A Prophecy Against False Shepherds

34 The Lord’s message came to me: ² “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds^[a] of Israel; prophesy, and say to them—to the shepherds: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to the shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves! Should not shepherds feed the flock? ³ You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the choice animals, but you do not feed the sheep! ⁴ You have not strengthened the weak, healed the sick, bandaged the injured, brought back the strays, or sought the lost, but with force and harshness^[b] you have ruled over them. ⁵ They were scattered because they had no shepherd, and they became food for every wild beast.^{[c] 6} My sheep wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. My sheep were scattered over the entire face of the earth with no one looking or searching for them.

⁷ “‘Therefore, you shepherds, listen to the Lord’s message: ⁸ As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, my sheep have become prey and have become food for all the wild beasts. There was no shepherd, and my shepherds did not search for my flock, but fed themselves and did not feed my sheep. ⁹ Therefore, you shepherds, listen to the Lord’s message. ¹⁰ This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Look, I am against the shepherds, and I will demand my sheep from their hand. I will no longer let them be shepherds;^[d] the shepherds will not feed themselves anymore. I will rescue my sheep from their mouths, so that they will no longer be food for them.