English Standard Version

Christian Standard Bible

1The word of the LORD came to me:

1The word of the LORD came to me:

2“Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy, and say to them, even to the shepherds, Thus says the Lord GOD: Ah, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep?

2"Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy, and say to them, 'This is what the Lord GOD says to the shepherds: Woe to the shepherds of Israel, who have been feeding themselves! Shouldn't the shepherds feed their flock?

3You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat ones, but you do not feed the sheep.

3You eat the fat, wear the wool, and butcher the fattened animals, but you do not tend the flock.

4The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the injured you have not bound up, the strayed you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought, and with force and harshness you have ruled them.

4You have not strengthened the weak, healed the sick, bandaged the injured, brought back the strays, or sought the lost. Instead, you have ruled them with violence and cruelty.

5So they were scattered, because there was no shepherd, and they became food for all the wild beasts. My sheep were scattered;

5They were scattered for lack of a shepherd; they became food for all the wild animals when they were scattered.

6they wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. My sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth, with none to search or seek for them.

6My flock went astray on all the mountains and every high hill. My flock was scattered over the whole face of the earth, and there was no one searching or seeking for them.

7“Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD:

7"'Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD.

8As I live, declares the Lord GOD, surely because my sheep have become a prey, and my sheep have become food for all the wild beasts, since there was no shepherd, and because my shepherds have not searched for my sheep, but the shepherds have fed themselves, and have not fed my sheep,

8As I live?--this is the declaration of the Lord GOD--because my flock, lacking a shepherd, has become prey and food for every wild animal, and because my shepherds do not search for my flock, and because the shepherds feed themselves rather than my flock,

9therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD:

9therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD!

10Thus says the Lord GOD, Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require my sheep at their hand and put a stop to their feeding the sheep. No longer shall the shepherds feed themselves. I will rescue my sheep from their mouths, that they may not be food for them.

10"'This is what the Lord GOD says: Look, I am against the shepherds. I will demand my flock from them and prevent them from shepherding the flock. The shepherds will no longer feed themselves, for I will rescue my flock from their mouths so that they will not be food for them.

11“For thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out.

11"'For this is what the Lord GOD says: See, I myself will search for my flock and look for them.

12As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness.

12As a shepherd looks for his sheep on the day he is among his scattered flock, so I will look for my flock. I will rescue them from all the places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and total darkness.

13And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land. And I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the ravines, and in all the inhabited places of the country.

13I will bring them out from the peoples, gather them from the countries, and bring them to their own soil. I will shepherd them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines, and in all the inhabited places of the land.

14I will feed them with good pasture, and on the mountain heights of Israel shall be their grazing land. There they shall lie down in good grazing land, and on rich pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel.

14I will tend them in good pasture, and their grazing place will be on Israel's lofty mountains. There they will lie down in a good grazing place; they will feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel.

15I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord GOD.

15I will tend my flock and let them lie down. This is the declaration of the Lord GOD.

16I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice.

16I will seek the lost, bring back the strays, bandage the injured, and strengthen the weak, but I will destroy the fat and the strong. I will shepherd them with justice.

17“As for you, my flock, thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and male goats.

17"'As for you, my flock, the Lord GOD says this: Look, I am going to judge between one sheep and another, between the rams and goats.

18Is it not enough for you to feed on the good pasture, that you must tread down with your feet the rest of your pasture; and to drink of clear water, that you must muddy the rest of the water with your feet?

18Isn't it enough for you to feed on the good pasture? Must you also trample the rest of the pasture with your feet? Or isn't it enough that you drink the clear water? Must you also muddy the rest with your feet?

19And must my sheep eat what you have trodden with your feet, and drink what you have muddied with your feet?

19Yet my flock has to feed on what your feet have trampled, and drink what your feet have muddied.

20“Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD to them: Behold, I, I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep.

20"'Therefore, this is what the Lord GOD says to them: See, I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep.

21Because you push with side and shoulder, and thrust at all the weak with your horns, till you have scattered them abroad,

21Since you have pushed with flank and shoulder and butted all the weak ones with your horns until you scattered them all over,

22I will rescue my flock; they shall no longer be a prey. And I will judge between sheep and sheep.

22I will save my flock. They will no longer be prey, and I will judge between one sheep and another.

23And I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd.

23I will establish over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will shepherd them. He will tend them himself and will be their shepherd.

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

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

25“I will make with them a covenant of peace and banish wild beasts from the land, so that they may dwell securely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods.

25"'I will make a covenant of peace with them and eliminate dangerous creatures from the land, so that they may live securely in the wilderness and sleep in the forest.

26And I will make them and the places all around my hill a blessing, and I will send down the showers in their season; they shall be showers of blessing.

26I will make them and the area around my hill a blessing: I will send down showers in their season; they will 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 secure in their land. And they shall know that I am the LORD, when I break the bars of their yoke, and deliver them from the hand of those who enslaved them.

27The trees of the field will yield their fruit, and the land will yield its produce; my flock will be secure in their land. They will know that I am the LORD when I break the bars of their yoke and rescue them from the power of those who enslave them.

28They shall no more be a prey to the nations, nor shall the beasts of the land devour them. They shall dwell securely, and none shall make them afraid.

28They will no longer be prey for the nations, and the wild creatures of the earth will not consume them. They will live securely, and no one will frighten them.

29And I will provide for them renowned plantations so that they shall no more be consumed with hunger in the land, and no longer suffer the reproach of the nations.

29I will establish for them a place renowned for its agriculture, and they will no longer be victims of famine in the land. They will no longer endure the insults of the nations.

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

30Then they will know that I, the LORD their God, am with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are my people. This is the declaration of the Lord GOD.

31And you are my sheep, human sheep of my pasture, and I am your God, declares the Lord GOD.”

31You are my flock, the human flock of my pasture, and I am your God. This is the declaration of the Lord GOD.'"

ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved.

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.