Israel’s Shepherds: Good and Bad

⁴ The Lord my God says this: “Shepherd the flock intended for slaughter. ⁵ Those who buy them slaughter them but are not punished.^(H) Those who sell them say, ‘Blessed be the Lord because I have become rich!’ Even their own shepherds have no compassion for them. ⁶ Indeed, I will no longer have compassion on the inhabitants of the land”—this is the Lord’s declaration. “Instead, I will turn everyone over to his neighbor and his king. They will devastate the land, and I will not rescue it from their hand.”^(I)

⁷ So I shepherded the flock intended for slaughter, the oppressed of the flock.^[b] I took two staffs, calling one Favor^(J) and the other Union, and I shepherded the flock. ⁸ In one month I got rid of three shepherds. I became impatient with them, and they also detested me. ⁹ Then I said, “I will no longer shepherd you. Let what is dying die, and let what is perishing perish; let the rest devour each other’s flesh.” ¹⁰ Next I took my staff called Favor and cut it in two, annulling the covenant I had made with all the peoples. ¹¹ It was annulled on that day, and so the oppressed of the flock^[c] who were watching me knew that it was the word of the Lord. ¹² Then I said to them, “If it seems right to you, give me my wages; but if not, keep them.” So they weighed my wages, thirty pieces of silver.^(K)

¹³ “Throw it to the potter,”^[d] the Lord said to me—this magnificent price I was valued by them. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw it into the house of the Lord, to the potter.^{[e](L) 14} Then I cut in two my second staff, Union, annulling the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.

¹⁵ The Lord also said to me, “Take the equipment of a foolish shepherd. ¹⁶ I am about to raise up a shepherd in the land who will not care for those who are perishing, and he will not seek the lost^[f] or heal the broken. He will not sustain the healthy,^[g] but he will devour the flesh of the fat sheep^(M) and tear off their hooves.

Judah’s Security

12 A pronouncement:

² “Look, I will make Jerusalem a cup that causes staggering^(Q) for the peoples who surround the city. The siege against Jerusalem will also involve Judah.^{(R) 3} On that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples; all who try to lift it will injure themselves severely when all the nations of the earth gather against her.^{(S) 4} On that day”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“I will strike every horse with panic and its rider with madness.^(T) I will keep a watchful eye on^(U) the house of Judah but strike all the horses of the nations with blindness. ⁵ Then each of the leaders of Judah will think to himself: The residents of Jerusalem are my strength through the Lord of Armies, their God. ⁶ On that day I will make the leaders of Judah like a firepot in a woodpile,^(V) like a flaming torch among sheaves; they will consume all the peoples around them on the right and the left, while Jerusalem continues to be inhabited on its site, in Jerusalem. ⁷ The Lord will save the tents of Judah first, so that the glory of David’s house and the glory of Jerusalem’s residents may not be greater than that of Judah. ⁸ On that day the Lord will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem,^(W) so that on that day the one who is weakest among them will be like David on that day, and the house of David will be like God, like the angel of the Lord, before them.^{(X) 9} On that day I will set out to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.

Mourning for the Pierced One

¹⁰ “Then I will pour out a spirit^[i](Y) of grace and prayer on the house of David and the residents of Jerusalem, and they will look at^[j] me whom they pierced. They will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child and weep bitterly for him as one weeps for a firstborn.^{(Z) 11} On that day the mourning in Jerusalem will be as great as the mourning of Hadad-rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. ¹² The land will mourn, every family by itself: the family of David’s house by itself and their women by themselves; the family of Nathan’s^[k](AA) house by itself and their women by themselves; ¹³ the family of Levi’s house by itself and their women by themselves; the family of Shimei^[l](AB) by itself and their women by themselves; ¹⁴ all the remaining families, every family by itself, and their women by themselves.

God’s People Cleansed

13 “On that day a fountain^(AC) will be opened for the house of David and for the residents of Jerusalem, to wash away sin and impurity.^{(AD) 2} On that day”—this is the declaration of the Lord of Armies—“I will remove the names of the idols from the land, and they will no longer be remembered.^(AE) I will banish the prophets^[m] and the unclean spirit from the land. ³ If a man still prophesies, his father and his mother who bore him will say to him, ‘You cannot remain alive because you have spoken a lie in the name of the Lord.’ When he prophesies, his father and his mother who bore him will pierce him through.^{(AF) 4} On that day every prophet will be ashamed of his vision when he prophesies; they will not put on a hairy cloak^(AG) in order to deceive. ⁵ He will say, ‘I am not a prophet; I work the land, for a man purchased^[n] me as a servant since my youth.’^{(AH) 6} If someone asks him, ‘What are these wounds^(AI) on your chest?’^[o]—then he will answer, ‘I received the wounds in the house of my friends.’

The Lord’s Triumph and Reign

14 Look, a day belonging to the Lord is coming^(AN) when the plunder taken from you will be divided in your presence. ² I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem for battle.^(AO) The city will be captured, the houses looted, and the women raped. Half the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be removed from the city.

³ Then the Lord will go out to fight against those nations as he fights on a day of battle.^{(AP) 4} On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives,^(AQ) which faces Jerusalem on the east. The Mount of Olives will be split in half from east to west, forming a huge valley, so that half the mountain will move to the north and half to the south. ⁵ You will flee by my mountain valley,^[q] for the valley of the mountains will extend to Azal. You will flee as you fled^[r] from the earthquake in the days of King Uzziah of Judah.^(AR) Then the Lord my God will come and all the holy ones^(AS) with him.^[s](AT)

⁶ On that day there will be no light; the sunlight and moonlight will diminish.^{[t][u](AU) 7} It will be a unique day known only to the Lord,^(AV) without day or night, but there will be light at evening.

⁸ On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem,^(AW) half of it toward the eastern sea^[v] and the other half toward the western sea,^[w] in summer and winter alike. ⁹ On that day the Lord will become King over the whole earth^(AX)—the Lord alone, and his name alone.^{(AY) 10} All the land from Geba^(AZ) to Rimmon^(BA) south of Jerusalem will be changed into a plain. But Jerusalem will be raised up and will remain^[x] on its site from the Benjamin Gate^(BB) to the place of the First Gate,^[y] to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the royal winepresses.^{(BC) 11} People will live there, and never again will there be a curse of complete destruction. So Jerusalem will dwell in security.

¹² This will be the plague with which the Lord strikes all the people who have warred against Jerusalem: their flesh will rot while they stand on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths. ¹³ On that day a great panic from the Lord will be among them, so that each will seize the hand of another, and the hand of one will rise against the other. ¹⁴ Judah will also fight at Jerusalem, and the wealth of all the surrounding nations will be collected: gold, silver, and clothing in great abundance.^{(BD) 15} The same plague as the previous one will strike^[z] the horses, mules, camels, donkeys, and all the animals that are in those camps.

¹⁶ Then all the survivors from the nations that came against Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord of Armies, and to celebrate the Festival of Shelters.^{(BE) 17} Should any of the families of the earth not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of Armies, rain will not fall on them. ¹⁸ And if the people^[aa] of Egypt will not go up and enter, then rain will not fall on them; this will be the plague the Lord inflicts on the nations who do not go up to celebrate the Festival of Shelters. ¹⁹ This will be the punishment of Egypt and all the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Festival of Shelters.

²⁰ On that day, the words Holy to the Lord will be on the bells of the horses.^(BF) The pots in the house of the Lord will be like the sprinkling basins before the altar. ²¹ Every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah will be holy to the Lord of Armies. All who sacrifice will come and use the pots to cook in. And on that day there will no longer be a Canaanite^[ab] in the house of the Lord of Armies.

Vashti Angers the King

1 These events took place during the days of Ahasuerus,^(A) who ruled 127 provinces^(B) from India to Cush. ² In those days King Ahasuerus reigned from his royal throne^(C) in the fortress at Susa.^{(D) 3} He held a feast^(E) in the third year of his reign for all his officials and staff, the army of Persia and Media,^(F) the nobles,^(G) and the officials from the provinces. ⁴ He displayed the glorious wealth of his kingdom and the magnificent splendor of his greatness^(H) for a total of 180 days.

⁵ At the end of this time, the king held a week-long banquet^(I) in the garden courtyard^(J) of the royal palace^(K) for all the people, from the greatest to the least,^(L) who were present in the fortress of Susa.^{(M) 6} White and blue linen hangings were fastened with fine white and purple linen cords to silver rods on marble^[a] columns. Gold and silver couches^(N) were arranged on a mosaic pavement of red feldspar,^[b] marble, mother-of-pearl, and precious stones.

⁷ Drinks were served in an array of gold goblets,^(O) each with a different design. Royal wine flowed freely, according to the king’s bounty.^{(P) 8} The drinking was according to royal decree: “There are no restrictions.” The king had ordered every wine steward in his household to serve whatever each person wanted. ⁹ Queen Vashti also gave a feast for the women of King Ahasuerus’s palace.

¹⁰ On the seventh day, when the king was feeling good from the wine,^(Q) Ahasuerus commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona,^(R) Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carkas—the seven eunuchs^(S) who personally served him— ¹¹ to bring Queen Vashti before him with her royal crown. He wanted to show off her beauty to the people and the officials, because she was very beautiful.^{(T) 12} But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king’s command that was delivered by his eunuchs. The king became furious and his anger burned within him.^(U)

The King’s Decree

¹³ The king consulted the wise men^(V) who understood the times,^[c](W) for it was his normal procedure to confer with experts in law and justice. ¹⁴ The most trusted ones^[d] were Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan. They were the seven officials^(X) of Persia and Media^(Y) who had personal access to the king^(Z) and occupied the highest positions in the kingdom.^{(AA) 15} The king asked, “According to the law, what should be done with Queen Vashti, since she refused to obey King Ahasuerus’s command that was delivered by the eunuchs?”

¹⁶ Memucan said in the presence of the king and his officials, “Queen Vashti has wronged not only the king, but all the officials and the peoples who are in every one of King Ahasuerus’s provinces.^{(AB) 17} For the queen’s action will become public knowledge to all the women and cause them to despise their husbands and say, ‘King Ahasuerus ordered Queen Vashti brought before him, but she did not come.’ ¹⁸ Before this day is over, the noble women of Persia and Media who hear about the queen’s act will say the same thing to all the king’s officials, resulting in more contempt and fury.

¹⁹ “If it meets the king’s approval, he should personally issue a royal decree. Let it be recorded in the laws of the Persians and the Medes, so that it cannot be revoked:^(AC) Vashti is not to enter King Ahasuerus’s presence, and her royal position is to be given to another woman who is more worthy than she.^{(AD) 20} The decree the king issues will be heard throughout his vast kingdom,^(AE) so all women will honor their husbands,^(AF) from the greatest to the least.”^(AG)

²¹ The king and his counselors approved the proposal, and he followed Memucan’s advice. ²² He sent letters to all the royal provinces, to each province in its own script and to each ethnic group in its own language,^(AH) that every man should be master of his own house and speak in the language of his own people.