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The Lord gathers the Israelites who were forced to leave their country.
    This is what the Lord God says,
“I will bring other people to those who are already gathered.”

Israel’s Leaders Are Evil

All you animals of the field, come to eat.
    All you animals of the forest, come to eat.
10 The leaders who are to guard the people are blind.
    They don’t know what they are doing.
All of them are like quiet dogs.
    They don’t know how to bark.
They lie down and dream.
    They love to sleep.

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[a]Oracle of the Lord God,
    who gathers the dispersed of Israel—
Others will I gather to them
    besides those already gathered.(A)

Unworthy Shepherds[b]

All you beasts of the field,[c]
    come to devour,
    all you beasts in the forest!(B)
10 [d]All the sentinels of Israel are blind,
    they are without knowledge;
They are all mute dogs,
    unable to bark;
Dreaming, reclining,
    loving their sleep.

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Footnotes

  1. 56:8 For the gathering of the dispersed people of Israel, cf. Jer 23:3; 31:8–9; Ez 11:17. Here the Lord not only gathers the displaced of Israel, but also unites other peoples to them. Cf. Is 60:3–10; 66:18–21.
  2. 56:9–57:21 This section is made up of two pronouncements of judgment (56:9–57:2; 57:3–13) and an oracle of salvation (57:14–21), each of which ends with a reversal of imagery and language. While there are harsh indictments against the corrupt leaders of Israel (56:9–12), a promise of peace is offered to those who are just (57:1–2). Then the judgment and its subsequent punishment for idolaters (57:3–13a) change to an announcement of reward for those who place their trust in God (57:13c). And the promises of salvation (57:14–19) then shift to a word of warning to the wicked (57:20–21).
  3. 56:9 Beasts of the field: foreign nations, which are invited to come and ravage Israel.
  4. 56:10–11 These shepherds of Israel are without “knowledge,” a theme developed earlier in the Isaian corpus; cf. 1:3; 6:9–10. Ezekiel 34 has similar condemnatory words against the unfaithful shepherds of Israel.

The Sovereign Lord declares—
    he who gathers the exiles of Israel:
“I will gather(A) still others to them
    besides those already gathered.”

God’s Accusation Against the Wicked

Come, all you beasts of the field,(B)
    come and devour, all you beasts of the forest!
10 Israel’s watchmen(C) are blind,
    they all lack knowledge;(D)
they are all mute dogs,
    they cannot bark;
they lie around and dream,
    they love to sleep.(E)

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