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Ezekiel 34-35
New King James Version
Ezekiel 34-35
New King James Version
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 (AV)Mount Seir and (AW)prophesy against it, 3 and say to it, ‘Thus says the Lord God:
“Behold, O Mount Seir, I am against you;
(AX)I will stretch out My hand against you,
And make you [e]most desolate;
4 I shall lay your cities waste,
And you shall be desolate.
Then you shall know that I am the Lord.
5 (AY)“Because you have had an [f]ancient hatred, and have shed the blood of the children of Israel by the power of the sword at the time of their calamity, (AZ)when their iniquity came to an end, 6 therefore, as I live,” says the Lord God, “I will prepare you for (BA)blood, and blood shall pursue you; (BB)since you have not hated [g]blood, therefore blood shall pursue you. 7 Thus I will make Mount Seir [h]most desolate, and cut off from it the (BC)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 (BD)I will make you [i]perpetually desolate, and your cities shall be uninhabited; (BE)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 (BF)possess them,’ although (BG)the Lord was there, 11 therefore, as I live,” says the Lord God, “I will do (BH)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 (BI)Then you shall know that I am the Lord. I have (BJ)heard all your (BK)blasphemies which you have spoken against the mountains of Israel, saying, ‘They are desolate; they are given to us to consume.’ 13 Thus (BL)with your mouth you have [j]boasted against Me and multiplied your (BM)words against Me; I have heard them.”
14 ‘Thus says the Lord God: (BN)“The whole earth will rejoice when I make you desolate. 15 (BO)As you rejoiced because the inheritance of the house of Israel was desolate, (BP)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.” ’
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 34:4 harshness or rigor
- Ezekiel 34:13 Or by the streams
- Ezekiel 34:18 remainder
- Ezekiel 34:29 Lit. planting place
- Ezekiel 35:3 Lit. a desolation and a waste
- Ezekiel 35:5 Or everlasting
- Ezekiel 35:6 Or bloodshed
- Ezekiel 35:7 Lit. a waste and a desolation
- Ezekiel 35:9 Lit. desolated forever
- Ezekiel 35:13 Lit. made yourself great
Ezekiel 34-35
New International Version
Ezekiel 34-35
New International Version
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)
17 “‘As for you, my flock, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will judge between one sheep and another, and between rams and goats.(AF) 18 Is it not enough(AG) for you to feed on the good pasture? Must you also trample the rest of your pasture with your feet?(AH) Is it not enough for you to drink clear water? Must you also muddy the rest with your feet? 19 Must my flock feed on what you have trampled and drink what you have muddied with your feet?
20 “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says to them: See, I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep.(AI) 21 Because you shove with flank and shoulder, butting all the weak sheep with your horns(AJ) until you have driven them away, 22 I will save my flock, and they will no longer be plundered. I will judge between one sheep and another.(AK) 23 I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend(AL) them; he will tend them and be their shepherd.(AM) 24 I the Lord will be their God,(AN) and my servant David(AO) will be prince among them.(AP) I the Lord have spoken.(AQ)
25 “‘I will make a covenant(AR) of peace(AS) with them and rid the land of savage beasts(AT) so that they may live in the wilderness and sleep in the forests in safety.(AU) 26 I will make them and the places surrounding my hill a blessing.[a](AV) I will send down showers in season;(AW) there will be showers of blessing.(AX) 27 The trees will yield their fruit(AY) and the ground will yield its crops;(AZ) the people will be secure(BA) in their land. They will know that I am the Lord, when I break the bars of their yoke(BB) and rescue them from the hands of those who enslaved them.(BC) 28 They will no longer be plundered by the nations, nor will wild animals devour them. They will live in safety,(BD) and no one will make them afraid.(BE) 29 I will provide for them a land renowned(BF) for its crops, and they will no longer be victims of famine(BG) in the land or bear the scorn(BH) of the nations.(BI) 30 Then they will know that I, the Lord their God, am with them and that they, the Israelites, are my people, declares the Sovereign Lord.(BJ) 31 You are my sheep,(BK) the sheep of my pasture,(BL) and I am your God, declares the Sovereign Lord.’”
A Prophecy Against Edom
35 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, set your face against Mount Seir;(BM) prophesy against it 3 and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against you, Mount Seir, and I will stretch out my hand(BN) against you and make you a desolate waste.(BO) 4 I will turn your towns into ruins(BP) and you will be desolate. Then you will know that I am the Lord.(BQ)
5 “‘Because you harbored an ancient hostility and delivered the Israelites over to the sword(BR) at the time of their calamity,(BS) the time their punishment reached its climax,(BT) 6 therefore as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I will give you over to bloodshed(BU) and it will pursue you.(BV) Since you did not hate bloodshed, bloodshed will pursue you. 7 I will make Mount Seir a desolate waste(BW) and cut off from it all who come and go.(BX) 8 I will fill your mountains with the slain; those killed by the sword will fall on your hills and in your valleys and in all your ravines.(BY) 9 I will make you desolate forever;(BZ) your towns will not be inhabited. Then you will know that I am the Lord.(CA)
10 “‘Because you have said, “These two nations and countries will be ours and we will take possession(CB) of them,” even though I the Lord was there, 11 therefore as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I will treat you in accordance with the anger(CC) and jealousy you showed in your hatred of them and I will make myself known among them when I judge you.(CD) 12 Then you will know that I the Lord have heard all the contemptible things you have said against the mountains of Israel. You said, “They have been laid waste and have been given over to us to devour.(CE)” 13 You boasted(CF) against me and spoke against me without restraint, and I heard it.(CG) 14 This is what the Sovereign Lord says: While the whole earth rejoices, I will make you desolate.(CH) 15 Because you rejoiced(CI) when the inheritance of Israel became desolate, that is how I will treat you. You will be desolate, Mount Seir,(CJ) you and all of Edom.(CK) Then they will know that I am the Lord.’”
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 34:26 Or I will cause them and the places surrounding my hill to be named in blessings (see Gen. 48:20); or I will cause them and the places surrounding my hill to be seen as blessed
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.