Jeremiah 23:1-4
English Standard Version Anglicised
The Righteous Branch
23 (A)“Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture!” declares the Lord. 2 Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning (B)the shepherds who care for my people: “You have scattered my flock and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. (C)Behold, I will attend to you for your evil deeds, declares the Lord. 3 (D)Then I will gather the remnant of my flock (E)out of all the countries where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, (F)and they shall be fruitful and multiply. 4 (G)I will set shepherds over them who will care for them, and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall any be missing, declares the Lord.
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Jeremiah 50:6-19
English Standard Version Anglicised
6 (A)“My people have been lost sheep. (B)Their shepherds have led them astray, turning them away on the mountains. From mountain to hill they have gone. They have forgotten their fold. 7 All who found them have devoured them, (C)and their enemies have said, ‘We are not guilty, for (D)they have sinned against the Lord, (E)their habitation of righteousness, the Lord, (F)the hope of their fathers.’
8 (G)“Flee from the midst of Babylon, (H)and go out of the land of the Chaldeans, and be as male goats before the flock. 9 For behold, I am stirring up and bringing against Babylon (I)a gathering of great nations, from the north country. And they shall array themselves against her. From there she shall be taken. Their arrows are like a skilled warrior who does not return empty-handed. 10 (J)Chaldea shall be plundered; all who plunder her shall be sated, declares the Lord.
11 (K)“Though you rejoice, though you exult,
O plunderers of my heritage,
though you frolic like a heifer in the pasture,
and neigh like stallions,
12 your mother shall be utterly shamed,
and she who bore you shall be disgraced.
Behold, she shall be the last of the nations,
(L)a wilderness, a dry land, and a desert.
13 (M)Because of the wrath of the Lord she shall not be inhabited
but shall be an utter desolation;
(N)everyone who passes by Babylon shall be appalled,
(O)and hiss because of all her wounds.
14 (P)Set yourselves in array against Babylon all round,
(Q)all you who bend the bow;
shoot at her, spare no arrows,
(R)for she has sinned against the Lord.
15 (S)Raise a shout against her all round;
she has surrendered;
her bulwarks have fallen;
(T)her walls are thrown down.
For (U)this is the vengeance of the Lord:
take vengeance on her;
(V)do to her as she has done.
16 Cut off from Babylon the sower,
and the one who handles the sickle in time of harvest;
(W)because of the sword of the oppressor,
(X)every one shall turn to his own people,
and every one shall flee to his own land.
17 (Y)“Israel is a hunted sheep (Z)driven away by lions. (AA)First the king of Assyria (AB)devoured him, and now at last (AC)Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon (AD)has gnawed his bones. 18 Therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, (AE)I am bringing punishment on the king of Babylon and his land, (AF)as I punished the king of Assyria. 19 (AG)I will restore Israel to his pasture, and (AH)he shall feed on (AI)Carmel and in (AJ)Bashan, and his desire shall be satisfied on the hills of Ephraim and in (AK)Gilead.
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Ezekiel 34
English Standard Version Anglicised
Prophecy Against the Shepherds of Israel
34 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 (A)“Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy, and say to them, even to the shepherds, Thus says the Lord God: (B)Ah, shepherds of Israel (C)who have been feeding yourselves! (D)Should not shepherds feed the sheep? 3 (E)You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, (F)you slaughter the fat ones, but you do not feed the sheep. 4 (G)The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, (H)the injured you have not bound up, (I)the strayed you have not brought back, (J)the lost you have not sought, and with force and (K)harshness you have ruled them. 5 (L)So they were scattered, because there was no shepherd, and (M)they became food for all the wild beasts. 6 My sheep were scattered; they wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. My sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth, (N)with none to search or seek for them.
7 “Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: 8 (O)As I live, declares the Lord God, surely because (P)my sheep have become a prey, and my sheep have become food for all the wild beasts, since there was no shepherd, and because my shepherds have not searched for my sheep, but the shepherds have fed themselves, and have not fed my sheep, 9 therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: 10 Thus says the Lord God, (Q)Behold, I am against the shepherds, and (R)I will require my sheep at their hand and (S)put a stop to their feeding the sheep. (T)No longer shall the shepherds feed themselves. (U)I will rescue my sheep from their mouths, that they may not be food for them.
The Lord God Will Seek Them Out
11 “For thus says the Lord God: (V)Behold, I, I (W)myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. 12 As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on (X)a day of clouds and (Y)thick darkness. 13 And I will bring them out from the peoples (Z)and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land. And I will feed them on (AA)the mountains of Israel, by the ravines, and in all the inhabited places of the country. 14 (AB)I will feed them with good pasture, and on the mountain heights of Israel shall be their grazing land. (AC)There they shall lie down in good grazing land, and on rich pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel. 15 (AD)I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, (AE)and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord God. 16 (AF)I will seek the lost, (AG)and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and (AH)the fat and the strong I will destroy.[a] I will feed them in justice.
17 “As for you, my flock, thus says the Lord God: (AI)Behold, I judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and (AJ)male goats. 18 Is it not enough for you to feed on the good pasture, that you must tread down with your feet the rest of your pasture; and to drink of (AK)clear water, that you must muddy the rest of the water with your feet? 19 And must my sheep eat what you have trodden with your feet, and drink what you have muddied with your feet?
20 “Therefore, thus says the Lord God to them: Behold, I, I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. 21 Because you push with side and shoulder, and (AL)thrust at all the (AM)weak with your horns, till you have scattered them abroad, 22 I will rescue[b] my flock; (AN)they shall no longer be a prey. And I will judge between sheep and sheep. 23 And (AO)I will set up over them one shepherd, (AP)my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd. 24 And (AQ)I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them. (AR)I am the Lord; I have spoken.
The Lord's Covenant of Peace
25 (AS)“I will make with them a covenant of peace and (AT)banish wild beasts from the land, (AU)so that they may dwell securely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods. 26 And I will make them and the places all round my hill (AV)a blessing, and (AW)I will send down the showers in their season; they shall be (AX)showers of blessing. 27 (AY)And the trees of the field shall yield their fruit, and the earth shall yield its increase, (AZ)and they shall be secure in their land. And (BA)they shall know that I am the Lord, when (BB)I break the bars of their yoke, and (BC)deliver them from the hand of those who enslaved them. 28 (BD)They shall no more be a prey to the nations, (BE)nor shall the beasts of the land devour them. (BF)They shall dwell securely, and none shall make them afraid. 29 And I will provide for them (BG)renowned plantations so that (BH)they shall no more be consumed with hunger in the land, and no longer (BI)suffer the reproach of the nations. 30 And they shall know that (BJ)I am the Lord their God with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are my people, declares the Lord God. 31 And you are my sheep, (BK)human sheep of my pasture, and I am your God, declares the Lord God.”
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 34:16 Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate I will watch over
- Ezekiel 34:22 Or save
Zechariah 10-13
English Standard Version Anglicised
The Restoration for Judah and Israel
10 Ask rain (A)from the Lord
in the season of (B)the spring rain,
from the Lord (C)who makes the storm clouds,
and (D)he will give them showers of rain,
to everyone the vegetation in the field.
2 For (E)the household gods (F)utter nonsense,
and the diviners see lies;
(G)they tell false dreams
and give empty consolation.
Therefore (H)the people wander like sheep;
they are afflicted for lack of a shepherd.
3 (I)“My anger is hot against the shepherds,
and (J)I will punish the leaders;[a]
for (K)the Lord of hosts cares for his flock, the house of Judah,
and will make them like his majestic steed in battle.
4 From him shall come (L)the cornerstone,
from him (M)the tent peg,
from him the battle bow,
from him every ruler—(N)all of them together.
5 They shall be like mighty men in battle,
(O)trampling the foe in the mud of the streets;
they shall fight because the Lord is with them,
and they shall put to shame (P)the riders on horses.
6 (Q)“I will strengthen the house of Judah,
and (R)I will save the house of Joseph.
(S)I will bring them back (T)because I have compassion on them,
and they shall be as though I had not rejected them,
for (U)I am the Lord their God and I will answer them.
7 Then Ephraim shall become like a mighty warrior,
and (V)their hearts shall be glad as with wine.
Their children shall see it and be glad;
their hearts shall rejoice in the Lord.
8 (W)“I will whistle for them and (X)gather them in,
for I have redeemed them,
and (Y)they shall be as many as they were before.
9 (Z)Though I scattered them among the nations,
yet in far countries (AA)they shall remember me,
and with their children they shall live and return.
10 (AB)I will bring them home from the land of Egypt,
and gather them from Assyria,
and (AC)I will bring them to the land of Gilead and to Lebanon,
(AD)till there is no room for them.
11 (AE)He shall pass through the sea of troubles
and strike down the waves of the sea,
(AF)and all the depths of the Nile shall be dried up.
The pride of Assyria shall be laid low,
and (AG)the sceptre of Egypt shall depart.
12 (AH)I will make them strong in the Lord,
and (AI)they shall walk in his name,”
declares the Lord.
The Flock Doomed to Slaughter
11 Open your doors, (AJ)O Lebanon,
that the fire may devour your cedars!
2 Wail, O cypress, for the cedar has fallen,
for the glorious trees are ruined!
Wail, (AK)oaks of Bashan,
for the thick forest has been felled!
3 The sound of (AL)the wail of (AM)the shepherds,
for their glory is ruined!
The sound of the roar of (AN)the lions,
(AO)for the thicket of the Jordan is ruined!
4 Thus said the Lord my God: (AP)“Become shepherd of the flock doomed to slaughter. 5 (AQ)Those who buy them slaughter them and go unpunished, and those who sell them say, ‘Blessed be the Lord, (AR)I have become rich’, and their own shepherds have no pity on them. 6 For (AS)I will no longer have pity on the inhabitants of this land, declares the Lord. Behold, I will cause each of them to fall into the hand of his neighbour, and each into the hand of his king, and they shall crush the land, and I will deliver none from their hand.”
7 (AT)So I became the shepherd of the flock doomed to be slaughtered by the sheep traders. And I took two staffs, one I named (AU)Favour, the other I named (AV)Union. (AW)And I tended the sheep. 8 In one month (AX)I destroyed the three shepherds. But I became impatient with them, and they also detested me. 9 So I said, “I will not be your shepherd. (AY)What is to die, let it die. What is to be destroyed, let it be destroyed. And let those who are left devour the flesh of one another.” 10 And I took (AZ)my staff Favour, and I broke it, annulling the covenant that I had made with all the peoples. 11 So it was annulled on that day, and the sheep traders, who were watching me, knew that it was the word of the Lord. 12 Then I said to them, “If it seems good to you, give me my wages; but if not, keep them.” And they weighed out as my wages (BA)thirty pieces of silver. 13 Then the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—(BB)the lordly price at which I was priced by them. So I took the (BC)thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the Lord, to the potter. 14 Then I broke (BD)my second staff Union, annulling the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.
15 Then the Lord said to me, “Take once more the equipment of (BE)a foolish shepherd. 16 For behold, I am raising up in the land a shepherd (BF)who does not care for those being destroyed, or seek the young or heal the maimed or nourish the healthy, but (BG)devours the flesh of the fat ones, tearing off even their hoofs.
17 (BH)“Woe to my worthless shepherd,
(BI)who deserts the flock!
May the sword strike his arm
and (BJ)his right eye!
Let his arm be wholly withered,
his right eye utterly blinded!”
The Lord Will Give Salvation
12 (BK)The burden of the word of the Lord concerning Israel: Thus declares the Lord, (BL)who stretched out the heavens and (BM)founded the earth and (BN)formed the spirit of man within him: 2 “Behold, I am about to make Jerusalem (BO)a cup of staggering to (BP)all the surrounding peoples. The siege of Jerusalem (BQ)will also be against Judah. 3 (BR)On that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples. (BS)All who lift it will surely hurt themselves. And (BT)all the nations of the earth will gather against it. 4 (BU)On that day, declares the Lord, (BV)I will strike every horse (BW)with panic, and its rider (BX)with madness. But for the sake of the house of Judah I will keep my eyes open, when I strike every horse of the peoples (BY)with blindness. 5 Then the clans of Judah shall say to themselves, ‘The inhabitants of Jerusalem have strength through the Lord of hosts, their God.’
6 (BZ)“On that day I will make the clans of Judah (CA)like a blazing pot in the midst of wood, like a flaming torch among sheaves. And (CB)they shall devour to the right and to the left all the surrounding peoples, while (CC)Jerusalem shall again be inhabited in its place, in Jerusalem.
7 “And the Lord will give salvation to the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem may not surpass that of Judah. 8 (CD)On that day (CE)the Lord will protect the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that (CF)the feeblest among them on that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, (CG)like the angel of the Lord, going before them. 9 (CH)And on that day (CI)I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
Him Whom They Have Pierced
10 “And (CJ)I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and (CK)pleas for mercy, so that, (CL)when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, (CM)they shall mourn for him, (CN)as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn. 11 (CO)On that day (CP)the mourning in Jerusalem will be as great (CQ)as the mourning for Hadad-rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. 12 The land shall mourn, (CR)each family[b] by itself: the family of the house of David by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of (CS)Nathan by itself, and their wives by themselves; 13 the family of the house of Levi by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of (CT)the Shimeites by itself, and their wives by themselves; 14 and all the families that are left, each by itself, and their wives by themselves.
13 (CU)“On that day there shall be (CV)a fountain opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and uncleanness.
Idolatry Cut Off
2 “And (CW)on that day, declares the Lord of hosts, (CX)I will cut off the names of the idols from the land, so that (CY)they shall be remembered no more. And also (CZ)I will remove from the land the prophets and the spirit of uncleanness. 3 And if anyone again prophesies, his father and mother who bore him will say to him, (DA)‘You shall not live, for you speak lies in the name of the Lord.’ And his father and mother who bore him shall pierce him through when he prophesies.
4 “On that day (DB)every prophet will be ashamed of his vision when he prophesies. He will not put on a hairy cloak in order to deceive, 5 but he will say, (DC)‘I am no prophet, I am a worker of the soil, for a man sold me in my youth.’[c] 6 And if one asks him, ‘What are these wounds on your back?’[d] he will say, ‘The wounds I received in the house of my friends.’
The Shepherd Struck
7 “Awake, O sword, against (DD)my shepherd,
against the man who stands next to me,”
declares the Lord of hosts.
(DE)“Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered;
I will turn my hand against the little ones.
8 In the whole land, declares the Lord,
two thirds shall be cut off and perish,
(DF)and one third shall be left alive.
9 And (DG)I will put this third into the fire,
and refine them as one refines silver,
and test them as gold is tested.
(DH)They will call upon my name,
and (DI)I will answer them.
(DJ)I will say, ‘They are my people’;
and they will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’”
Footnotes
- Zechariah 10:3 Hebrew the male goats
- Zechariah 12:12 Or clan; also verses 13, 14
- Zechariah 13:5 Or for the land has been my possession since my youth
- Zechariah 13:6 Or on your chest; Hebrew wounds between your hands
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.