Zechariah 11
Expanded Bible
11 Lebanon, open your ·gates [doors]
so fire may ·burn [consume; devour] your cedar trees.
2 ·Cry [Wail], pine trees, because the cedar has fallen,
because the ·tall [majestic; glorious] trees are ruined.
·Cry [Wail], oaks in Bashan,
because the ·mighty [thick; dense] forest has been cut down [C trees probably symbolize wicked rulers].
3 Listen to the shepherds ·crying [wailing]
because their ·rich pastures [or glory; magnificence] are destroyed.
Listen to the lions roaring
because the ·lovely land [lush thicket] of the Jordan River is ruined.
The Two Shepherds
4 This is what the Lord my God says: “·Feed [Shepherd] the flock that are ·about to be killed [set aside for slaughter]. 5 Their buyers ·kill [slaughter] them and ·are not punished [are not held liable; or feel no remorse]. Those who sell them say, ‘·Praise [Blessed be] the Lord, I am rich.’ Even the shepherds don’t ·feel sorry for [have compassion on; or spare] their sheep. 6 I don’t ·feel sorry [have compassion] anymore for the ·people [inhabitants] of this country,” says the Lord. “I will let everyone ·be under the power [L fall into the hand] of his neighbor and king. They will ·bring trouble to [devastate] the country, and I will not save anyone from ·them [L their hand].”
7 So I ·fed [shepherded] the flock ·about to be killed [marked for slaughter], particularly the ·weakest [oppressed] ones. Then I took two ·sticks [staffs]; I called one ·Pleasant [or Favor] and the other Union, and I ·fed [shepherded] the flock. 8 In one month I got rid of three shepherds. The flock ·did not pay attention to [or detested; loathed] me, and I ·got impatient [grew weary] with them. 9 I said, “I will no longer ·take care of you like a shepherd [shepherd you]. Let those that are dying die, and let those that are ·to be destroyed be destroyed [perishing perish]. Let those that are left eat ·each other [L the flesh of his neighbor].”
10 Then I broke the ·stick [staff] named ·Pleasant [or Favor] to ·break [revoke] the ·agreement [covenant; treaty] God made with all the ·nations [peoples]. 11 That day it was ·broken [revoked]. The ·weak [oppressed] ones in the flock who were watching me knew this ·message was from [L was the word of] the Lord.
12 Then I said, “If ·you want [it seems right to you; L it is good in your eyes] to pay me, pay me. If not, ·then don’t [keep it].” So they ·paid [weighed out to] me thirty pieces of silver [Ex. 21:32; Matt. 26:15].
13 The Lord said to me, “Throw the money to the potter.” ·That is how little they thought I was worth […this magnificent price at which they valued me”; C sarcastic, since the sum was about the cost of a slave]. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them to the potter in the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord [Matt. 27:9, 10].
14 Then I broke the second ·stick [staff], named Union, to break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.
15 Then the Lord said to me, “·Get the things used by a foolish shepherd again, 16 because [L look; T behold] I am going to ·get [raise up] a new shepherd for the country. He will not care for the ·dying sheep [lost; perishing], or look for the young ones, or heal the injured ones, or feed the healthy. But he will ·eat [devour the flesh of] the ·best [fat] sheep and tear off their hoofs.
17 “·How terrible it will be for [L Woe to] the ·useless [worthless] shepherd
who abandoned the flock.
A sword will strike his arm and his right eye.
His arm will ·lose all its strength [wither away],
and his right eye will go blind.”
Zechariah 11
Complete Jewish Bible
11 Open your doors, L’vanon,
so that fire can consume your cedars.
2 Wail, cypress, because the cedar has fallen,
those splendid trees are ruined.
Wail, oaks of Bashan,
because the thick forest has been felled.
3 Listen to the wail of the shepherds,
because their glory is spoiled.
Listen to the roaring of young lions,
because the Yarden’s thickets are plundered.
4 Adonai my God says this: “Shepherd the flock for slaughter. 5 Their buyers kill them and go unpunished; while those who sell them say, ‘Barukh Adonai! Now I’m rich!’ Even their own shepherds show them no pity. 6 I will no longer show pity to the inhabitants of the land,” says Adonai. “No, I will hand every one of them over to the power of a neighbor and to the power of his king; they will crush the land; and I won’t rescue them from their power.”
7 So I shepherded the flock for slaughter, truly the most miserable of the sheep; and I took two staffs for myself. I called the one No‘am [pleasantness], the other I called Hovalim [bound together], and I shepherded the flock. 8 “In a single month I got rid of three shepherds, because I grew impatient with them; and besides, they detested me. 9 I said, ‘I’m not going to shepherd you. Whichever one is going to die, let it die; whichever is going to be destroyed, let it be destroyed; and the rest can all devour each other.’”
10 I took my staff No‘am and snapped it in two, “in order to break my covenant, which I made with all the peoples.” 11 On that day when it was broken, the most miserable of the sheep who paid attention to me knew that this was indeed a message from Adonai. 12 I said to them, “If it seems good to you, give me my wages; if not, don’t.” So they weighed out my wages, thirty silver [shekels, that is, twelve ounces]. 13 Concerning that “princely sum” at which they valued me, Adonai said, “Throw it into the treasury!” So I took the thirty silver [shekels] and threw them into the treasury in the house of Adonai.
14 Then I snapped in two my other staff Hovalim [bound together], in order to break up the brotherhood between Y’hudah and Isra’el. 15 Adonai said to me, “This time, take the equipment of a worthless shepherd. 16 For I am going to raise up a shepherd in the land who won’t bother about the ones who have been destroyed, won’t seek out the young, won’t heal the broken and won’t feed those standing still; on the contrary, he will eat the meat of the fat ones and break their hoofs in pieces.
17 “Woe to the worthless shepherd
who abandons the sheep!
May a sword strike his arm
and his right eye.
May his arm be completely withered
and his right eye totally blinded.”
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1998 by David H. Stern. All rights reserved.