Beginning

34 And the Word of the LORD came to me, saying:

² “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD to the shepherds: “Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks?

³ “You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool. You kill those that are fat, but you do not feed the sheep.

⁴ “You have not strengthened the weak. You have neither healed the sick nor bound up the broken nor brought back that which was driven away. Nor have you sought that which was lost. But you have ruled them with cruelty and with violence.

⁵ “And they were scattered, without a shepherd. And when they were dispersed, they were devoured by all the beasts of the field.

⁶ “My sheep wandered through all the mountains and upon every high hill. Yea, My flock was scattered throughout all the Earth and no one sought or searched.”

⁷ ‘Therefore, you shepherds, hear the Word of the LORD:

⁸ “As I live,” says the Lord GOD, “surely because My flock was plundered and My sheep were devoured by all the beasts of the field, having no shepherd— nor did My shepherds seek My sheep, but the shepherds fed themselves and did not feed My sheep—

⁹ “therefore, hear the Word of the LORD, O you shepherds.”

¹⁰ ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I come against the shepherds and will require My sheep at their hands and cause them to cease from feeding the sheep. Nor shall the shepherds feed themselves anymore. For I will deliver your sheep from their mouths; and they shall no longer devour them.”

¹¹ ‘For thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I will search My sheep and seek them out.

¹² “As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his scattered sheep, so will I seek out My sheep and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered on the cloudy and dark day.

¹³ “And I will bring them out from the people and gather them from the countries and will bring them to their own land and feed them upon the mountains of Israel, by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the country.

¹⁴ “I will feed them in a good pasture; and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be. There shall they lie in a good fold; and in fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel.

¹⁵ “I will feed My sheep and bring them to their rest,” says the Lord GOD.

¹⁶ “I will seek that which was lost and bring back that which was driven away and will bind up that which was broken and will strengthen the weak. But I will destroy the fat and the strong. I will feed them with judgment.

¹⁷ “Also, you, My sheep,” thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I judge between sheep and sheep, the rams and the goats.

¹⁸ “Does it seem a small thing to you to have eaten up the good pasture, but you must tread down the rest of your pasture with your feet; and to have drunk of the deep waters, but you must foul the rest with your feet?

¹⁹ “And My sheep eat that which you have trodden with your feet and drink that which you have fouled with your feet.”

²⁰ ‘Therefore thus says the Lord GOD to them: “Behold, I, even I, will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep.

²¹ “Because you have thrust with side and with shoulder, and pushed all the weak with your horns, till you have scattered them abroad,

²² “I will therefore help My sheep; and they shall no longer be plundered. And I will judge between sheep and sheep.

²³ “And I will set up a shepherd over them. And he shall feed them. My servant, David. He shall feed them; and he shall be their shepherd.

²⁴ “And I, the LORD, will be their God. And my servant, David, shall be the prince among them. I, the LORD, have spoken it.

²⁵ “And I will make a covenant of peace with them and will cause the evil beasts to cease from the land. And they shall dwell safely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods.

²⁶ “And I will set them as a blessing all around My mountains. And I will cause rain to come down in due season. And there shall be rain of blessing.

²⁷ “And the tree of the field shall yield her fruit; and the earth shall give her fruit; and they shall be safe in their land and shall know that I am the LORD, when I have broken the cords of their yoke and delivered them out of the hands of those who served themselves with them.

²⁸ “And they shall no longer be plundered by the heathen. Nor shall the beasts of the land devour them. But they shall dwell safely; and no one shall make them afraid.

²⁹ “And I will raise up a plant of renown for them. And they shall no longer be consumed with hunger in the land or bear the reproach of the heathen anymore.

³⁰ “Thus shall they understand that I, the LORD their God, am with them. And that they, the House of Israel, are My people,” says the Lord GOD.

³¹ “And you, My sheep, the sheep of My pasture, are man. And I am your God,” says the Lord GOD.’”

35 Moreover, the Word of the LORD came to me, saying:

² “Son of man, set your face against Mount Seir, and prophesy against it,

³ “and say to it, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, O Mount Seir, I come against you. And I will stretch out My Hand against you; and I will make you desolate and waste.

⁴ “I will lay your cities waste; and you shall be desolate; and you shall know that I am the LORD.

⁵ “Because you have had a perpetual hatred —and have put the children of Israel to flight by the force of the sword in the time of their calamity, when iniquity had ended —

⁶ “therefore, as I live,” says the Lord GOD, “I will prepare you for blood; and blood shall pursue you. Since you have not hated blood, blood shall pursue you.

⁷ “Thus will I make Mount Seir desolate and waste and cut off from it him who passes out and him who returns.

⁸ “And I will fill his mountains with his slain men. In your hills and in your valleys and in all your rivers shall they fall who are killed with the sword.

⁹ “I will make you perpetual desolations; and your cities shall not return. And you shall know that I am the LORD.

¹⁰ “Because you have said, ‘These two nations and these two countries shall be mine; and we will possess them’ (seeing the LORD was there),

¹¹ “therefore, as I live,” says the Lord GOD, “I will do according to your wrath, and according to your indignation, which you have used in your hatred against them. And I will make Myself known among them when I have judged you.

¹² “And you shall know that I, the LORD, have heard all the blasphemies which you have spoken against the mountains of Israel, saying, ‘They lie waste! They are given us to be devoured!’

¹³ “Thus with your mouths you have boasted against Me. And I have multiplied your words against Me. I have heard.”

¹⁴ ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “So shall all the world rejoice when I shall make you desolate.

¹⁵ “As you rejoiced at the inheritance of the House of Israel, because it was desolate, so will I do to you. You shall be desolate, O Mount Seir, and all Idumea wholly! And they shall know that I am the LORD.”’

36 “Also, you son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel, and say, ‘You mountains of Israel! Hear the Word of the LORD!

² ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Because the enemy has said against you, ‘Aha! Even the high places of the world are ours in possession!’

³ “Therefore prophesy and say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Because they have made you desolate and swallowed you up on every side, so that you might be a possession for the rest of the heathen; and you have come to the lips and tongues and to the reproach of the people,”

⁴ ‘therefore, you mountains of Israel, hear the Word of the Lord GOD. Thus says the Lord GOD — to the mountains and to the hills, to the rivers and to the valleys and to the waste, desolate places and to the cities that are forsaken, which have been plundered and had in derision by the rest of the heathen who are all around—

⁵ “therefore, thus says the Lord GOD: “Surely, in the fire of My indignation, I have spoken against the rest of the heathen, and against all Idumea, which has taken My land for their possession—with the joy of all heart and with spiteful minds—to cast it out for a prey.

⁶ “Prophesy, therefore, upon the land of Israel, and say to the mountains and to the hills, to the rivers, and to the valleys, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I have spoken in My indignation and in My wrath. Because you have suffered the shame of the heathen,

⁷ “therefore thus says the Lord GOD: I have lifted up My Hand; surely the heathen who are around you shall bear their shame.

⁸ “But you, O mountains of Israel, you shall shoot forth your branches and bring forth your fruit to My people of Israel; for they are ready to come.

⁹ “For behold, I come to you; and I will turn to you; and you shall be tilled and sown.

¹⁰ “And I will multiply the men upon you, all the House of Israel wholly. And the cities shall be inhabited; and the desolate places shall be built.

¹¹ “And I will multiply man and beast upon you. And they shall increase and bring fruit. And I will cause you to dwell as you once did; and I will bestow benefits upon you more than at first. And you shall know that I am the LORD.

¹² “Yea, I will cause men to walk upon you, My people Israel, and they shall possess you; and you shall be their inheritance; and you shall henceforth no longer deprive them.”

¹³ ‘Thus says the LORD: “Because they say to you, ‘You devour men and have wasted your people,’

¹⁴ “therefore you shall no longer devour men or henceforth waste your people,” says the Lord GOD.’

¹⁵ “Nor will I allow men to hear the shaming of the heathen anymore. Nor shall you bear the reproach of the people anymore. Nor shall you cause your people to fall anymore,” says the Lord GOD.’”

¹⁶ Moreover, the Word of the LORD came to me, saying:

¹⁷ “Son of man, when the House of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their own ways, and by their deeds. Their way was before Me as the filthiness of the menstruous.

¹⁸ “Therefore I poured My wrath upon them, for the blood that they had shed in the land, and for their idols. They had polluted it.

¹⁹ “And I scattered them among the heathen; and they were dispersed throughout the countries. According to their ways, and according to their deeds, I judged them.

²⁰ “And when they came to the heathen, wherever they went, they polluted My Holy Name when they said of them, ‘These are the people of the LORD, and have gone out of His land.’

²¹ “But I favored My Holy Name, which the House of Israel had polluted among the heathen, wherever they went.

²² “Therefore say to the House of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “I do not do this for your sakes, O House of Israel, but for My Holy Name’s sake, which you polluted among the heathen, wherever you went.

²³ “And I will sanctify My great Name, which was polluted among the heathen, among whom you have polluted it. And the heathen shall know that I am the LORD,” says the Lord GOD, “when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes.

²⁴ “For I will take you from among the heathen and gather you out of all countries and will bring you into your own land.

²⁵ “Then I will pour clean water upon you; and you shall be clean. From all your filthiness and from all your idols will I cleanse you.

²⁶ “I will also give you a new heart; and a new spirit will I put within you. And I will take away the stony heart out of your body; and I will give you a heart of flesh.

²⁷ “And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My Statutes. And you shall keep My Judgments and do them.

²⁸ “And you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers. And you shall be My people. And I will be your God.

²⁹ “I will also deliver you from all your filthiness. And I will call for grain, and will increase it, and lay no famine upon you.

³⁰ “For I will multiply the fruit of the trees and the increase of the field, so that you shall no longer bear the reproach of famine among the heathen.

³¹ “Then you shall remember your own wicked ways, and your deeds that were not good, and shall judge yourselves worthy to have been destroyed for your iniquities and for your abominations.

³² “Be it known to you that I do not do this for your sakes,” says the Lord GOD, “O you House of Israel! Be ashamed and confounded for your own ways!”

³³ ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “On the day that I shall have cleansed you from all your iniquities, I will cause you to dwell in the cities; and the desolate places shall be built.

³⁴ “And the desolate land shall be tilled instead of laying waste in the sight of all who pass by.

³⁵ “For they said, ‘This waste land is like the Garden of Eden. And these once waste and desolate and ruinous cities are strong and inhabited.’

³⁶ “Then the rest of the heathen who are left all around you shall know that I, the LORD, build the ruinous places and plant the desolate places. I, the LORD, have spoken it and will do it.”

³⁷ ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “I will also allow for this to be sought by the House of Israel, to perform it to them: I will increase them with men like a flock.

³⁸ “As the holy flock, as the flock of Jerusalem in their solemn feasts, so shall the desolate cities be filled with flocks of men. And they shall know that I am the LORD.”’”