Zechariah 11:4
New International Version
This is what the LORD my God says: “Shepherd the flock marked for slaughter.

New Living Translation
This is what the LORD my God says: “Go and care for the flock that is intended for slaughter.

English Standard Version
Thus said the LORD my God: “Become shepherd of the flock doomed to slaughter.

Berean Standard Bible
This is what the LORD my God says: “Pasture the flock marked for slaughter,

King James Bible
Thus saith the LORD my God; Feed the flock of the slaughter;

New King James Version
Thus says the LORD my God, “Feed the flock for slaughter,

New American Standard Bible
This is what the LORD my God says: “Pasture the flock doomed to slaughter.

NASB 1995
Thus says the LORD my God, “Pasture the flock doomed to slaughter.

NASB 1977
Thus says the LORD my God, “Pasture the flock doomed to slaughter.

Legacy Standard Bible
Thus says Yahweh my God, “Shepherd the flock doomed to slaughter.

Amplified Bible
Thus says the LORD my God, “Pasture the flock doomed for slaughter,

Christian Standard Bible
The LORD my God says this: “Shepherd the flock intended for slaughter.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Yahweh my God says this: “Shepherd the flock intended for slaughter.

American Standard Version
Thus said Jehovah my God: Feed the flock of slaughter;

Contemporary English Version
The LORD my God said to me: Tend those sheep doomed for slaughter!

English Revised Version
Thus said the LORD my God: Feed the flock of slaughter;

GOD'S WORD® Translation
This is what the LORD my God says: Take care of the sheep that are about to be slaughtered.

Good News Translation
The LORD my God said to me, "Act the part of the shepherd of a flock of sheep that are going to be butchered.

International Standard Version
This is what the LORD my God says: "Shepherd the flock marked for slaughter.

Majority Standard Bible
This is what the LORD my God says: “Pasture the flock marked for slaughter,

NET Bible
The LORD my God says this: "Shepherd the flock set aside for slaughter.

New Heart English Bible
Thus says the LORD my God: "Feed the flock of slaughter.

Webster's Bible Translation
Thus saith the LORD my God; Feed the flock of the slaughter;

World English Bible
Yahweh my God says: “Feed the flock of slaughter.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Thus said my God YHWH: “Feed the flock of the slaughter,

Young's Literal Translation
Thus said Jehovah my God: 'Feed the flock of the slaughter,

Smith's Literal Translation
Thus said Jehovah my God: Feed the flock of slaughter;
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Thus saith the Lord my God: Feed the flock of the slaughter,

Catholic Public Domain Version
Thus says the Lord my God: Feed the flock of the slaughter,

New American Bible
Thus says the LORD, my God: Shepherd the flock to be slaughtered.

New Revised Standard Version
Thus said the LORD my God: Be a shepherd of the flock doomed to slaughter.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Thus says the LORD my God: Feed the lean flock

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Thus says LORD JEHOVAH my God: ”Feed the thin sheep
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Thus said the LORD my God: 'Feed the flock of slaughter;

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Thus saith the Lord Almighty, Feed the sheep of the slaughter;

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Doomed Flock
3Listen to the wailing of the shepherds, for their glory is in ruins. Listen to the roaring of the young lions, for the thickets of the Jordan are destroyed. 4This is what the LORD my God says: “Pasture the flock marked for slaughter, 5whose buyers slaughter them without remorse. Those who sell them say, ‘Blessed be the LORD, for I am rich!’ Even their own shepherds have no compassion on them.…

Cross References
Ezekiel 34:2-10
“Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Woe to the shepherds of Israel, who only feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed their flock? / You eat the fat, wear the wool, and butcher the fattened sheep, but you do not feed the flock. / You have not strengthened the weak, healed the sick, bound up the injured, brought back the strays, or searched for the lost. Instead, you have ruled them with violence and cruelty. ...

Jeremiah 23:1-4
“Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture!” declares the LORD. / Therefore this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says about the shepherds who tend My people: “You have scattered My flock and driven them away, and have not attended to them. Behold, I will attend to you for the evil of your deeds, declares the LORD. / Then I Myself will gather the remnant of My flock from all the lands to which I have banished them, and I will return them to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and multiply. ...

John 10:11-15
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. / The hired hand is not the shepherd, and the sheep are not his own. When he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf pounces on them and scatters the flock. / The man runs away because he is a hired servant and is unconcerned for the sheep. ...

Matthew 9:36
When He saw the crowds, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

Isaiah 56:11-12
Like ravenous dogs, they are never satisfied. They are shepherds with no discernment; they all turn to their own way, each one seeking his own gain: / “Come, let me get the wine, let us imbibe the strong drink, and tomorrow will be like today, only far better!”

Jeremiah 25:34-38
Wail, you shepherds, and cry out; roll in the dust, you leaders of the flock. For the days of your slaughter have come; you will fall and be shattered like fine pottery. / Flight will evade the shepherds, and escape will elude the leaders of the flock. / Hear the cry of the shepherds, the wailing of the leaders of the flock, for the LORD is destroying their pasture. ...

Matthew 26:31
Then Jesus said to them, “This very night you will all fall away on account of Me. For it is written: ‘I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’

John 10:1-2
“Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever does not enter the sheepfold by the gate, but climbs in some other way, is a thief and a robber. / But the one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.

Ezekiel 37:24
My servant David will be king over them, and there will be one shepherd for all of them. They will follow My ordinances and keep and observe My statutes.

Jeremiah 50:6-7
My people are lost sheep; their shepherds have led them astray, causing them to roam the mountains. They have wandered from mountain to hill; they have forgotten their resting place. / All who found them devoured them, and their enemies said, ‘We are not guilty, for they have sinned against the LORD, their true pasture, the LORD, the hope of their fathers.’

Luke 15:4-7
“What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the pasture and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? / And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders, / comes home, and calls together his friends and neighbors to tell them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my lost sheep!’ ...

Isaiah 40:11
He tends His flock like a shepherd; He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart. He gently leads the nursing ewes.

1 Peter 5:2-4
Be shepherds of God’s flock that is among you, watching over them not out of compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not out of greed, but out of eagerness; / not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. / And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.

Jeremiah 3:15
Then I will give you shepherds after My own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding.”

Hebrews 13:20
Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep,


Treasury of Scripture

Thus said the LORD my God; Feed the flock of the slaughter;

Lord.

Zechariah 14:5
And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.

Isaiah 49:4,5
Then I said, I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for nought, and in vain: yet surely my judgment is with the LORD, and my work with my God…

John 20:17
Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.

Feed.

Zechariah 11:7
And I will feed the flock of slaughter, even you, O poor of the flock. And I took unto me two staves; the one I called Beauty, and the other I called Bands; and I fed the flock.

Isaiah 40:9-11
O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God! …

Ezekiel 34:23,24
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…

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Zechariah 11
1. The destruction of Jerusalem.
3. The elect being cared for, the rest are rejected.
10. The staves of Beauty and Bands broken by the rejection of Christ.
15. The type and curse of a foolish shepherd.














This is what the LORD my God says
The phrase underscores the divine authority and origin of the message. The Hebrew term for "LORD" is "Yahweh," the covenant name of God, emphasizing His eternal and unchanging nature. "My God" personalizes the relationship between Zechariah and the divine, highlighting the prophet's role as a mediator of God's word. This introduction sets the tone for a message of significant importance, reminding the audience of the divine source and the weight of the prophecy.

Pasture the flock
The Hebrew word for "pasture" is "ra'ah," which means to tend, shepherd, or care for. This term is rich with pastoral imagery, evoking the role of a shepherd who provides for, protects, and guides the sheep. In a biblical context, shepherding is often used metaphorically to describe the leadership and care God expects from those He appoints over His people. The call to "pasture" implies a responsibility to nurture and lead with diligence and compassion.

marked for slaughter
The phrase "marked for slaughter" is a sobering depiction of the fate awaiting the flock. The Hebrew word "harag" means to kill or destroy, indicating a predetermined outcome of death or destruction. Historically, this reflects the dire situation of the people of Israel, who were facing judgment due to their disobedience and rejection of God's covenant. The imagery of a flock destined for slaughter serves as a poignant reminder of the consequences of straying from God's path and the urgent need for repentance and divine intervention.

Verses 4-14. - § 9. The punishment falls upon the people of Israel because they reject the good Shepherd, personified by the prophet, who rules the flock and chastises evildoers in vain, and at last flings up his office in indignation at their contumacy. Verse 4. - Thus saith the Lord. The person addressed is Zechariah himself, who in a vision is commanded to assume the office of the good Shepherd (see ver. 15), and to tend the chosen people, the sheep of the Lord's pasture. God herein designs to show his care for his people from the earliest times amid the various trials which have beset them both from external enemies and from unworthy rulers at home. The flock of the slaughter; rather, the flock of slaughter - destined for, exposed to, destruction at the hands of their present shepherds (Psalm 44:22; Jeremiah 12:3; Romans 8:36).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
This is what
כֹּ֥ה (kōh)
Adverb
Strong's 3541: Like this, thus, here, now

the LORD
יְהוָ֣ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

my God
אֱלֹהָ֑י (’ĕ·lō·hāy)
Noun - masculine plural construct | first person common singular
Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative

says:
אָמַ֖ר (’ā·mar)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

“Pasture
רְעֵ֖ה (rə·‘êh)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 7462: To tend a, flock, pasture it, in, to graze, to rule, to associate with

the flock
צֹ֥אן (ṣōn)
Noun - common singular construct
Strong's 6629: Small cattle, sheep and goats, flock

[marked] for slaughter,
הַהֲרֵגָֽה׃ (ha·hă·rê·ḡāh)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 2028: A slaughter


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OT Prophets: Zechariah 11:4 Thus says Yahweh my God: Feed (Zech. Zec Zc)
Zechariah 11:3
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