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Ezekiel 34
Lexham English Bible

Prophecy Concerning Israel’s Shepherds and Sheep

34 And the word of Yahweh came[a] to me, saying, 2 “Son of man,[b] prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and you must say to them, to the shepherds, ‘Thus says the Lord Yahweh: “Woe to the shepherds of Israel who were feeding themselves! Must not the shepherds feed the flock? 3 The fat you eat, and you clothe yourself with the wool; the well-nourished animals you slaughter, but you do not feed the flock. 4 The weak you have not strengthened, and the sick you have not healed, and with respect to[c] the hurt[d] you have not bound them up, and you have not brought back the scattered, and you have not sought the lost, but rather you ruled over them with force[e] and with ruthlessness. 5 And they were scattered without[f] a shepherd, and they were[g] as food for all the animals[h] of the field when they were scattered. 6 My flock went astray upon all of the mountains and on every high hill, and so upon all the surface of the world[i] my flock were scattered, and there was no one seeking them,[j] and there was no one searching for them.”[k] 7 Therefore, hear, O shepherds, the word of Yahweh: 8 “As I live,”[l] declares[m] the Lord Yahweh, “Surely[n] because my flock have become as plunder, and my flock became as food to[o] all the animals[p] of the field, since there was not a shepherd, since my shepherds have not sought my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves, and they fed not my flock,’” 9 therefore, O shepherds, hear the word of Yahweh, 10 ‘Thus says the Lord Yahweh: “Look! I am against the shepherds, and I will seek my flock from their hand, and I will put an end to them from shepherding flocks, and the shepherds will no longer[q] feed themselves, and I will deliver my flocks from their mouth, so that they will not be as food for them.”

11 “‘For thus says the Lord Yahweh: “Look! I, even I, will seek my flock, and I will look after them, 12 just like the caring of a shepherd for his herd on[r] the day when he is in the midst of his scattered flock. Thus I will look after my flock, and I will deliver them from all the places to which they were scattered[s] on the day of storm and stress.[t] 13 And I will bring them out from the peoples, and I will gather them from the countries, and I will bring them to their soil, and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, in the valleys, and in all of the settlements of the land. 14 I will feed them in good pasture, and their pasture will be on the mountains of the heights of Israel; there they will lie down in good pasture, and on lush pasture they will feed on the mountains of Israel. 15 I myself[u] will feed my flock and I myself[v] will allow them to lie down,” declares[w] the Lord Yahweh. 16 “I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the scattered, and I will bind up the one hurt, and I will strengthen the sick; and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed her with justice.”

17 “‘And you, my flock, thus says the Lord Yahweh: “Look! I am judging between one sheep and another,[x] between the rams and between the he-goats. 18 Is it not enough for you[y] that you feed on the good pasture? And still you must trample the remainder of your pasture with your feet, and clear water[z] you drink, and the leftover water[aa] you must make muddy with your feet. 19 And my flock must graze the pasture treaded upon by[ab] your feet, and must drink the mud puddle stirred up by[ac] your feet.”

20 “‘Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh to them: “Look! I, even I will judge between fat sheep and between lean sheep, 21 because with your flank and with your shoulder you shoved, and with your horns you pushed all of the sick animals until[ad] you scattered it[ae] to the outside. 22 And so I will save my flock, and they will no longer be[af] for plunder, and I will judge between one sheep and another.[ag] 23 And I will set up over them one shepherd, and he will feed them; that is, my servant David. He will feed them, and he will be for them as[ah] a shepherd. 24 And I, Yahweh, I will be for them as God,[ai] and my servant David will be a leader in the midst of them. I, Yahweh, I have spoken. 25 And I will make them a covenant of peace, and I will put an end to wild animals[aj] from the land, and they will dwell in the desert safely,[ak] and they will sleep in the forest. 26 And I will make them and the area all around my hill a blessing, and I will let the rain go down at its appointed time;[al] they will be rains of blessing. 27 And the tree[am] of the field will give its fruit, and the land will give its produce, and they will be on their land safely,[an] and they will know that I am Yahweh when I break their yoke, and I will deliver them from the hand of the ones enslaving them. 28 And they will not be any longer plunder to the nations, and the animals of the land will not eat them, and they will dwell in safety,[ao] and there will not be anyone frightening them. 29 And I will raise for them a garden plot[ap] of renown, and they will no longer[aq] be victims of famine in the land, and they will not bear any more the insult of the nations. 30 And they will know that I, Yahweh their God, am with them and they are my people, the house of Israel,” declares[ar] the Lord Yahweh, 31 “and you are my flock, the flock of my pasture. You are my people;[as] I am your God,” declares[at] the Lord Yahweh.’”

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 34:1 Literally “was”
  2. Ezekiel 34:2 Or “mortal,” or “son of humankind”
  3. Ezekiel 34:4 Literally “for”
  4. Ezekiel 34:4 Or “wounded”
  5. Ezekiel 34:4 Or “violence”
  6. Ezekiel 34:5 Literally “from not”
  7. Ezekiel 34:5 Or “became”
  8. Ezekiel 34:5 Hebrew “animal”
  9. Ezekiel 34:6 Or “earth”
  10. Ezekiel 34:6 Literally “there was not someone seeking them”
  11. Ezekiel 34:6 Literally “there was not someone searching for them”
  12. Ezekiel 34:8 Literally “live I”
  13. Ezekiel 34:8 Literally “declaration of”
  14. Ezekiel 34:8 Literally “if not”
  15. Ezekiel 34:8 Or “for”
  16. Ezekiel 34:8 Hebrew “animal”
  17. Ezekiel 34:10 Literally “not any longer”
  18. Ezekiel 34:12 Or “in”
  19. Ezekiel 34:12 Literally “which they were scattered there”
  20. Ezekiel 34:12 Literally “on the day of cloud and deep gloom”
  21. Ezekiel 34:15 Literally “I, I”
  22. Ezekiel 34:15 Literally “I, I”
  23. Ezekiel 34:15 Literally “declaration of”
  24. Ezekiel 34:17 Literally “small sheep and small sheep”
  25. Ezekiel 34:18 Literally “is it too little from you”
  26. Ezekiel 34:18 Literally “and settling of water”
  27. Ezekiel 34:18 Literally “water being left”
  28. Ezekiel 34:19 Hebrew “of”
  29. Ezekiel 34:19 Hebrew “of”
  30. Ezekiel 34:21 Literally “until that”
  31. Ezekiel 34:21 Or “them”
  32. Ezekiel 34:22 Literally “not they will be longer for plunder”
  33. Ezekiel 34:22 Literally “sheep and sheep”
  34. Ezekiel 34:23 Or “like”
  35. Ezekiel 34:24 Literally “to a God”
  36. Ezekiel 34:25 Hebrew “animal”
  37. Ezekiel 34:25 Literally “with confidence/trust”
  38. Ezekiel 34:26 Literally “in time his”
  39. Ezekiel 34:27 Or “trees”
  40. Ezekiel 34:27 Literally “with/in conficence”
  41. Ezekiel 34:28 Literally “with confidence”
  42. Ezekiel 34:29 Or “planting”
  43. Ezekiel 34:29 Literally “not any longer”
  44. Ezekiel 34:30 Literally “declaration of”
  45. Ezekiel 34:31 Literally “humanity, Mankind, human, mankind”
  46. Ezekiel 34:31 Literally “declaration of”
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Ezekiel 34
New International Version

The Lord Will Be Israel’s Shepherd

34 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to you shepherds of Israel who only take care of yourselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock?(A) 3 You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock.(B) 4 You have not strengthened the weak or healed(C) the sick or bound up(D) the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally.(E) 5 So they were scattered because there was no shepherd,(F) and when they were scattered they became food for all the wild animals.(G) 6 My sheep wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill.(H) They were scattered(I) over the whole earth, and no one searched or looked for them.(J)

7 “‘Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: 8 As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, because my flock lacks a shepherd and so has been plundered(K) and has become food for all the wild animals,(L) and because my shepherds did not search for my flock but cared for themselves rather than for my flock,(M) 9 therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: 10 This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against(N) the shepherds and will hold them accountable for my flock. I will remove them from tending the flock so that the shepherds can no longer feed themselves. I will rescue(O) my flock from their mouths, and it will no longer be food for them.(P)

11 “‘For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search for my sheep(Q) and look after them. 12 As a shepherd(R) looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness.(S) 13 I will bring them out from the nations and gather(T) them from the countries, and I will bring them into their own land.(U) I will pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in all the settlements in the land.(V) 14 I will tend them in a good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel(W) will be their grazing land. There they will lie down in good grazing land, and there they will feed in a rich pasture(X) on the mountains of Israel.(Y) 15 I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down,(Z) declares the Sovereign Lord.(AA) 16 I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up(AB) the injured and strengthen the weak,(AC) but the sleek and the strong I will destroy.(AD) I will shepherd the flock with justice.(AE)

17 “‘As for you, my flock, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will judge between one sheep and another, and between rams and goats.(AF) 18 Is it not enough(AG) for you to feed on the good pasture? Must you also trample the rest of your pasture with your feet?(AH) Is it not enough for you to drink clear water? Must you also muddy the rest with your feet? 19 Must my flock feed on what you have trampled and drink what you have muddied with your feet?

20 “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says to them: See, I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep.(AI) 21 Because you shove with flank and shoulder, butting all the weak sheep with your horns(AJ) until you have driven them away, 22 I will save my flock, and they will no longer be plundered. I will judge between one sheep and another.(AK) 23 I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend(AL) them; he will tend them and be their shepherd.(AM) 24 I the Lord will be their God,(AN) and my servant David(AO) will be prince among them.(AP) I the Lord have spoken.(AQ)

25 “‘I will make a covenant(AR) of peace(AS) with them and rid the land of savage beasts(AT) so that they may live in the wilderness and sleep in the forests in safety.(AU) 26 I will make them and the places surrounding my hill a blessing.[a](AV) I will send down showers in season;(AW) there will be showers of blessing.(AX) 27 The trees will yield their fruit(AY) and the ground will yield its crops;(AZ) the people will be secure(BA) in their land. They will know that I am the Lord, when I break the bars of their yoke(BB) and rescue them from the hands of those who enslaved them.(BC) 28 They will no longer be plundered by the nations, nor will wild animals devour them. They will live in safety,(BD) and no one will make them afraid.(BE) 29 I will provide for them a land renowned(BF) for its crops, and they will no longer be victims of famine(BG) in the land or bear the scorn(BH) of the nations.(BI) 30 Then they will know that I, the Lord their God, am with them and that they, the Israelites, are my people, declares the Sovereign Lord.(BJ) 31 You are my sheep,(BK) the sheep of my pasture,(BL) and I am your God, declares the Sovereign Lord.’”

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 34:26 Or I will cause them and the places surrounding my hill to be named in blessings (see Gen. 48:20); or I will cause them and the places surrounding my hill to be seen as blessed
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