Ezekiel 34
Christian Standard Bible
The Shepherds and God’s Flock
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 Lord God says to the shepherds: Woe to the shepherds of Israel, who have been feeding themselves!(A) Shouldn’t the shepherds feed their flock? 3 You eat the fat, wear the wool, and butcher the fattened animals, but you do not tend the flock.(B) 4 You have not strengthened the weak, healed the sick, bandaged the injured, brought back the strays, or sought the lost.(C) Instead, you have ruled them with violence and cruelty. 5 They were scattered for lack of a shepherd;(D) they became food for all the wild animals(E) when they were scattered. 6 My flock went astray on all the mountains and every high hill.(F) My flock was scattered over the whole face of the earth, and there was no one searching or seeking for them.
7 “‘Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord. 8 As I live—this is the declaration of the Lord God—because my flock, lacking a shepherd, has become prey and food for every wild animal, and because my shepherds do not search for my flock, and because the shepherds feed themselves rather than my flock, 9 therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord!
10 “‘This is what the Lord God says: Look, I am against the shepherds.(G) I will demand my flock from them[a] and prevent them from shepherding the flock. The shepherds will no longer feed themselves, for I will rescue my flock from their mouths so that they will not be food for them.
11 “‘For this is what the Lord God says: See, I myself will search for my flock and look for them. 12 As a shepherd looks for his sheep on the day he is among his scattered flock, so I will look for my flock. I will rescue them from all the places where they have been scattered(H) on a day of clouds and total darkness. 13 I will bring them out from the peoples, gather them from the countries, and bring them to their own soil. I will shepherd them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines, and in all the inhabited places of the land. 14 I will tend them in good pasture, and their grazing place will be on Israel’s lofty mountains. There they will lie down in a good grazing place; they will feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. 15 I will tend my flock and let them lie down.(I) This is the declaration of the Lord God. 16 I will seek the lost,(J) bring back the strays, bandage the injured,(K) and strengthen the weak, but I will destroy[b] the fat and the strong. I will shepherd them with justice.
17 “‘As for you, my flock, the Lord God says this: Look, I am going to judge between one sheep and another, between the rams and goats.(L) 18 Isn’t it enough for you to feed on the good pasture? Must you also trample the rest of the pasture with your feet? Or isn’t it enough that you drink the clear water? Must you also muddy the rest with your feet? 19 Yet my flock has to feed on what your feet have trampled, and drink what your feet have muddied.
20 “‘Therefore, this is what the Lord God says to them: See, I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. 21 Since you have pushed with flank and shoulder and butted all the weak ones with your horns until you scattered them all over, 22 I will save my flock. They will no longer be prey, and I will judge between one sheep and another. 23 I will establish over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will shepherd them. He will tend them himself and will be their shepherd.(M) 24 I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David(N) will be a prince among them. I, the Lord, have spoken.
25 “‘I will make a covenant of peace(O) with them and eliminate dangerous creatures(P) from the land, so that they may live securely(Q) in the wilderness and sleep in the forest. 26 I will make them and the area around my hill(R) a blessing: I will send down showers in their season;(S) they will be showers of blessing. 27 The trees of the field will yield their fruit, and the land will yield its produce; my flock will be secure in their land. They will know that I am the Lord when I break the bars of their yoke and rescue them from the power of those who enslave them.(T) 28 They will no longer be prey for the nations, and the wild creatures of the earth will not consume them. They will live securely, and no one will frighten them. 29 I will establish for them a place renowned for its agriculture,[c] and they will no longer be victims of famine in the land. They will no longer endure the insults of the nations.(U) 30 Then they will know that I, the Lord their God, am with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are my people.(V) This is the declaration of the Lord God. 31 You are my flock, the human flock of my pasture, and I am your God. This is the declaration of the Lord God.’”(W)
Ezekiel 34
Legacy Standard Bible
Prophecy Against the Shepherds of Israel
34 Then the word of Yahweh came to me saying, 2 “Son of man, prophesy against the (A)shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and say to [a]those shepherds, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “Woe, shepherds of Israel who have been [b](B)shepherding themselves! Should not the shepherds (C)shepherd the flock? 3 You (D)eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool; you (E)sacrifice the fat sheep without shepherding the flock. 4 Those who are sickly you have not strengthened, and the [c]diseased you have not healed, and (F)the broken you have not bound up, and the scattered you have not brought back, nor have you (G)searched for the lost; but with strength 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 seek or search for them.”’”
7 Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of Yahweh: 8 “As I live,” declares Lord Yahweh, “surely because My flock has become (M)plunder, My flock has even become food for all the beasts of the field for lack of a shepherd, and My shepherds did not seek for My flock, but rather the shepherds shepherded themselves and did not shepherd My flock; 9 therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of Yahweh: 10 ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “Behold, I am (N)against the shepherds, and I will seek My flock from their hand and make them (O)cease from shepherding the flock. So the shepherds will not shepherd themselves anymore, but I will (P)deliver My flock from their mouth so that they will not be food for them.”’”
Yahweh Will Shepherd His Flock
11 For thus says Lord Yahweh, “Behold, I Myself will (Q)seek My sheep and care for them. 12 (R)As a shepherd [d]cares for his herd in the day when he is among his [e]sheep which are spread out, so I will [f](S)care for My [g]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)shepherd them on the mountains of Israel, by the (V)streams, and in all the inhabited places of the land. 14 I will shepherd 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 be shepherded in [h](X)rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. 15 I will (Y)shepherd My flock, and I will make them lie down,” declares Lord Yahweh. 16 “I will search for 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)shepherd them with judgment.
17 “As for you, My flock, thus says Lord Yahweh, ‘Behold, I will (AB)judge between one [i]sheep and another, between the rams and the male goats. 18 Is it too (AC)slight a thing for you that you should be shepherded 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 [j]foul the rest with your feet? 19 As for My flock, they must be shepherded on what you tread down with your feet and drink what you [k]foul with your feet!’”
20 Therefore, thus says Lord Yahweh 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 sickly with your horns until you have scattered them [l]abroad, 22 therefore, I will (AE)save My flock, and they will no longer be plunder; and I will judge between one sheep and another.
23 “Then I will (AF)establish over them one (AG)shepherd, My servant (AH)David, and he will shepherd them; he will shepherd them himself and be their shepherd. 24 And I, Yahweh, will be their God, and My servant (AI)David will be prince among them; I, Yahweh, have spoken.
Yahweh’s Covenant of Peace
25 “I will cut a (AJ)covenant of peace with them and (AK)cause harmful beasts to cease 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 all 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 produce, and they will be (AP)secure on their land. Then they will know that I am Yahweh, 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 plunder 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 tremble. 29 I will establish for them a [m](AS)renowned planting place, and they will (AT)not again be [n]victims of famine in the land, and they will not (AU)bear the dishonor of the nations anymore. 30 Then they will know that (AV)I, Yahweh their God, am with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are My people,” declares Lord Yahweh. 31 “As for you, My (AW)sheep, the (AX)sheep of My pasture, you are men, and I am your God,” declares Lord Yahweh.
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 34:2 Lit them, the shepherds
- Ezekiel 34:2 Or feeding, so in ch
- Ezekiel 34:4 Lit sick
- Ezekiel 34:12 Or seek(s) out
- Ezekiel 34:12 Or flock
- Ezekiel 34:12 Or seek(s) out
- Ezekiel 34:12 Or flock
- Ezekiel 34:14 Lit fat
- Ezekiel 34:17 Or lamb
- Ezekiel 34:18 Lit foul by trampling
- Ezekiel 34:19 Lit foul by trampling
- Ezekiel 34:21 Lit to the outside
- Ezekiel 34:29 Lit name
- Ezekiel 34:29 Lit those gathered
Ezekiel 34
King James Version
34 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks?
3 Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock.
4 The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them.
5 And they were scattered, because there is no shepherd: and they became meat to all the beasts of the field, when they were scattered.
6 My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill: yea, my flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them.
7 Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord;
8 As I live, saith the Lord God, surely because my flock became a prey, and my flock became meat to every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, neither did my shepherds search for my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my flock;
9 Therefore, O ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord;
10 Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require my flock at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the flock; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more; for I will deliver my flock from their mouth, that they may not be meat for them.
11 For thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out.
12 As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.
13 And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the country.
14 I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel.
15 I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord God.
16 I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick: but I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment.
17 And as for you, O my flock, thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I judge between cattle and cattle, between the rams and the he goats.
18 Seemeth it a small thing unto you to have eaten up the good pasture, but ye must tread down with your feet the residue of your pastures? and to have drunk of the deep waters, but ye must foul the residue with your feet?
19 And as for my flock, they eat that which ye have trodden with your feet; and they drink that which ye have fouled with your feet.
20 Therefore thus saith the Lord God unto them; Behold, I, even I, will judge between the fat cattle and between the lean cattle.
21 Because ye have thrust with side and with shoulder, and pushed all the diseased with your horns, till ye have scattered them abroad;
22 Therefore will I save my flock, and they shall no more be a prey; and I will judge between cattle and cattle.
23 And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd.
24 And I the Lord will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them; I the Lord have spoken it.
25 And I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land: and they shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods.
26 And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing.
27 And the tree of the field shall yield her fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase, and they shall be safe in their land, and shall know that I am the Lord, when I have broken the bands of their yoke, and delivered them out of the hand of those that served themselves of them.
28 And they shall no more be a prey to the heathen, neither shall the beast of the land devour them; but they shall dwell safely, and none shall make them afraid.
29 And I will raise up for them a plant of renown, and they shall be no more consumed with hunger in the land, neither bear the shame of the heathen any more.
30 Thus shall they know that I the Lord their God am with them, and that they, even the house of Israel, are my people, saith the Lord God.
31 And ye my flock, the flock of my pasture, are men, and I am your God, saith the Lord God.
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