Prophecy Against the Shepherds of Israel

1And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

2Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus says the Lord GOD unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks?

3You eat the fat, and you clothe yourselves with the wool, you kill them that are fed: but you feed not the flock.

4The diseased have you not strengthened, neither have you healed those who were sick, neither have you bound up those who were broken, neither have you brought again those who were driven away, neither have you sought those who were lost; but with force and with cruelty have you ruled them.

5And they were scattered, because there is no shepherd: and they became food to all the beasts of the field, when they were scattered.

6My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill: yea, my flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them.

7Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD;

8As I live, says 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;

9Therefore, O you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD;

10Thus says 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.

God Will Shepherd His People

11For thus says the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, will both search for my sheep, and seek them out.

12As a shepherd seeks 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 on a cloudy and dark day.

13And 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.

14I 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 rich pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel.

15I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, says the Lord GOD.

16I will seek those who were lost, and bring again those who were driven away, and will bind up those who were broken, and will strengthen those who were sick: but I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment.

17And as for you, O my flock, thus says the Lord GOD; Behold, I judge between sheep and sheep, between the rams and the male goats.

18Seems it a small thing unto you to have eaten up the good pasture, but must you tread down with your feet the rest of your pastures? and to have drunk of the deep waters, but must you foul the rest with your feet?

19And as for my flock, they eat that which you have trodden with your feet; and they drink that which you have fouled with your feet.

20Therefore thus says the Lord GOD unto them; Behold, I, even I, will judge between the fat sheep and between the lean sheep.

21Because you have thrust with side and with shoulder, and pushed all the diseased with your horns, till you have scattered them abroad;

22Therefore will I save my flock, and they shall no more be a prey; and I will judge between sheep and sheep.

23And 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.

24And I the LORD will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them; I the LORD have spoken it.

25And 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.

26And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will cause the showers to come down in their season; there shall be showers of blessing.

27And the trees of the field shall yield their fruit, and the earth shall yield its 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 who enslaved them.

28And they shall no more be a prey to the nations, neither shall the beasts of the land devour them; but they shall dwell safely, and none shall make them afraid.

29And I will raise up for them a garden of renown, and they shall be no more consumed with hunger in the land, neither bear the shame of the nations any more.

30Thus shall they know that I the LORD their God am with them, and that they, even the house of Israel, are my people, says the Lord GOD.

31And you my flock, the flock of my pasture, are men, and I am your God, says the Lord GOD.