The Lord Will Be Israel’s Shepherd

34 The word of the Lord came to me: ² “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to you shepherds of Israel who only take care of yourselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock?^{(A) 3} You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock.^{(B) 4} You have not strengthened the weak or healed^(C) the sick or bound up^(D) the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally.^{(E) 5} So they were scattered because there was no shepherd,^(F) and when they were scattered they became food for all the wild animals.^{(G) 6} My sheep wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill.^(H) They were scattered^(I) over the whole earth, and no one searched or looked for them.^(J)

⁷ “‘Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: ⁸ As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, because my flock lacks a shepherd and so has been plundered^(K) and has become food for all the wild animals,^(L) and because my shepherds did not search for my flock but cared for themselves rather than for my flock,^{(M) 9} therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: ¹⁰ This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against^(N) the shepherds and will hold them accountable for my flock. I will remove them from tending the flock so that the shepherds can no longer feed themselves. I will rescue^(O) my flock from their mouths, and it will no longer be food for them.^(P)

¹¹ “‘For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search for my sheep^(Q) and look after them. ¹² As a shepherd^(R) looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness.^{(S) 13} I will bring them out from the nations and gather^(T) them from the countries, and I will bring them into their own land.^(U) I will pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in all the settlements in the land.^{(V) 14} I will tend them in a good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel^(W) will be their grazing land. There they will lie down in good grazing land, and there they will feed in a rich pasture^(X) on the mountains of Israel.^{(Y) 15} I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down,^(Z) declares the Sovereign Lord.^{(AA) 16} I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up^(AB) the injured and strengthen the weak,^(AC) but the sleek and the strong I will destroy.^(AD) I will shepherd the flock with justice.^(AE)

¹¹ “I am^(A) the good shepherd.^(B) The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.^{(C) 12} The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away.^(D) Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. ¹³ The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.

¹⁴ “I am the good shepherd;^(E) I know my sheep^(F) and my sheep know me— ¹⁵ just as the Father knows me and I know the Father^(G)—and I lay down my life for the sheep.^{(H) 16} I have other sheep^(I) that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock^(J) and one shepherd.^{(K) 17} The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life^(L)—only to take it up again. ¹⁸ No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord.^(M) I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”^(N)