Prophecy against the Shepherds of Israel

34 Then the word of the Lord came to me saying, ² “Son of man, prophesy against the ^(A)shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and say to ^[a]those shepherds, ‘Thus says the Lord ^[b]God, “Woe, shepherds of Israel who have been ^[c](B)feeding themselves! Should not the shepherds ^[d](C)feed the flock? ³ You ^(D)eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool, you ^(E)slaughter the fat sheep without ^[e]feeding the flock. ⁴ Those who are sickly you have not strengthened, the ^[f]diseased you have not healed, ^(F)the broken you have not bound up, the scattered you have not brought back, nor have you ^(G)sought for the lost; but with force and with severity you have dominated them. ⁵ They were ^(H)scattered for lack of a shepherd, and they became ^(I)food for every beast of the field and were scattered. ⁶ My flock ^(J)wandered through all the mountains and on every high hill; ^(K)My flock was scattered over all the surface of the earth, and there was ^(L)no one to search or seek for them.”’”

⁷ Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: ⁸ “As I live,” declares the Lord God, “surely because My flock has become a ^(M)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 therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: ¹⁰ ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I am ^(N)against the shepherds, and I will demand My ^[g]sheep ^[h]from them and make them ^(O)cease from feeding ^[i]sheep. So the shepherds will not ^[j]feed themselves anymore, but I will ^(P)deliver My flock from their mouth, so that they will not be food for them.”’”

The Restoration of Israel

¹¹ For thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I Myself will ^(Q)search for My sheep and seek them out. ^12 (R)As a shepherd ^[k]cares for his herd in the day when he is among his scattered ^[l]sheep, so I will ^[m](S)care for My ^[n]sheep and will deliver them from all the places to which they were scattered on a ^(T)cloudy and gloomy day. ¹³ I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries and bring them to their own land; and I will ^(U)feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the ^(V)streams, and in all the inhabited places of the land. ¹⁴ I will feed them in a ^(W)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 ^[o](X)rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. ¹⁵ I will ^(Y)feed My flock and I will ^[p]lead them to rest,” declares the Lord God. ¹⁶ “I will seek the lost, bring back the scattered, bind up the broken and strengthen the sick; but the ^(Z)fat and the strong I will destroy. I will ^(AA)feed them with judgment.

¹⁷ “As for you, My flock, thus says the Lord God, ‘Behold, I will ^(AB)judge between one ^[q]sheep and another, between the rams and the male goats. ¹⁸ Is it too ^(AC)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 ^[r]foul the rest with your feet? ¹⁹ As for My flock, they must eat what you tread down with your feet and drink what you ^[s]foul with your feet!’”

²⁰ Therefore, thus says the Lord God to them, “Behold, I, even I, will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. ²¹ Because you push with side and with shoulder, and ^(AD)thrust at all the ^[t]weak with your horns until you have scattered them ^[u]abroad, ²² therefore, I will ^(AE)deliver My flock, and they will no longer be a prey; and I will judge between one sheep and another.

²³ “Then I will ^(AF)set over them one ^(AG)shepherd, My servant ^(AH)David, and he will feed them; he will feed them himself and be their shepherd. ²⁴ And I, the Lord, will be their God, and My servant ^(AI)David will be prince among them; I the Lord have spoken.

²⁵ “I will make a ^(AJ)covenant of peace with them and ^(AK)eliminate harmful beasts from the land so that they may ^(AL)live securely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods. ²⁶ I will make them and the places around My hill a ^(AM)blessing. And I will cause ^(AN)showers to come down in their season; they will be showers of ^(AO)blessing. ²⁷ Also the tree of the field will yield its fruit and the earth will yield its increase, and they will be ^(AP)secure on their land. Then they will know that I am the Lord, when I have ^(AQ)broken the bars of their yoke and have delivered them from the hand of those who enslaved them. ²⁸ They will no longer be a prey to the nations, and the beasts of the earth will not devour them; but they will ^(AR)live securely, and no one will make them afraid. ²⁹ I will establish for them a ^(AS)renowned planting place, and they will ^(AT)not again be ^[v]victims of famine in the land, and they will not ^(AU)endure the insults of the nations anymore. ³⁰ Then they will know that ^(AV)I, the Lord their God, am with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are My people,” declares the Lord God. ³¹ “As for you, My ^(AW)sheep, the ^(AX)sheep of My pasture, you are men, and I am your God,” declares the Lord God.

Meditations and Prayers Relating to the Law of God.

Aleph.

Greetings and Love Expressed

16 I ^(A)commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a ^[a]servant of the church which is at ^(B)Cenchrea; ² that you ^(C)receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the ^[b](D)saints, and that you help her in whatever matter she may have need of you; for she herself has also been a helper of many, ^[c]and of myself as well.

³ Greet ^(E)Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers ^(F)in ^(G)Christ Jesus, ⁴ who for my life risked their own necks, to whom not only do I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles; ⁵ also greet ^(H)the church that is in their house. Greet Epaenetus, my beloved, who is the ^(I)first convert to Christ from ^[d](J)Asia. ⁶ Greet Mary, who has worked hard for you. ⁷ Greet Andronicus and ^[e]Junias, my ^(K)kinsmen and my ^(L)fellow prisoners, who are outstanding among the apostles, who also ^[f]were ^(M)in Christ before me. ⁸ Greet Ampliatus, my beloved in the Lord. ⁹ Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker ^(N)in Christ, and Stachys my beloved. ¹⁰ Greet Apelles, the approved ^(O)in Christ. Greet those who are of the household of Aristobulus. ¹¹ Greet Herodion, my ^(P)kinsman. Greet those of the household of Narcissus, who are in the Lord. ¹² Greet Tryphaena and Tryphosa, workers in the Lord. Greet Persis the beloved, who has worked hard in the Lord. ¹³ Greet ^(Q)Rufus, a choice man in the Lord, also his mother and mine. ¹⁴ Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas and the brethren with them. ¹⁵ Greet Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all ^(R)the ^[g]saints who are with them. ^16 (S)Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you.

¹⁷ Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and ^[h]hindrances ^(T)contrary to the teaching which you learned, and ^(U)turn away from them. ¹⁸ For such men are ^(V)slaves, not of our Lord Christ but of ^(W)their own ^[i]appetites; and by their ^(X)smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting. ¹⁹ For the report of your obedience ^(Y)has reached to all; therefore I am rejoicing over you, but ^(Z)I want you to be wise in what is good and innocent in what is evil. ^20 (AA)The God of peace will soon crush ^(AB)Satan under your feet.

^(AC)The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

^21 (AD)Timothy my fellow worker greets you, and so do ^(AE)Lucius and ^(AF)Jason and ^(AG)Sosipater, my ^(AH)kinsmen.

²² I, Tertius, who ^(AI)write this letter, greet you in the Lord.

^23 (AJ)Gaius, host to me and to the whole church, greets you. ^(AK)Erastus, the city treasurer greets you, and Quartus, the brother. ²⁴ [^[j]The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.]

^25 (AL)Now to Him who is able to establish you ^(AM)according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of ^(AN)the mystery which has been kept secret for ^(AO)long ages past, ²⁶ but now is manifested, and by ^(AP)the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, has been made known to all the nations, leading to ^(AQ)obedience of faith; ²⁷ to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, ^(AR)be the glory forever. Amen.