Beginning
The Leaders Are like Shepherds
34 The ·Lord spoke his word [L word of the Lord came] to me, saying: 2 “·Human [T Son of man; 2:1], prophesy against the shepherds of Israel [C the leaders]. Prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Lord God says: ·How terrible it will be for [L Woe to] the shepherds of Israel who feed only themselves! ·Why don’t [Shouldn’t] the shepherds feed the flock? 3 You eat the ·milk curds [or fat], and you clothe yourselves with the wool. You kill the ·fat sheep [choice/fat ones], but you do not feed the flock. 4 You have not ·made the weak strong [strengthened the weak]. You have not healed the sick or put bandages on those that were hurt. You have not brought back those who strayed away or searched for the lost [Matt. 18:12; Luke 15:4]. But you have ruled the sheep with ·cruel force [violence and harshness]. 5 The sheep were scattered, because there was no shepherd, and they became food for every wild animal. 6 My flock wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. They were scattered all over the face of the earth, and no one searched or looked for them.
7 “‘So, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord. This is what the Lord God says: 8 As surely as I live, my flock has ·been caught [become prey] and eaten by all the wild animals, because the flock has no shepherd. The shepherds did not search for my flock. No, they fed themselves instead of my flock. 9 So, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord. 10 This is what the Lord God says: [L Look; T Behold] I am against the shepherds. I will ·blame them for what has happened to my sheep [hold them accountable; L demand my sheep from their hand] and will not let them tend the flock anymore. Then the shepherds will stop feeding themselves, and I will ·take [rescue] my flock from their mouths so they will no longer be their food.
11 “‘This is what the Lord God says: I, myself, will search for my sheep and ·take care of [look after; or look for] them. 12 As a shepherd ·take care of [looks after; or looks for] his scattered flock when ·it is found [or they are with him], I will ·take care of [look after; or look for] my sheep. I will ·save [rescue] them from all the places where they were scattered on a cloudy and dark day. 13 I will bring them out from the nations and gather them from the countries. I will bring them to their own land and ·pasture [feed] them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines, and in all the places where people live in the land. 14 I will feed them in a good pasture, and they will ·eat grass [graze] on the ·high mountains [mountain heights] of Israel. They will lie down on good ·ground where they eat grass [pasture], and they will eat in rich grassland on the mountains of Israel. 15 I will feed my flock and ·lead them to rest [have them lie down], says the Lord God [Ps. 23; Is. 40:11]. 16 I will search for the lost, bring back those that strayed away [v. 4], put bandages on those that were hurt, and make the weak strong. But I will destroy those sheep that are fat and strong. I will ·tend [shepherd; feed] the sheep with ·fairness [justice].
17 “‘This is what the Lord God says: As for you, my flock, I will judge between one sheep and another, between the ·male sheep [rams] and the male goats [Matt. 25:32–33]. 18 Is it not enough for you to eat grass in the good ·land [pasture]? Must you ·crush [trample] the rest of the grass with your feet? Is it not enough for you to drink clear water? Must you make the rest of the water muddy with your feet? 19 Must my flock eat what you ·crush [trample], and must they drink what you make muddy with your feet?
20 “‘So this is what the Lord God says to them: [L Look; T Behold] I, myself, will judge between the fat sheep and the thin sheep. 21 You push with your side and with your shoulder, and you ·knock down [butt; thrust at] all the weak sheep with your horns until you have ·forced them away [or scattered them abroad]. 22 So I will save my flock; they will ·not be hurt anymore [L no longer be prey]. I will judge between one sheep and another. 23 Then I will put over them one shepherd, my servant David [Is. 11:1; Jer. 30:9; Hos. 3:5; Mic. 5:2; C the Messiah envisioned as a new David]. He will feed them and tend them and be their shepherd. 24 Then I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David will be a ·ruler [prince] among them. I, the Lord, have spoken.
25 “‘I will make an ·agreement [covenant; treaty] of peace with ·my sheep [L them] and will remove ·harmful animals [wild beasts] from the land. Then the sheep will live safely in the ·desert [wilderness] and sleep in the woods. 26 I will ·bless them and let them live around my hill [or make them and the regions around my hill a blessing]. I will cause ·the rains [showers] to come ·when it is time [in their season]; there will be showers to bless them. 27 Also the trees ·in the countryside [L of the field] will ·give [yield] their fruit, and the land will give its ·harvest [produce; increase]. And the sheep will ·be safe [live securely] on their land. Then they will know that I am the Lord when I break the bars of their ·captivity [L yoke] and ·save [rescue] them from the ·power [L hand] of those who made them slaves. 28 They will not be ·led captive by [prey for] the nations again. The wild animals will not ·eat [devour] them, but they will live safely, and no one will make them afraid. 29 I will give them a place famous for its good crops, so they will no longer ·suffer from hunger [be victims of famine] in the land. They will not suffer the insults of other nations anymore. 30 Then they will know that I, the Lord their God, am with them. The nation [L house] of Israel will know that they are my people, says the Lord God. 31 You, my sheep, are the human sheep ·I care for [L of my pasture; Ps. 95:7; 100:3], and I am your God, says the Lord God.’”
Prophecy Against Edom
35 The ·Lord spoke his word [L word of the Lord came] to me, saying: 2 “·Human [T Son of man; 2:1], look toward ·Edom [L Mount Seir] and prophesy against it. 3 Say to it: ‘This is what the Lord God says: I am against you, ·Edom [L Mount Seir]. I will stretch out my hand against you and make you an ·empty desert [desolate waste]. 4 I will destroy your cities, and you will become ·empty [desolate]. Then you will know that I am the Lord.
5 “‘You have ·always been an enemy of [shown perpetual/ancient hatred toward the sons of] Israel. You ·let them be defeated in war [L gave them over to the hand of the sword] ·when they were in trouble [at the time of their disaster/calamity] at the time of their final punishment [Obad. 13]. 6 So the Lord God says, as surely as I live, I will ·let you be murdered [bring you bloodshed]. ·Murder [Bloodshed] will chase you. Since you did not hate ·murdering people [bloodshed; L blood], ·murder [bloodshed; L blood] will chase you. 7 I will make ·Edom [L Mount Seir] an ·empty ruin [desolate waste] and ·destroy [cut off] everyone who goes in or comes out of it. 8 I will fill its mountains with those who are killed. Those killed ·in war [L by the sword] will fall on your hills, in your valleys, and in all your ravines. 9 I will make you a ·ruin forever [perpetual/eternal desolation]; no one will live in your cities. Then you will know that I am the Lord.
10 “‘You said, “These two nations, Israel and Judah, and these two lands will be ours. We will take them for our ·own [possession].” But the Lord was there. 11 So this is what the Lord God says: As surely as I live, I will treat you just as you treated them. You were angry and ·jealous [envious] because you hated them. So I will ·show the Israelites who I am [make myself known to them] when I ·punish [judge] you. 12 Then you will know that I, the Lord, have heard all your insults against the mountains of Israel. You said, “They ·have been ruined [are desolate/laid waste]. They have been given to us to ·eat [devour].” 13 You have ·not stopped your proud talk [L exalted yourself against me and multiplied words] against me. I have heard you. 14 This is what the Lord God says: All the earth will ·be happy [rejoice] when I make you an ·empty ruin [desolation]. 15 You ·were happy [rejoiced] when the ·land [L inheritance of the house] of Israel was ·ruined [desolated], but I will do the same thing to you. Mount Seir and all Edom, you will become an ·empty ruin [desolation]. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’
Israel to Come Home
36 “·Human [T Son of man; 2:1], prophesy to the mountains of Israel and say: ‘Mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord. 2 This is what the Lord God says: The enemy has said about you, “[L Aha!] ·Now the old places to worship gods [The ancient heights] have become ·ours [L our possession].”’ 3 So prophesy and say: ‘This is what the Lord God says: They have made you an ·empty ruin [desolation] and have crushed you from all around. So you became a possession of the ·other [rest of the] nations. People have ·talked [gossiped] and ·whispered [slandered] against you. 4 So, mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God. The Lord God speaks to the mountains, hills, ravines, and valleys, to the ·empty ruins [desolate wasteland] and abandoned cities that have ·been ·robbed [plundered] and ·laughed at [ridiculed; derided] by the other nations. 5 This is what the Lord God says: I speak ·in hot anger [with burning zeal] against the other nations. I speak against the people of Edom, who took my land for themselves with joy and with ·hate [contempt] in their hearts. They ·forced out the people and took their pastureland [seized their pastureland as spoil].’ 6 So prophesy about the land of Israel and say to the mountains, hills, ravines, and valleys: ‘This is what the Lord God says: I speak in my jealous anger, because you have suffered the ·insults [scorn; reproach] of the nations. 7 So this is what the Lord God says: I ·promise [vow] that the nations around you will also have to suffer ·insults [scorn; reproach].
8 “‘But you, mountains of Israel, will grow branches and fruit for my people, who will soon come home. 9 [L Look; T Behold] I am ·concerned about [for] you; I ·am on your side [L will turn to you]. You will be plowed, and seed will be planted in you. 10 I will increase the number of people who live on you, all the ·people [L house] of Israel. The cities will ·have people living in them [be inhabited], and the ruins will be rebuilt. 11 I will ·increase the number of people and animals living [multiply man and beast] on you. They will grow and ·have many young [be fruitful]. You will have people living on you as ·you did before [in former times], and I will make you better off than at the beginning. Then you will know that I am the Lord. 12 I will cause my people Israel to ·walk [live] on you and ·own [possess] you, and you will ·belong to them [become their inheritance]. You will never again ·take their children away from them [bereave them of their children].
13 “‘This is what the Lord God says: People say about you, “You ·eat [devour] people and ·take children [bereave children] from your nation.” 14 But you will not ·eat [devour] people anymore or ·take away the [bereave your nation of] children, says the Lord God. 15 I will not make you listen to ·insults [taunts] from the nations anymore; you will not ·suffer shame [endure scorn/disgrace] from them anymore. You will not cause your nation to ·fall [stumble] anymore, says the Lord God.’”
The Lord Acts for Himself
16 The ·Lord spoke his word to me [L word of the Lord came] again, saying: 17 “·Human [T Son of man; 2:1], when the ·nation [L house] of Israel was living in their own land, they ·made it unclean [defiled it; C ritually] by their ways and the things they did. Their ways were like ·a woman’s uncleanness in her time of monthly bleeding [menstrual impurity; C ritually]. 18 So I poured out my anger against them, because they ·murdered in [shed blood on] the land and because they made the land ·unclean [defiled] with their idols. 19 I scattered them among the nations, and they were ·spread [dispersed] through the countries. I ·punished [judged] them for how they lived and what they did. 20 They ·dishonored [defiled; profaned; C ritually] my holy name in the nations where they went. The nations said about them, ‘These are the people of the Lord, but they had to leave the land which he gave them.’ 21 But I had concern for my holy name, which the ·nation [L house] of Israel had ·dishonored [defiled; profaned; C ritually] among the nations where they went.
22 “So say to the ·people [L house] of Israel, ‘This is what the Lord God says: [L house of] Israel, I am going to act, but not for your sake. I will do something to help my holy name, which you have ·dishonored [defiled; profaned; C ritually] among the nations where you went. 23 I will prove the holiness of my great name, which has been ·dishonored [defiled; profaned; C ritually] among the nations. You have ·dishonored [defiled; profaned; C ritually] it among these nations, but the nations will know that I am the Lord when I ·prove myself holy [vindicate my holiness] before their eyes, says the Lord God.
24 “‘I will take you from the nations and gather you out of all the lands and bring you back into your own land. 25 Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your uncleanness [C ritual impurity] and your idols. 26 Also, I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new ·way of thinking [L spirit] inside you. I will ·take out [remove from you] ·the stubborn hearts of stone from your bodies [L your heart of stone], and I will give you ·obedient hearts [L a heart] of flesh. 27 I will put my ·Spirit [or spirit] ·inside you [or among you; C the pronoun is plural] and ·help you [cause you to] ·live by [walk in] my ·rules [statutes] and carefully obey my ·laws [rules; judgments]. 28 You will live in the land I gave to your ·ancestors [fathers], and you will be my people, and I will be your God. 29 So I will save you from all your ·uncleanness [defilement; C ritual]. I will ·command [summon; call for] the grain to ·come and grow [multiply]; I will not ·allow a time of hunger to hurt [bring famine upon] you. 30 I will increase the harvest of fruit trees and the crops in the field so you will never again suffer ·shame [disgrace] among the nations because of ·hunger [famine]. 31 Then you will remember your evil ways and actions that were not good, and you will ·hate [loathe] yourselves because of your sins and your ·terrible acts that I hate [detestable/abominable acts]. 32 I want you to know that I am not going to do this for your sake, says the Lord God. Be ashamed and embarrassed about your ways, [L house of] Israel.
33 “‘This is what the Lord God says: This is what will happen on the day I cleanse you from all your sins: I will ·cause the cities to have people living in them again [repopulate/resettle your towns/cities], and the ·destroyed places [ruins] will be rebuilt. 34 The ·empty [desolate] land will be plowed so it will no longer be a ·ruin [desolation] for everyone who passes by to see. 35 They will say, “This land was ·ruined [desolate], but now it has become like the garden of Eden. The cities were destroyed, empty, and ruined, but now they are ·protected [fortified] and ·have people living in them [inhabited].” 36 Then those nations still around you will know that I, the Lord, have rebuilt ·what was destroyed [the ruins] and have planted what was ·empty [desolate]. I, the Lord, have spoken, and I will do it.’
37 “This is what the Lord God says: I will let myself be asked by the ·people [L house] of Israel to do this for them again: I will ·make their people grow in number [multiply their people] like a flock. 38 They will be as many as the flocks ·brought to Jerusalem during her holy feasts [for offerings]. Her ruined cities will be filled with flocks of people. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”
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