God saith these things, Lo! I myself shall seek my sheep, and I shall visit them.
12 As a shepherd visiteth his flock, in the day when he is in the midst of his sheep that be scattered, so I shall visit my sheep; and I shall deliver them from all places in which they were scattered, in the day of cloud, and of darkness.
13 And I shall lead them out of peoples, and I shall gather them from lands, and I shall bring them into their land, and I shall feed them in the hills of Israel, in rivers, and in all seats of earth.
14 I shall feed them in most plenteous pastures, and the pastures of them shall be in the high hills of Israel; there they shall rest in green herbs, and in fat pastures they shall be fed on the hills of Israel.
15 I shall feed my sheep, and I shall make them to lie down, or to rest, saith the Lord God.
16 I shall seek that that perished, and I shall bring again that that was cast away; and I shall bind up that that was broken, and I shall make strong that that was sick; and I shall keep that that is fat and strong; and I shall feed them in doom;
17 forsooth ye be my flocks. The Lord God saith these things, Lo! I deem betwixt beast and beast, and a wether and a buck of goats.
18 Whether it was not enough to you to devour good pastures? Further-more and ye defouled with your feet the remnants of your pastures, and when ye drank clearest water, ye disturbed the residue with your feet.
19 And my sheep were fed with these things that were defouled with your feet; and they drank these things, that your feet had troubled.
20 Therefore the Lord God saith these things to you, Lo! I myself deem betwixt a fat beast and a lean beast.
21 For that that ye hurled with your sides, and shoulders, and winnowed with your horns all sick beasts, till those [or they] were scattered withoutforth,
22 I shall save my flock, and it shall no more be into raven. And I shall deem betwixt beast and beast;
23 and I shall raise on those [or them] one shepherd, my servant David, that shall feed those [or them]; he shall feed them, and he shall be a shepherd to them.
24 Forsooth I the Lord shall be into God to them, and my servant David shall be prince in the midst of them; I the Lord spake.
25 And I shall make with them a covenant of peace, and I shall make [the] worst beasts to cease from [the] earth; and they that dwell in desert, shall sleep secure in forests.
26 And I shall set them [a] blessing in the compass of my little hill, and I shall lead down rain in his time. And rains of blessing shall be,
27 and the tree of the field shall give his fruit, and the earth shall give his seed. And they shall be in their land without dread; and they shall know, that I am the Lord, when I shall all-break the chains of their yoke, and shall deliver them from the hand of them that command to them.
28 And they shall no more be into raven into heathen men, neither the beasts of [the] earth shall devour them, but they shall dwell trustily without any dread.
29 And I shall raise to them a just burgeoning named; and they shall no more be made less for hunger in earth, and they shall no more bear the shame of heathen men.
30 And they shall know, that I am their Lord God with them, and they be my people, the house of Israel, saith the Lord God.
31 Forsooth ye my flocks be men, the flocks of my pasture; and I am your Lord God, saith the Lord God.