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11 ¡Abre tus puertas, monte Líbano,
    para que el fuego devore tus cedros!
¡Gime tú, ciprés, porque los cedros se han caído
    y los majestuosos árboles se han derrumbado!
¡Gemid, robles de Basán!
    ¡Los tupidos bosques han sido derribados!
Escuchad el gemido de los pastores;
    ¡sus ricos pastizales han sido destruidos!
Escuchad el rugido de los leones;
    ¡la espesura del Jordán ha quedado devastada!

Los dos pastores

Así dice el Señor mi Dios: «Cuida de las ovejas destinadas al matadero. Quienes las compran las matan impunemente, y quienes las venden dicen: “¡Bendito sea el Señor, porque me he enriquecido!” Ni sus propios pastores se compadecen de ellas. Pero ya no tendré piedad de los que habitan este país —afirma el Señor—, sino que los entregaré en manos de su prójimo y de su rey. Aunque devasten el país, no los rescataré de sus manos».

Así que me dediqué a cuidar las ovejas que los mercaderes habían destinado al matadero. Tomé dos varas de pastor: a una le puse por nombre Gracia, y a la otra, Unión, y me dediqué a cuidar del rebaño. En un solo mes me deshice de tres pastores.

Pero me cansé de las ovejas, y ellas se cansaron de mí. Así que les dije:[a] «Ya no voy a ser vuestro pastor. Las que se vayan a morir, que se mueran; las que vayan a perecer, que perezcan; y las que queden con vida, que se devoren unas a otras».

10 Tomé entonces la vara a la que había llamado Gracia, y la quebré. De ese modo anulé el pacto que había hecho con todas las naciones. 11 Ese mismo día quedó anulado, y los mercaderes de ovejas que me observaban supieron que se trataba de la palabra del Señor.

12 Les dije: «Si os parece bien, pagadme mi jornal; de lo contrario, quedaos con él». Y me pagaron solo treinta monedas de plata.[b] 13 ¡Valiente precio el que me pusieron!

Entonces el Señor me dijo: «Entrégaselas al fundidor». Así que tomé las treinta monedas de plata y se las di al fundidor del templo del Señor.

14 Quebré luego la segunda vara, a la que había llamado Unión, y anulé el vínculo fraternal entre Judá e Israel. 15 El Señor me dijo entonces: «Vístete ahora como uno de esos pastores insensatos, 16 porque voy a poner sobre el país a un pastor que no se preocupará por las ovejas moribundas, ni buscará a las ovejas pequeñas, ni curará a las ovejas heridas ni dará de comer a las ovejas sanas, sino que devorará a las más gordas y les arrancará las pezuñas».

17 ¡Ay del pastor inútil
    que abandona su rebaño!
¡Que la espada le hiera el brazo,
    y el puñal le saque el ojo derecho!
¡Que del brazo quede tullido,
    y del ojo derecho, ciego!

Footnotes

  1. 11:8-9 me cansé … les dije. Alt. me cansé de los pastores, y ellos se hastiaron de mí. Así que les dije a las ovejas.
  2. 11:12 treinta monedas de plata. Lit. treinta [siclos] de plata.

11 Open your doors, Lebanon,(A)
    so that fire(B) may devour your cedars!
Wail, you juniper, for the cedar has fallen;
    the stately trees are ruined!
Wail, oaks(C) of Bashan;
    the dense forest(D) has been cut down!(E)
Listen to the wail of the shepherds;
    their rich pastures are destroyed!
Listen to the roar of the lions;(F)
    the lush thicket of the Jordan is ruined!(G)

Two Shepherds

This is what the Lord my God says: “Shepherd the flock marked for slaughter.(H) Their buyers slaughter them and go unpunished. Those who sell them say, ‘Praise the Lord, I am rich!’ Their own shepherds do not spare them.(I) For I will no longer have pity on the people of the land,” declares the Lord. “I will give everyone into the hands of their neighbors(J) and their king. They will devastate the land, and I will not rescue anyone from their hands.”(K)

So I shepherded the flock marked for slaughter,(L) particularly the oppressed of the flock. Then I took two staffs and called one Favor and the other Union, and I shepherded the flock. In one month I got rid of the three shepherds.

The flock detested(M) me, and I grew weary of them and said, “I will not be your shepherd. Let the dying die, and the perishing perish.(N) Let those who are left eat(O) one another’s flesh.”

10 Then I took my staff called Favor(P) and broke it, revoking(Q) the covenant I had made with all the nations. 11 It was revoked on that day, and so the oppressed of the flock who were watching me knew it was the word of the Lord.

12 I told them, “If you think it best, give me my pay; but if not, keep it.” So they paid me thirty pieces of silver.(R)

13 And the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—the handsome price at which they valued me! So I took the thirty pieces of silver(S) and threw them to the potter at the house of the Lord.(T)

14 Then I broke my second staff called Union, breaking the family bond between Judah and Israel.

15 Then the Lord said to me, “Take again the equipment of a foolish shepherd. 16 For I am going to raise up a shepherd over the land who will not care for the lost, or seek the young, or heal the injured, or feed the healthy, but will eat the meat of the choice sheep, tearing off their hooves.

17 “Woe to the worthless shepherd,(U)
    who deserts the flock!
May the sword strike his arm(V) and his right eye!
    May his arm be completely withered,
    his right eye totally blinded!”(W)

God Will Punish the Other Nations

11 Lebanon, open your gates so that the fire will come
    and burn your cedar trees.[a]
The cypress trees will cry because the cedar trees have fallen.
    Those powerful trees will be taken away.
Oak trees in Bashan will cry
    for the forest that was cut down.
Listen to the crying shepherds.
    Their powerful leaders were taken away.
Listen to the roaring of the young lions.
    Their thick bushes near the Jordan River have all been taken away.

The Lord my God says, “Care for the sheep that have been raised to be killed. Buyers kill their sheep and are not punished. Those who sell the sheep say, ‘Praise the Lord, I am rich!’ The shepherds don’t feel sorry for their sheep. And I don’t feel sorry for the people who live in this country.” This is what the Lord said: “Look, I will let everyone be under the control of their neighbor and king. I will let them destroy the country—I will not stop them!”

So I took care of the sheep that had been raised to be killed—those poor sheep. I found two sticks. I called one stick Favor, and I called the other stick Union. Then I began caring for the sheep. I fired the three shepherds all in one month. I got angry at the sheep, and they began to hate me. Then I said, “I quit! I will not take care of you! I will let those who want to die, die. I will let those who want to be destroyed, be destroyed, and those who are left will destroy each other.” 10 Then I took the stick named Favor, and I broke it. I did this to show that God’s agreement with his people was broken. 11 So that day the agreement was finished, and those poor sheep watching me knew that this message was from the Lord.

12 Then I said, “If you want to pay me, pay me. If not, don’t!” So they paid me 30 pieces of silver. 13 Then the Lord told me, “So that’s how much they think I’m worth. Throw that large amount of money[b] into the Temple treasury.” So I took the 30 pieces of silver and threw them into the treasury at the Lord’s Temple. 14 Then I cut the stick named Union into two pieces. I did this to show that the union between Judah and Israel had been broken.

15 Then the Lord said to me, “Now, get the things a foolish shepherd might use. 16 This will show that I will get a new shepherd for this country. But this young man will not be able to take care of the sheep that are being destroyed. He will not be able to heal the hurt sheep or feed those that are left alive. And the healthy ones will be eaten completely—only their hoofs will be left.”

17 Too bad for you, you worthless shepherd!
    You abandoned my sheep.
Punish him!
    Strike his arm and right eye with a sword.
    His arm will be useless.
    His right eye will be blind.

Footnotes

  1. Zechariah 11:1 cedar trees In this poem, the trees, bushes, and animals are symbols for the leaders of the countries around Judah.
  2. Zechariah 11:13 large amount of money The Lord was making fun of the people. This was only the amount of money a person paid for a slave.