Ezekiel 34
Wycliffe Bible
34 And the word of the Lord was made to me, and he said,
2 Son of man, prophesy thou of the shepherds of Israel, prophesy thou; and thou shalt say to the shepherds, The Lord God saith these things, Woe to the shepherds of Israel, that fed himself [that fed themselves]; whether flocks be not fed of shepherds? (Son of man, prophesy thou against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy thou; and thou shalt say to the shepherds, The Lord God saith these things, Woe to the shepherds of Israel, who only feed themselves; should not the shepherds feed the flock?)
3 Ye ate [the] milk, and were covered with [the] wools, and ye killed that that was fat (and ye killed what was fat); but ye fed not my flock.
4 Ye made not firm that that was unsteadfast, and ye made not whole that that was sick; ye bound not (up) that that was broken, and ye brought not again that that was cast away, and ye sought not that that perished; but ye commanded to them with sternness, and with power.
5 And my sheep were scattered, for no shepherd was; and they were made into devouring of all beasts of the field, and they were scattered. (And my sheep were scattered, for there was no shepherd; and they were made into food for all the beasts of the field, and they were scattered.)
6 My flocks erred in all mountains, and in each high hill, and my flocks were scattered on all the face of earth, and none was that sought. (My flock wandered on all the mountains, and on each high hill, yea, my flock was scattered over all the face of the earth, and there was no one who sought them.)
7 Therefore, shepherds, hear ye the word of the Lord;
8 I live, saith the Lord God, for why for that that my flocks be made into raven, and my sheep into devouring of all beasts of the field, for that that no shepherd was, for the shepherds sought not my flock(s), but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my flocks; (As I live, saith the Lord God, because my flock was made into spoils, and my sheep into food for all the beasts of the field, because there was no shepherd, for the shepherds sought not my flock, but the shepherds fed only themselves, and fed not my flock;)
9 therefore, shepherds, hear ye the word of the Lord,
10 The Lord God saith these things, Lo! I myself am over [the] shepherds; I shall seek my flock of the hand of them, and I shall make them to cease, that they feed no more my flock, and that the shepherds feed no more themselves. And I shall deliver my flock from the mouth of them, and it shall no more be into meat to them. (The Lord God saith these things, Lo! I am against the shepherds; I shall take my flock out of their hands, and I shall make them cease, that they do not feed my flock, but that these shepherds only feed only themselves. And I shall rescue my flock from their mouths, and they shall no more be their food.)
11 For the Lord God saith these things, Lo! I myself shall seek (out) my sheep, and I shall visit them (and I shall search for them).
12 As a shepherd visiteth his flock, in the day when he is in the midst of his sheep that be scattered, so I shall visit my sheep; and I shall deliver them from all places in which they were scattered, in the day of cloud, and of darkness. (Like a shepherd searcheth for his flock, on the day when he is in the midst of his sheep that be scattered, so I shall search for my sheep; and I shall rescue them from all the places in which they were scattered, on the day of cloud, and of darkness.)
13 And I shall lead them out of peoples, and I shall gather them from lands, and I shall bring them into their land, and I shall feed them in the hills of Israel, in rivers, and in all seats of earth (And I shall lead them out from the nations, and I shall gather them from other lands, and I shall bring them back to their own land, and I shall feed them on the hills of Israel, by the rivers, and on all the green fields.)
14 I shall feed them in most plenteous pastures, and the pastures of them shall be in the high hills of Israel; there they shall rest in green herbs, and in fat pastures they shall be fed on the hills of Israel. (I shall feed them in most plentiful pastures, and their pastures shall be on the high hills of Israel; they shall rest there on green grass, and they shall feed in plentiful pastures, on the hills of Israel.)
15 I shall feed my sheep, and I shall make them to lie (down, or to rest), saith the Lord God.
16 I shall seek that that perished, and I shall bring again that that was cast away; and I shall bind (up) that that was broken, and I shall make strong that that was sick; and I shall keep that that is fat and strong; and I shall feed them in doom (and I shall feed them with justice);
17 forsooth ye be my flocks. The Lord God saith these things, Lo! I deem betwixt beast and beast, and a wether and a buck of goats. (for ye be my flock. The Lord God saith these things, Lo! I judge between beast and beast, and a ram and a goat-buck.)
18 Whether it was not enough to you to devour good pastures? Furthermore and ye defouled with your feet the remnants of your pastures, and when ye drank clearest water, ye disturbed the residue with your feet. (Was it not enough for some of you to devour the good pastures? But furthermore, ye defiled the remnants of your pastures with your feet, and after that ye drank of the clearest water, then ye disturbed the residue with your feet.)
19 And my sheep were fed with these things that were defouled with your feet; and they drank these things, that your feet had troubled.
20 Therefore the Lord God saith these things to you, Lo! I myself deem betwixt a fat beast and a lean beast.
21 For that that ye hurled with (your) sides, and shoulders, and winnowed with your horns all sick beasts (and winnowed all the sick, or all the weak, beasts with your horns), till those were scattered withoutforth,
22 I shall save my flock, and it shall no more be into raven. And I shall deem betwixt beast and beast; (I shall save my flock, and they shall no more be spoils. And I shall judge between beast and beast;)
23 and I shall raise on those one shepherd, my servant David, that shall feed those; he shall feed them, and he shall be a shepherd to them. (and I shall raise upon them one shepherd, my servant David, who shall feed them; yea, he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd.)
24 Forsooth I the Lord shall be into God to them, and my servant David shall be prince in the midst of them; I the Lord spake. (And I the Lord shall be their God, and my servant David shall be their leader in their midst; I the Lord spoke.)
25 And I shall make with them a covenant of peace, and I shall make [the] worst beasts to cease from [the] earth; and they that dwell in desert, shall sleep secure in forests. (And I shall make a covenant of peace with them, and I shall make evil, or wild, beasts to cease to exist in the land; and then my sheep shall live with security in the field, and shall sleep with peace in the forests.)
26 And I shall set them [a] blessing in the compass of my little hill, and I shall lead down rain in his time. And rains of blessing shall be, (And I shall place them all around my little hill for a blessing, and I shall lead down rain in its time. Yea, there shall be blessed rains/Yea, there shall be rains of blessing,)
27 and the tree of the field shall give his fruit, and the earth shall give his seed. And they shall be in their land without dread; and they shall know, that I am the Lord, when I shall all-break the chains of their yoke, and shall deliver them from the hand of them that command to them. (and the tree of the field shall give its fruit, and the earth shall give its seed. And they shall live in their land without any fear; and they shall know, that I am the Lord, when I shall all-break the chains of their yoke, and shall rescue them from the hands, or from the power, of those who commanded to them.)
28 And they shall no more be into raven into heathen men, neither the beasts of [the] earth shall devour them, but they shall dwell trustily without any dread. (And they shall no more be spoils for the heathen, nor shall the beasts of the field devour them, but they shall live with trust, and without any fear.)
29 And I shall raise to them a just burgeoning named; and they shall no more be made less for hunger in earth, and they shall no more bear the shame of heathen men. (And I shall raise up for them a burgeoning justly named; and they shall no more be made less because of famine in the land, and they shall no more bear the shame of the heathen.)
30 And they shall know, that I am their Lord God with them, and they be my people, the house of Israel, saith the Lord God. (And they shall know that I, the Lord their God, am with them, and that they, the house of Israel, be my people, saith the Lord God.)
31 Forsooth ye my flocks be men, the flocks of my pasture; and I am your Lord God, saith the Lord God. (For ye people be my flock, the flock of my pasture; and I am the Lord your God, saith the Lord God.)
Ezekiel 34
International Children’s Bible
The Leaders Are Like Shepherds
34 The Lord spoke his word to me. He said: 2 “Human being, prophesy against the leaders of Israel, who are like shepherds. Prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Lord God says: How terrible it will be for the shepherds of Israel who feed only themselves! Why don’t the shepherds feed the flock? 3 You eat the milk curds from the sheep. You clothe yourselves with the wool from the sheep. You kill the fat sheep. But you do not feed the flock. 4 You have not made the weak strong. You have not healed the sick. You have not put bandages on those that were hurt. You have not brought back those who strayed away. You have not searched for the lost. You ruled the sheep with cruel force. 5 The sheep were scattered because there was no shepherd. Then they became food for every wild animal. 6 My flock wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. They were scattered over all the face of the earth. And no one searched or looked for them.
7 “‘So, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord. This is what the Lord God says: 8 As surely as I live, my flock has been caught. It has become food for all the wild animals. This is because the flock has no shepherd. The shepherds did not search for my flock. No, they fed themselves instead of my flock. 9 So, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord. 10 This is what the Lord God says: I am against the shepherds. I will blame them for what has happened to my sheep. I will not let them tend the flock anymore. Then the shepherds will stop feeding themselves. And I will take my flock from their mouths. My sheep will no longer be their food.
11 “‘This is what the Lord God says: I, myself, will search for my sheep. I will take care of them. 12 A shepherd will take care of his scattered flock when it is found. In the same way I will take care of my sheep. I will save them from all the places where they are scattered. I will do this on a cloudy and dark day. 13 I will bring them out from the nations. I will gather them from the countries. I will bring them to their own land. I will pasture them on the mountains and in the ravines of Israel. And I will feed them in all the places where people live in the land. 14 I will feed them in a good pasture. They will eat grass on the high mountains of Israel. They will lie down on good ground where they eat grass. They will eat in rich grassland on the mountains of Israel. 15 I will feed my flock and lead them to rest, says the Lord God. 16 I will search for the lost. I will bring back those that were scattered. I will put bandages on those that were hurt. I will make the weak strong. I will destroy those sheep that are fat and strong. I will tend the sheep with fairness.
17 “‘This is what the Lord God says: And as for you, my flock, I will judge between one sheep and another. I will judge between the male sheep and the male goats. 18 Is it not enough for you to eat grass in the good land? Must you crush the rest of the grass with your feet? Is it not enough for you to drink clear water? Must you make the rest of the water muddy with your feet? 19 Must my flock eat what you crush? And must they drink what you make muddy with your feet?
20 “‘So this is what the Lord God says to them: I, myself, will judge between the fat sheep and the thin sheep. 21 You push with your side and with your shoulder. You knock down all the weak sheep with your horns. You do this until you have forced them away. 22 So I will save my flock. They will not be hurt anymore. I will judge between one sheep and another. 23 Then I will put one shepherd over them, my servant David. He will feed them. He will tend them and will be their shepherd. 24 Then I, the Lord, will be their God. And my servant David will be a ruler among them. I, the Lord, have spoken.
25 “‘And I will make an agreement of peace with my sheep. I will remove harmful animals from the land. Then the sheep will live safely in the desert. And they will sleep in the woods without danger. 26 I will bless them and let them live around my hill. I will cause the rains to come when it is time for them. There will be showers to bless them. 27 Also the trees of the field will give their fruit. The land will give its harvest. And the sheep will be safe on their land. Then they will know that I am the Lord. I will break the bars of their captivity. And I will save them from the power of those who made them slaves. 28 They will not be led captive by the nations again. The wild animals will not eat them. But they will live safely. No one will make them afraid. 29 I will give them a place famous for its good crops. Then they will no longer suffer from hunger in the land. They will not suffer the insults of other nations anymore. 30 Then they will know that I, the Lord their God, am with them. The nation of Israel will know that they are my people, says the Lord God. 31 And you, my sheep, are the sheep of my pasture. You are my people and I am your God, says the Lord God.’”
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
2001 by Terence P. Noble
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.
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