34:1 And the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
34:2 Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel,
prophesy, and say to them, Thus saith the Lord GOD to the
shepherds; Woe [be] to the shepherds of Israel that do feed
themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks?
34:3 Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe yourselves with the wool, ye
kill them that are fed: [but] ye feed not the flock.
34:4 The diseased ye have not strengthened, neither have ye
healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up [that
which was] broken, neither have ye brought again that which was
driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but
with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them.
34:5 And they were scattered, because [there is] no shepherd:
and they became food to all the beasts of the field, when they
were scattered.
34:6 My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every
high hill: yes, my flock was scattered upon all the face of the
earth, and none did search or seek [for them].
34:7 Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD;
34:8 [As] I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely because my flock
became a prey, and my flock became food to every beast of the
field, because [there was] no shepherd, neither did my
shepherds search for my flock, but the shepherds fed
themselves, and fed not my flock;
34:9 Therefore, O ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD;
34:10 Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I [am] against the
shepherds; and I will require my flock at their hand, and cause
them to cease from feeding the flock; neither shall the
shepherds feed themselves any more; for I will deliver my flock
from their mouth, that they may not be food for them.
34:11 For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I [even] I, will both
search for my sheep, and seek them out.
34:12 As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is
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 the cloudy and dark day.
34:13 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.
34:14 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] a fat pasture shall they feed upon the
mountains of Israel.
34:15 I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down,
saith the Lord GOD.
34:16 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 that which was sick: but I will
destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment.
34:17 And [as for] you, O my flock, Thus saith the Lord GOD;
Behold, I judge between cattle and cattle, between the rams and
the he-goats.
34:18 [Seemeth it] a small thing to you to have eaten up the
good pasture, but ye must tread down with your feet the residue
of your pastures? and to have drank of the deep waters, but ye
must foul the residue with your feet?
34:19 And [as for] my flock, they eat that which ye have trodden
with your feet; and they drink that which ye have fouled with
your feet.
34:20 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD to them; Behold, I, even
I, will judge between the fat cattle and between the lean
cattle.
34:21 Because ye have thrust with side and with shoulder, and
pushed all the diseased with your horns, till ye have scattered
them abroad;
34:22 Therefore will I save my flock, and they shall no more be
a prey; and I will judge between cattle and cattle.
34:23 And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall
feed them, [even] my servant David; he shall feed them, and he
shall be their shepherd.
34:24 And I the LORD will be their God, and my servant David a
prince among them; I the LORD have spoken [it].
34:25 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
dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods.
34:26 And I will make them and the places around my hill a
blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in its
season; there shall be showers of blessing.
34:27 And the tree of the field shall yield her fruit, and the
earth shall yield her increase, and they shall be safe in their
land, and shall know that I [am] the LORD, when I have broken
the bands of their yoke, and delivered them out of the hand of
those that subjected them to service.
34:28 And they shall no more be a prey to the heathen, neither
shall the beast of the land devour them; but they shall dwell
safely, and none shall make [them] afraid.
34:29 And I will raise up for them a plant of renown, and they
shall be no more consumed with hunger in the land, neither bear
the shame of the heathen any more.
34:30 Thus shall they know that I the LORD their God [am] with
them, and [that] they, [even] the house of Israel, [are] my
people, saith the Lord GOD.
34:31 And ye my flock, the flock of my pasture, [are] men, [and]
I [am] your God, saith the Lord GOD.
|