Beginning
34 2 Against the shepherds that despised the flock of Christ, and seek their own reign. 7 The Lord saith that he will visit his dispersed flock, and gather them together. 23 He promiseth the true shepherd Christ, and with him peace.
1 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God unto the shepherds, (A)Woe be unto the [a]shepherds of Israel, that feed themselves: should not the shepherds feed the flocks?
3 Ye eat the [b]fat, and ye clothe you with the wool: ye kill them that are fed, but ye feed not the sheep.
4 The [c]weak have ye not strengthened: the sick have ye not healed, neither have ye bound up the broken, nor brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost, but with cruelty, and with rigor have ye ruled them.
5 And they were scattered without a shepherd: and when they were dispersed, they were [d]devoured of all the beasts of the field.
6 My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill: yea, my flock was scattered through all the earth, and none did seek or search after them.
7 Therefore ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord.
8 As I live, saith the Lord God, surely because my flock was spoiled, and my sheep were devoured of all the beasts of the field, having no shepherd, neither did my shepherds seek my sheep, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my sheep,
9 Therefore, hear ye the word of the Lord, O ye shepherds.
10 Thus saith 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: neither shall the shepherds feed themselves anymore: for I will deliver thy sheep from [e]their mouths, and they shall no more devour them.
11 For thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I will search my sheep, and seek them out.
12 As a shepherd searcheth out his flock, when he hath been among his sheep that are scattered, so will I seek out my sheep and will deliver them out of all places, where they have been scattered in [f]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, saith the Lord God.
16 I will seek that which was lost, and bring again 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 [g]strong, and I will feed them with [h]judgment.
17 Also you my sheep, thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I judge between sheep and sheep, between the rams and the goats.
18 Seemeth it a small thing unto you to have eaten up the good [i]pasture, but ye must tread down with your feet, the residue of your pasture? and to have drunk of the deep waters, but ye must trouble the residue with your feet.
19 And my sheep eat that which ye have trodden with your feet, and drink that which ye have troubled with your feet.
20 Therefore thus saith the Lord God unto them, Behold, I, even I will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep.
21 Because ye have thrust with side and with shoulder, and pushed all the weak with your horns, till ye have scattered them abroad,
22 Therefore will I help my sheep, and they shall no more be spoiled, and I will judge between sheep and sheep.
23 And I will set up a shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant [j]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 with them a covenant of peace, and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land, and they shall [k]dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods.
26 And I will set them, as a blessing, even round about my mountains, and I will cause rain to come down in due season: and there shall be rain of blessing.
27 And the [l]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 that served themselves of them.
28 And they shall no more be spoiled of the heathen, neither shall the beasts of the land devour them, but they shall dwell safely, and none shall make them afraid.
29 And I will raise up for them a [m]plant of renown, and they shall be no more consumed with hunger in the land, neither bear the reproach of the heathen anymore.
30 Thus shall they understand, that I the Lord their God am with them, and that they, even the house of Israel are my people, saith the Lord God.
31 And ye my sheep, the sheep of my pasture are men, and I am your God, saith the Lord God.
35 2 The destruction that shall come on mount Seir, because they troubled the people of Israel.
1 Moreover, the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, Set thy face against mount [n]Seir, and prophesy against it,
3 And say unto it, Thus saith the Lord God, Behold, O mount Seir, I come against thee, and I will stretch out mine hand against thee, and I will make thee desolate and waste.
4 I will lay thy cities waste, and thou shalt be desolate, and thou shalt know that I am the Lord.
5 Because thou hast had a perpetual hatred, and hast put the children of Israel to flight by the force of the sword in the time of their calamity, when their [o]iniquity had an end,
6 Therefore as I live, saith the Lord God, I will prepare thee unto blood, and blood shall pursue thee: except thou [p]hate blood, even blood shall pursue thee.
7 Thus will I make mount Seir desolate and waste, and cut off from it him that passeth out and him that returneth.
8 And I will fill his mountains with his slain men: in thine hills, and in thy valleys, and in all thy rivers shall they fall, that are slain with the sword.
9 I will make thee perpetual desolations, and thy cities shall not [q]return, and ye shall know that I am the Lord.
10 Because thou hast said, [r]These two nations and these two countries shall be mine, and we will possess them (seeing the Lord was [s]there)
11 Therefore as I live, saith the Lord God, I will even do according to thy [t]wrath, and according to thine indignation, which thou hast used in thine hatred against them: and I will make myself known among [u]them, when I have judged thee.
12 And thou shalt know, that I the Lord have heard all the blasphemies which thou hast spoken against the mountains of Israel, saying, They lie waste, they are given us to be devoured.
13 Thus with your mouths ye have boasted against me, and I have multiplied your words against me: I have heard them.
14 Thus saith the Lord God, So shall all the world rejoice, when I shall make thee desolate.
15 As thou didst rejoice at the inheritance of the house of Israel, because it was desolate, so will I do unto thee: thou shalt be desolate, O mount Seir, and all Idumea wholly, and they shall know that I am the Lord.
36 1 He promiseth to deliver Israel from the Gentiles. 22 The benefits done unto the Jews, are to be ascribed to the mercy of God, and not unto their deservings. 26 God reneweth our hearts that we may walk in his commandments.
1 Also thou son of man, prophesy unto the (B)mountains of Israel, and say, Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord.
2 Thus saith the Lord God, Because the [v]enemy hath said against you, Aha, even the [w]high places of the world are ours in possession,
3 Therefore prophesy and say, Thus saith the Lord God, Because that they have made you desolate, and swallowed you up on every side that ye might be a possession unto the residue of the heathen, and ye are come unto the lips and [x]tongues of men, and unto the reproach of the people,
4 Therefore ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God, Thus saith the Lord God to the mountains, and to the hills, to the rivers and to the valleys, and to the waste and desolate places, and to the cities that are forsaken, which are spoiled and had in derision of the residue of the heathen that are round about.
5 Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Surely in the fire of mine indignation have I spoken against the residue of the heathen, and against all Idumea, which have [y]taken my land for their possession, with the joy of all their heart, and with despiteful minds to cast it out for a prey.
6 Prophesy therefore upon the land of Israel, and say unto the mountains and to the hills, to the rivers, and to the valleys, Thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I have spoken in mine indignation and in my wrath, because ye have suffered the [z]shame of the heathen.
7 Therefore thus saith the Lord God, I have [aa]lifted up mine hand, surely the heathen that are about you, shall bear their shame.
8 But you, O mountains of Israel, ye shall [ab]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 unto you, and I will turn unto you, and ye shall be tilled and sown.
10 And I will multiply the men upon you, even all the house of Israel wholly, and the cities shall be inhabited, and the desolate places shall be built.
11 And I will multiply upon you man and beast, and they shall increase, and bring fruit, and I will cause you to dwell after your old estate, and I will bestow benefits upon you more than [ac]at the first, and ye shall know that I am the Lord.
12 Yea, I will cause men to walk upon [ad]you, even my people Israel, and they shall possess [ae]you, and ye shall be their inheritance, and ye shall no more henceforth deprive them of men.
13 Thus saith the Lord, Because they say unto you, Thou [af]land devourest up men, and hast been a waster of thy people,
14 Therefore thou shalt devour men no more, neither waste thy people henceforth, saith the Lord God,
15 Neither will I cause men to hear in thee the shame of the heathen anymore, neither shalt thou bear the reproach of the people anymore, neither shalt cause thy folk to fall anymore, saith the Lord God.
16 ¶ Moreover, the word of the Lord came unto 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 Wherefore I poured my wrath upon them, for the blood that they had shed in the land, and for their idols, wherewith they had polluted it.
19 And I scattered them among the heathen, and they were dispersed through the countries: for according to their ways, and according to their deeds, I judged them.
20 (C)And when they entered unto the heathen, whither they went, they polluted mine holy Name, when they said of them, These are the people of the Lord, and are gone out of his land.
21 But I favored mine holy [ag]Name, which the house of Israel had polluted among the heathen, whither they went.
22 Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God, I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine [ah]holy Name’s sake, which ye polluted among the heathen, whither ye 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, saith the Lord God, when I shall be sanctified in you before [ai]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 will I pour clean [aj]water upon you, and ye shall be clean: yea, from all your filthiness, and from all your idols will I cleanse you.
26 (D)A new heart also will I give you, 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 an heart of flesh.
27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments and do them.
28 And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and ye 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 [ak]corn, 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, that ye shall bear no more the reproach of famine among the heathen.
31 Then shall ye remember your own wicked ways, and your deeds that were not good, and shall judge yourselves worthy to have been [al]destroyed for your iniquities, and for your abominations.
32 Be it known unto you that I do not this for your sakes, saith the Lord God: therefore, O ye house of Israel, be ashamed and confounded for your own ways.
33 Thus saith the Lord God, What time as 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, whereas it lay waste in the sight of all that passed by.
35 For they said, This waste land was like the garden of Eden, and these waste, and desolate, and ruinous cities were strong, and were inhabited.
36 Then the residue of the heathen, that are left round about you, shall [am]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 saith the Lord God, I will yet for this be sought of the house of Israel, to perform it unto 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.
Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts.