羊群必遭殺戮

11 黎巴嫩啊,打開你的門吧,

好讓火焰吞噬你的香柏樹。
松樹啊,哀號吧,
因為香柏樹已經倒下,
挺拔的樹木已被毀壞。
巴珊的橡樹啊,哀號吧,
因為茂密的樹林已被砍倒。
聽啊,牧人在哀號,
因為他們肥美的草場已被毀壞。
聽啊,獅子在吼叫,
因為約旦河畔的叢林已被毀壞。

我的上帝耶和華說:「你去牧養這群待宰的羊吧。 買羊宰羊的不受懲罰,賣羊的說,『耶和華當受稱頌!我發財了。』牠們的牧人不憐憫牠們。 因此,我不再憐憫這地方的居民,我要使他們落在鄰人及其君王手中,任這地方被摧毀,必不從敵人手中拯救他們。這是耶和華說的。」

於是,我牧養這群最困苦的待宰之羊。我拿了兩根杖,一根叫「恩惠」,一根叫「聯合」,開始牧養羊群。 我在一個月之內除掉了三個牧人。

然而,我厭煩羊群,他們也厭惡我。 於是我說:「我不再牧養你們了。要死的就死吧,要滅亡的就滅亡吧,讓剩下的互相吞吃吧。」 10 然後,我拿起那根叫「恩惠」的杖,把它折斷,以廢除我與萬民所立的約。 11 約就在當天廢除了,那些注視著我的困苦羊便知道這是上帝的話。

12 我對他們說:「你們若認為好,就給我工錢,不然就算了。」於是,他們給了我三十塊銀子作工錢。 13 耶和華對我說:「把這一大筆錢丟給窯戶吧,這就是我在他們眼中的價值!」我便把三十塊銀子丟給聖殿中的窯戶。 14 我又把那根叫「聯合」的杖折斷,以斷開猶大和以色列之間的手足之情。

15 耶和華又對我說:「你再拿起愚昧牧人的器具, 16 因為我要使一位牧人在地上興起,他不照顧喪亡的,不尋找失散的,不醫治受傷的,不牧養健壯的,反而吃肥羊的肉,撕掉牠們的蹄子。

17 「丟棄羊群的無用牧人有禍了!
願刀砍在他的臂膀和右眼上!
願他的臂膀徹底枯槁,
他的右眼完全失明!」

11 Open your doors, Lebanon,(A)
    so that fire(B) may devour your cedars!
Wail, you juniper, for the cedar has fallen;
    the stately trees are ruined!
Wail, oaks(C) of Bashan;
    the dense forest(D) has been cut down!(E)
Listen to the wail of the shepherds;
    their rich pastures are destroyed!
Listen to the roar of the lions;(F)
    the lush thicket of the Jordan is ruined!(G)

Two Shepherds

This is what the Lord my God says: “Shepherd the flock marked for slaughter.(H) Their buyers slaughter them and go unpunished. Those who sell them say, ‘Praise the Lord, I am rich!’ Their own shepherds do not spare them.(I) For I will no longer have pity on the people of the land,” declares the Lord. “I will give everyone into the hands of their neighbors(J) and their king. They will devastate the land, and I will not rescue anyone from their hands.”(K)

So I shepherded the flock marked for slaughter,(L) particularly the oppressed of the flock. Then I took two staffs and called one Favor and the other Union, and I shepherded the flock. In one month I got rid of the three shepherds.

The flock detested(M) me, and I grew weary of them and said, “I will not be your shepherd. Let the dying die, and the perishing perish.(N) Let those who are left eat(O) one another’s flesh.”

10 Then I took my staff called Favor(P) and broke it, revoking(Q) the covenant I had made with all the nations. 11 It was revoked on that day, and so the oppressed of the flock who were watching me knew it was the word of the Lord.

12 I told them, “If you think it best, give me my pay; but if not, keep it.” So they paid me thirty pieces of silver.(R)

13 And the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—the handsome price at which they valued me! So I took the thirty pieces of silver(S) and threw them to the potter at the house of the Lord.(T)

14 Then I broke my second staff called Union, breaking the family bond between Judah and Israel.

15 Then the Lord said to me, “Take again the equipment of a foolish shepherd. 16 For I am going to raise up a shepherd over the land who will not care for the lost, or seek the young, or heal the injured, or feed the healthy, but will eat the meat of the choice sheep, tearing off their hooves.

17 “Woe to the worthless shepherd,(U)
    who deserts the flock!
May the sword strike his arm(V) and his right eye!
    May his arm be completely withered,
    his right eye totally blinded!”(W)

11 Open your doors, Lebanon, so that fire will devour your cedars.
Scream, cypress, for the cedar has fallen;
            those majestic ones have been devastated.
Scream, oaks of Bashan, for the deep forest has fallen.
The sound of screaming appears among the shepherds
            because their majesty has been devastated.
        The sound of roaring can be heard among the young lions
            because the pride of the Jordan has been devastated.

The shepherd’s two staffs

This is what the Lord my God says:
    Shepherd the flock intended for slaughter.
        Those who buy them will kill them,
            but they will go unpunished.
        Those who sell them will say,
            “Blessed is the Lord, for I have become rich.”
                And their own shepherds won’t spare them.
                In fact, I will no longer spare the inhabitants of the land, says the Lord.
        But look what I am about to bring upon humanity,
            upon each of them by their neighbor’s hand and by the hand of their king:
        They will beat the land to pieces,
            but I won’t rescue anyone from their hand.
So I shepherded the flock intended for slaughter,
            the afflicted of the flock.[a]
I took two staffs for myself.
        I named one Delight;
            the other I named Harmony.
I shepherded the flock.
I removed three shepherds in one month
        when I grew impatient with them.
        Moreover, they detested me.
Then I said, “I won’t shepherd you.
    Let the dying die,
                and let what is to be removed be removed.
    Let those who are left devour the flesh of their neighbor.”

10 Then I took the staff Delight,
        and I chopped it up in order to break my covenant that I had made with all the peoples.
11         It was broken on that day.
            As a result, the afflicted[b] of the flock knew that it was the Lord’s word.
12 And I said to them,
        “If it appears good to you, give me my wages;
        but if not, then stop.”
        So they weighed out my wages, thirty shekels of silver.
13 The Lord said to me,
        “Put it in the treasury.[c]
        They value me at too magnificent a price.”
So I took the thirty shekels[d] of silver
        and put them in the treasury of the Lord’s house.

14 Then I chopped up my second staff Harmony,
        to break the alliance between Judah and Israel.
15 Then the Lord said to me,
    “Take for yourself again the equipment of a foolish shepherd,
16         because I am about to appoint a shepherd in the land.
            He won’t tend to those who have been removed.
            He won’t seek the young or heal the broken.
            He won’t sustain the one standing.
            Instead, he will devour the flesh of the fat ones, even tearing off their hooves.
17         Doom, foolish shepherd who forsakes the flock.
            A sword will strike[e] his arm and his right eye.
            His arm will wither completely;
                his right eye will become blind.”

Footnotes

  1. Zechariah 11:7 Heb uncertain
  2. Zechariah 11:11 Cf Zech 11:7
  3. Zechariah 11:13 Syr; MT to the potter
  4. Zechariah 11:13 Heb lacks shekels.
  5. Zechariah 11:17 Heb lacks will strike.