Irresponsible Shepherds

34 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ² “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God to the shepherds: ^(A)“Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks? ^3 (B)You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool; you ^(C)slaughter the fatlings, but you do not feed the flock. ^4 (D)The weak you have not strengthened, nor have you healed those who were sick, nor bound up the broken, nor brought back what was driven away, nor ^(E)sought what was lost; but with ^(F)force and ^[a]cruelty you have ruled them. ^5 (G)So they were ^(H)scattered because there was no shepherd; ^(I)and they became food for all the beasts of the field when they were scattered. ⁶ My sheep ^(J)wandered through all the mountains, and on every high hill; yes, My flock was scattered over the whole face of the earth, and no one was seeking or searching for them.”

⁷ ‘Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: ⁸ “As I live,” says the Lord God, “surely because My flock became a prey, and My flock ^(K)became food for every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, nor did My shepherds search for My flock, ^(L)but the shepherds fed themselves and did not feed My flock”— ⁹ therefore, O shepherds, hear the word of the Lord! ¹⁰ Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I am ^(M)against the shepherds, and ^(N)I will require My flock at their hand; I will cause them to cease feeding the sheep, and the shepherds shall ^(O)feed themselves no more; for I will ^(P)deliver My flock from their mouths, that they may no longer be food for them.”

God, the True Shepherd

¹¹ ‘For thus says the Lord God: “Indeed I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out. ¹² As a ^(Q)shepherd seeks out his flock on the day he is among his scattered sheep, so will I seek out My sheep and deliver them from all the places where they were scattered on ^(R)a cloudy and dark day. ¹³ And ^(S)I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land; I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, ^[b]in the valleys and in all the inhabited places of the country. ^14 (T)I will feed them in good pasture, and their fold shall be on the high mountains of Israel. ^(U)There they shall lie down in a good fold and feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. ¹⁵ I will feed My flock, and I will make them lie down,” says the Lord God. ^16 (V)“I will seek what was lost and bring back what was driven away, bind up the broken and strengthen what was sick; but I will destroy ^(W)the fat and the strong, and feed them ^(X)in judgment.”

¹⁷ ‘And as for you, O My flock, thus says the Lord God: ^(Y)“Behold, I shall judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and goats. ¹⁸ Is it too little for you to have eaten up the good pasture, that you must tread down with your feet the ^[c]residue of your pasture—and to have drunk of the clear waters, that you must foul the residue with your feet? ¹⁹ And as for My flock, they eat what you have trampled with your feet, and they drink what you have fouled with your feet.”

²⁰ ‘Therefore thus says the Lord God to them: ^(Z)“Behold, I Myself will judge between the fat and the lean sheep. ²¹ Because you have pushed with side and shoulder, butted all the weak ones with your horns, and scattered them abroad, ²² therefore I will save My flock, and they shall no longer be a prey; and I will judge between sheep and sheep. ²³ I will establish one ^(AA)shepherd over them, and he shall feed them—^(AB)My servant David. He shall feed them and be their shepherd. ²⁴ And ^(AC)I, the Lord, will be their God, and My servant David ^(AD)a prince among them; I, the Lord, have spoken.

^25 (AE)“I will make a covenant of peace with them, and ^(AF)cause wild beasts to cease from the land; and they ^(AG)will dwell safely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods. ²⁶ I will make them and the places all around ^(AH)My hill ^(AI)a blessing; and I will ^(AJ)cause showers to come down in their season; there shall be ^(AK)showers of blessing. ²⁷ Then ^(AL)the trees of the field shall yield their fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase. They shall be safe in their land; and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I have ^(AM)broken the bands of their yoke and delivered them from the hand of those who ^(AN)enslaved them. ²⁸ And they shall no longer be a prey for the nations, nor shall beasts of the land devour them; but ^(AO)they shall dwell safely, and no one shall make them afraid. ²⁹ I will raise up for them a ^(AP)garden^[d] of renown, and they shall ^(AQ)no longer be consumed with hunger in the land, ^(AR)nor bear the shame of the Gentiles anymore. ³⁰ Thus they shall know that ^(AS)I, the Lord their God, am with them, and they, the house of Israel, are ^(AT)My people,” says the Lord God.’

³¹ “You are My ^(AU)flock, the flock of My pasture; you are men, and I am your God,” says the Lord God.

Judgment on Mount Seir

35 Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ² “Son of man, set your face against ^(A)Mount Seir and ^(B)prophesy against it, ³ and say to it, ‘Thus says the Lord God:

^5 (D)“Because you have had an ^[b]ancient hatred, and have shed the blood of the children of Israel by the power of the sword at the time of their calamity, ^(E)when their iniquity came to an end, ⁶ therefore, as I live,” says the Lord God, “I will prepare you for ^(F)blood, and blood shall pursue you; ^(G)since you have not hated ^[c]blood, therefore blood shall pursue you. ⁷ Thus I will make Mount Seir ^[d]most desolate, and cut off from it the ^(H)one who leaves and the one who returns. ⁸ And I will fill its mountains with the slain; on your hills and in your valleys and in all your ravines those who are slain by the sword shall fall. ^9 (I)I will make you ^[e]perpetually desolate, and your cities shall be uninhabited; ^(J)then you shall know that I am the Lord.

¹⁰ “Because you have said, ‘These two nations and these two countries shall be mine, and we will ^(K)possess them,’ although ^(L)the Lord was there, ¹¹ therefore, as I live,” says the Lord God, “I will do ^(M)according to your anger and according to the envy which you showed in your hatred against them; and I will make Myself known among them when I judge you. ^12 (N)Then you shall know that I am the Lord. I have ^(O)heard all your ^(P)blasphemies which you have spoken against the mountains of Israel, saying, ‘They are desolate; they are given to us to consume.’ ¹³ Thus ^(Q)with your mouth you have ^[f]boasted against Me and multiplied your ^(R)words against Me; I have heard them.”

¹⁴ ‘Thus says the Lord God: ^(S)“The whole earth will rejoice when I make you desolate. ^15 (T)As you rejoiced because the inheritance of the house of Israel was desolate, ^(U)so I will do to you; you shall be desolate, O Mount Seir, as well as all of Edom—all of it! Then they shall know that I am the Lord.” ’

Blessing on Israel

36 “And you, son of man, prophesy to the ^(A)mountains of Israel, and say, ‘O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord! ² Thus says the Lord God: “Because ^(B)the enemy has said of you, ‘Aha! ^(C)The ^[a]ancient heights ^(D)have become our possession,’ ” ’ ³ therefore prophesy, and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Because they made you desolate and swallowed you up on every side, so that you became the possession of the rest of the nations, ^(E)and you are taken up by the lips of ^(F)talkers and slandered by the people”— ⁴ therefore, O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God! Thus says the Lord God to the mountains, the hills, the ^[b]rivers, the valleys, the desolate wastes, and the cities that have been forsaken, which ^(G)became plunder and ^(H)mockery to the rest of the nations all around— ⁵ therefore thus says the Lord God: ^(I)“Surely I have spoken in My burning jealousy against the rest of the nations and against all Edom, ^(J)who gave My land to themselves as a possession, with wholehearted joy and ^[c]spiteful minds, in order to plunder its open country.” ’

⁶ “Therefore prophesy concerning the land of Israel, and say to the mountains, the hills, the rivers, and the valleys, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I have spoken in My jealousy and My fury, because you have ^(K)borne the shame of the nations.” ⁷ Therefore thus says the Lord God: “I have ^(L)raised My hand in an oath that surely the nations that are around you shall ^(M)bear their own shame. ⁸ But you, O mountains of Israel, you shall shoot forth your branches and yield your fruit to My people Israel, for they are about to come. ⁹ For indeed I am for you, and I will turn to you, and you shall be tilled and sown. ¹⁰ I will multiply men upon you, all the house of Israel, all of it; and the cities shall be inhabited and ^(N)the ruins rebuilt. ^11 (O)I will multiply upon you man and beast; and they shall increase and ^[d]bear young; I will make you inhabited as in former times, and do ^(P)better for you than at your beginnings. ^(Q)Then you shall know that I am the Lord. ¹² Yes, I will cause men to walk on you, My people Israel; ^(R)they shall take possession of you, and you shall be their inheritance; no more shall you ^(S)bereave them of children.”

¹³ ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Because they say to you, ^(T)‘You devour men and bereave your nation of children,’ ¹⁴ therefore you shall devour men no more, nor bereave your nation anymore,” says the Lord God. ^15 (U)“Nor will I let you hear the taunts of the nations anymore, nor bear the reproach of the peoples anymore, nor shall you cause your nation to stumble anymore,” says the Lord God.’ ”

The Renewal of Israel

¹⁶ Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying: ¹⁷ “Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, ^(V)they defiled it by their own ways and deeds; to Me their way was like ^(W)the uncleanness of a woman in her customary impurity. ¹⁸ Therefore I poured out My fury on them ^(X)for the blood they had shed on the land, and for their idols with which they had defiled it. ¹⁹ So I ^(Y)scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed throughout the countries; I judged them ^(Z)according to their ways and their deeds. ²⁰ When they came to the nations, wherever they went, they ^(AA)profaned My holy name—when they said of them, ‘These are the people of the Lord, and yet they have gone out of His land.’ ²¹ But I had concern ^(AB)for My holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations wherever they went.

²² “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, ^(AC)but for My holy name’s sake, which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went. ²³ And I will sanctify My great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst; and the nations shall know that I am the Lord,” says the Lord God, “when I am ^(AD)hallowed in you before their eyes. ²⁴ For ^(AE)I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. ^25 (AF)Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you ^(AG)from all your filthiness and from all your idols. ²⁶ I will give you a ^(AH)new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. ²⁷ I will put My ^(AI)Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. ^28 (AJ)Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; ^(AK)you shall be My people, and I will be your God. ²⁹ I will ^(AL)deliver you from all your uncleannesses. ^(AM)I will call for the grain and multiply it, and ^(AN)bring no famine upon you. ^30 (AO)And I will multiply the fruit of your trees and the increase of your fields, so that you need never again bear the reproach of famine among the nations. ³¹ Then ^(AP)you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good; and you ^(AQ)will ^[e]loathe yourselves in your own sight, for your iniquities and your abominations. ^32 (AR)Not for your sake do I do this,” says the Lord God, “let it be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel!”

³³ ‘Thus says the Lord God: “On the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will also enable you to dwell in the cities, ^(AS)and the ruins shall be rebuilt. ³⁴ The desolate land shall be tilled instead of lying desolate in the sight of all who pass by. ³⁵ So they will say, ‘This land that was desolate has become like the garden of ^(AT)Eden; and the wasted, desolate, and ruined cities are now fortified and inhabited.’ ³⁶ Then the nations which are left all around you shall know that I, the Lord, have rebuilt the ruined places and planted what was desolate. ^(AU)I, the Lord, have spoken it, and I will do it.”

³⁷ ‘Thus says the Lord God: ^(AV)“I will also let the house of Israel inquire of Me to do this for them: I will ^(AW)increase their men like a flock. ³⁸ Like a ^[f]flock offered as holy sacrifices, like the flock at Jerusalem on its ^[g]feast days, so shall the ruined cities be filled with flocks of men. Then they shall know that I am the Lord.” ’ ”

The Anointing at Bethany^(A)

12 Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, ^(B)where Lazarus was ^[a]who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead. ^2 (C)There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him. ³ Then ^(D)Mary took a pound of very costly oil of ^(E)spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.

⁴ But one of His disciples, ^(F)Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, who would betray Him, said, ⁵ “Why was this fragrant oil not sold for ^[b]three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” ⁶ This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and ^(G)had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it.

⁷ But Jesus said, “Let her alone; ^[c]she has kept this for the day of My burial. ⁸ For ^(H)the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always.”

The Plot to Kill Lazarus

⁹ Now a great many of the Jews knew that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, ^(I)whom He had raised from the dead. ^10 (J)But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also, ^11 (K)because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus.

The Triumphal Entry^(L)

^12 (M)The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, ¹³ took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out:

^14 (O)Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written:

^16 (Q)His disciples did not understand these things at first; ^(R)but when Jesus was glorified, ^(S)then they remembered that these things were written about Him and that they had done these things to Him.

¹⁷ Therefore the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of his tomb and raised him from the dead, bore witness. ^18 (T)For this reason the people also met Him, because they heard that He had done this sign. ¹⁹ The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, ^(U)“You see that you are accomplishing nothing. Look, the world has gone after Him!”

The Fruitful Grain of Wheat

²⁰ Now there ^(V)were certain Greeks among those ^(W)who came up to worship at the feast. ²¹ Then they came to Philip, ^(X)who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.”

²² Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus.

²³ But Jesus answered them, saying, ^(Y)“The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. ²⁴ Most assuredly, I say to you, ^(Z)unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much ^[d]grain. ^25 (AA)He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. ²⁶ If anyone serves Me, let him ^(AB)follow Me; and ^(AC)where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.

Jesus Predicts His Death on the Cross

^27 (AD)“Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? ^(AE)But for this purpose I came to this hour. ²⁸ Father, glorify Your name.”

^(AF)Then a voice came from heaven, saying, “I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.”

²⁹ Therefore the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to Him.”

³⁰ Jesus answered and said, ^(AG)“This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake. ³¹ Now is the judgment of this world; now ^(AH)the ruler of this world will be cast out. ³² And I, ^(AI)if I am ^[e]lifted up from the earth, will draw ^(AJ)all peoples to Myself.” ^33 (AK)This He said, signifying by what death He would die.

³⁴ The people answered Him, ^(AL)“We have heard from the law that the Christ remains forever; and how can You say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this Son of Man?”

³⁵ Then Jesus said to them, “A little while longer ^(AM)the light is with you. ^(AN)Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; ^(AO)he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going. ³⁶ While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become ^(AP)sons of light.” These things Jesus spoke, and departed, and ^(AQ)was hidden from them.

Who Has Believed Our Report?

³⁷ But although He had done so many ^(AR)signs before them, they did not believe in Him, ³⁸ that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke:

³⁹ Therefore they could not believe, because Isaiah said again:

^41 (AV)These things Isaiah said ^[f]when he saw His glory and spoke of Him.

Walk in the Light

⁴² Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but ^(AW)because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; ^43 (AX)for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.

⁴⁴ Then Jesus cried out and said, ^(AY)“He who believes in Me, ^(AZ)believes not in Me ^(BA)but in Him who sent Me. ⁴⁵ And ^(BB)he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me. ^46 (BC)I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness. ⁴⁷ And if anyone hears My words and does not ^[g]believe, ^(BD)I do not judge him; for ^(BE)I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. ^48 (BF)He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him—^(BG)the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day. ⁴⁹ For ^(BH)I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, ^(BI)what I should say and what I should speak. ⁵⁰ And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I ^(BJ)speak.”

Prayer for Mercy, with Meditation on the Excellencies of the Lord

A Prayer of David.