The Shepherds and God’s Flock

34 The word of the Lord came to me: “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? You eat the fat, wear the wool, and butcher the fattened animals, but you do not tend the flock.(B) 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. They were scattered for lack of a shepherd;(D) they became food for all the wild animals(E) when they were scattered. 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.

“‘Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord. 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, 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.

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Footnotes

  1. 34:10 Lit their hand

Prophecy against the Shepherds of Israel

34 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Son of man, prophesy against the (A)shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and say to [a]those shepherds, ‘This is what the Lord [b]God says: “Woe, shepherds of Israel who have been [c](B)feeding themselves! Should the shepherds not [d](C)feed the flock? You (D)eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool, you (E)slaughter the fat sheep [e]without feeding the flock. Those who are sickly you have not strengthened, the diseased you have not healed, (F)the broken you have not bound up, the scattered you have not brought back, nor have you (G)searched for the lost; but with force and with violence you have [f]dominated them. They (H)scattered for lack of a shepherd, and they became (I)food for every animal of the field and scattered. My flock (J)strayed 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 search or seek for them.”’”

Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: “As I live,” declares the Lord God, “certainly, because My flock has become (M)plunder, and My flock has become food for all the animals of the field for lack of a shepherd, and My shepherds did not search for My flock, but rather the shepherds fed themselves and did not feed My flock, therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: 10 ‘This is what the Lord God says: “Behold, I am (N)against the shepherds, and I will demand My [g]sheep [h]from them and make them (O)stop tending sheep. So the shepherds will not [i]feed themselves anymore, but I will (P)save My sheep from their mouth, so that they will not be food for them.”’”

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Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 34:2 Lit them, the shepherds
  2. Ezekiel 34:2 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord, and so throughout the ch
  3. Ezekiel 34:2 Lit pasturing, pasture
  4. Ezekiel 34:2 Lit pasturing, pasture
  5. Ezekiel 34:3 Lit you do not pasture
  6. Ezekiel 34:4 Or ruled
  7. Ezekiel 34:10 Or flock
  8. Ezekiel 34:10 Lit from their hand
  9. Ezekiel 34:10 Lit pasture, and so throughout the ch