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The Good and Evil Shepherds

This is what the Lord my God says: “Go and care for the flock that is intended for slaughter. The buyers slaughter their sheep without remorse. The sellers say, ‘Praise the Lord! Now I’m rich!’ Even the shepherds have no compassion for them. Likewise, I will no longer have pity on the people of the land,” says the Lord. “I will let them fall into each other’s hands and into the hands of their king. They will turn the land into a wilderness, and I will not rescue them.”

So I cared for the flock intended for slaughter—the flock that was oppressed. Then I took two shepherd’s staffs and named one Favor and the other Union. I got rid of their three evil shepherds in a single month.

But I became impatient with these sheep, and they hated me, too. So I told them, “I won’t be your shepherd any longer. If you die, you die. If you are killed, you are killed. And let those who remain devour each other!”

10 Then I took my staff called Favor and cut it in two, showing that I had revoked the covenant I had made with all the nations. 11 That was the end of my covenant with them. The suffering flock was watching me, and they knew that the Lord was speaking through my actions.

12 And I said to them, “If you like, give me my wages, whatever I am worth; but only if you want to.” So they counted out for my wages thirty pieces of silver.

13 And the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the potter[a]”—this magnificent sum at which they valued me! So I took the thirty coins and threw them to the potter in the Temple of the Lord.

14 Then I took my other staff, Union, and cut it in two, showing that the bond of unity between Judah and Israel was broken.

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Footnotes

  1. 11:13 Syriac version reads into the treasury; also in 11:13b. Compare Matt 27:6-10.

Thus says Yahweh my God, “Shepherd the flock doomed to (A)slaughter. Those who buy them slaughter them and are not (B)held guilty, and each of those who sell them says, ‘Blessed be Yahweh. Indeed, (C)I have become rich!’ And their (D)own shepherds do not spare them. For I will (E)no longer spare the inhabitants of the land,” declares Yahweh; “but behold, I will (F)cause the men to [a]fall, each into another’s hand and into the hand of his king; and they will crush the land, and I will (G)not deliver them from their hand.”

So I (H)shepherded the flock doomed to slaughter—[b]hence the (I)afflicted of the flock. And I took for myself two (J)staffs: the one I called [c](K)Favor, and the other I called [d](L)Union; so I shepherded the flock. Then I annihilated the three shepherds in (M)one month, for my soul was impatient with them, and their soul also [e]was weary of me. Then I said, “I will not shepherd you. What is to (N)die, [f]let it die, and what is to be annihilated, [g]let it be annihilated; and [h]let those who remain consume one another’s flesh.” 10 And I took my staff [i](O)Favor and cut it in pieces, to [j](P)break my covenant which I had cut with all the peoples. 11 So it was [k]broken on that day, and [l]thus the (Q)afflicted of the flock who were watching me knew that it was the word of Yahweh. 12 And I said to them, “If it is good in your sight, give me my (R)wages; but if not, [m]never mind!” So they weighed out (S)thirty [n]shekels of silver as my wages. 13 Then Yahweh said to me, “Throw it to the (T)potter, that valuable price at which I was valued by them.” So I took the thirty shekels of silver and threw them to the potter in the house of Yahweh. 14 Then I cut in pieces my second staff [o](U)Union, to (V)break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.

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Footnotes

  1. Zechariah 11:6 Lit find
  2. Zechariah 11:7 Or for the sheep dealers
  3. Zechariah 11:7 Or Pleasantness
  4. Zechariah 11:7 Or Cords
  5. Zechariah 11:8 Or detested
  6. Zechariah 11:9 Or will die
  7. Zechariah 11:9 Or will be annihilated
  8. Zechariah 11:9 Or those...will eat
  9. Zechariah 11:10 Or Pleasantness
  10. Zechariah 11:10 Or annul
  11. Zechariah 11:11 Or annulled
  12. Zechariah 11:11 Or the sheep dealers who
  13. Zechariah 11:12 Lit cease
  14. Zechariah 11:12 A shekel was approx. 0.4 oz. or 11 gm
  15. Zechariah 11:14 Or Cords