Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

The Lord, the Psalmist’s Shepherd.

A Psalm of David.

Prophecy against the Shepherds of Israel

34 Then the word of the Lord came to me saying, ² “Son of man, prophesy against the ^(A)shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and say to ^[a]those shepherds, ‘Thus says the Lord ^[b]God, “Woe, shepherds of Israel who have been ^[c](B)feeding themselves! Should not the shepherds ^[d](C)feed the flock? ³ You ^(D)eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool, you ^(E)slaughter the fat sheep without ^[e]feeding the flock. ⁴ Those who are sickly you have not strengthened, the ^[f]diseased you have not healed, ^(F)the broken you have not bound up, the scattered you have not brought back, nor have you ^(G)sought for the lost; but with force and with severity you have dominated them. ⁵ They were ^(H)scattered for lack of a shepherd, and they became ^(I)food for every beast of the field and were scattered. ⁶ My flock ^(J)wandered through all the mountains and on every high hill; ^(K)My flock was scattered over all the surface of the earth, and there was ^(L)no one to search or seek for them.”’”

⁷ Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: ⁸ “As I live,” declares the Lord God, “surely because My flock has become a ^(M)prey, My flock has even become food for all the beasts of the field for lack of a shepherd, and My shepherds did not search for My flock, but rather the shepherds fed themselves and did not feed My flock; ⁹ therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: ¹⁰ ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I am ^(N)against the shepherds, and I will demand My ^[g]sheep ^[h]from them and make them ^(O)cease from feeding ^[i]sheep. So the shepherds will not ^[j]feed themselves anymore, but I will ^(P)deliver My flock from their mouth, so that they will not be food for them.”’”

The Restoration of Israel

¹¹ For thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I Myself will ^(Q)search for My sheep and seek them out. ^12 (R)As a shepherd ^[k]cares for his herd in the day when he is among his scattered ^[l]sheep, so I will ^[m](S)care for My ^[n]sheep and will deliver them from all the places to which they were scattered on a ^(T)cloudy and gloomy day. ¹³ I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries and bring them to their own land; and I will ^(U)feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the ^(V)streams, and in all the inhabited places of the land. ¹⁴ I will feed them in a ^(W)good pasture, and their grazing ground will be on the mountain heights of Israel. There they will lie down on good grazing ground and feed in ^[o](X)rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. ¹⁵ I will ^(Y)feed My flock and I will ^[p]lead them to rest,” declares the Lord God. ¹⁶ “I will seek the lost, bring back the scattered, bind up the broken and strengthen the sick; but the ^(Z)fat and the strong I will destroy. I will ^(AA)feed them with judgment.

The Lost Sheep

15 Now all the ^(A)tax collectors and the ^[a]sinners were coming near Him to listen to Him. ² Both the Pharisees and the scribes began to grumble, saying, “This man receives sinners and ^(B)eats with them.”

³ So He told them this parable, saying, ⁴ “^(C)What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the ^[b]open pasture and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? ⁵ When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. ⁶ And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ ⁷ I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.