Zechariah 11 Zechariah 11
The coming King and the day of the Lord
The Doomed Flock 1 DBY Open thy doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may devour thy cedars. BSB BSB: Open your doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may consume your cedars!
2 DBY Howl, cypress, for the cedar is fallen; because the noble ones are spoiled. Howl, ye oaks of Bashan; for the strong forest is come down. BSB BSB: Wail, O cypress, for the cedar has fallen; the majestic trees are ruined! Wail, O oaks of Bashan, for the dense forest has been cut down!
3 DBY A voice of howling of the shepherds; for their glory is spoiled: a voice of roaring of young lions; for the pride of Jordan is spoiled. BSB BSB: Listen 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.
4 DBY Thus saith Jehovah my God: Feed the flock of slaughter, BSB BSB: This is what the LORD my God says: “Pasture the flock marked for slaughter,
5 DBY whose possessors slay them without being held guilty; and they that sell them say, Blessed be Jehovah! for I am become rich; and their own shepherds pity them not. BSB BSB: whose 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.
6 DBY For I will no more pity the inhabitants of the land, saith Jehovah, and behold, I will deliver men, every one into his neighbour's hand, and into the hand of his king; and they shall smite the land, and I will not deliver out of their hand. BSB BSB: For I will no longer have compassion on the people of the land, declares the LORD, but behold, I will cause each man to fall into the hands of his neighbor and his king, who will devastate the land, and I will not deliver it from their hands.”
7 DBY So I fed the flock of slaughter, truly the 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. BSB BSB: So I pastured the flock marked for slaughter, especially the afflicted of the flock. Then I took for myself two staffs, calling one Favor and the other Union, and I pastured the flock.
8 DBY And I destroyed three shepherds in one month; and my soul was vexed with them, and their soul also loathed me. BSB BSB: And in one month I dismissed three shepherds. My soul grew impatient with the flock, and their souls also detested me.
9 DBY And I said, I will not feed you: that which dieth, let it die; and that which perisheth let it perish; and let them which are left eat every one the flesh of another. BSB BSB: Then I said, “I will no longer shepherd you. Let the dying die, and the perishing perish; and let those who remain devour one another’s flesh.”
Thirty Pieces of Silver (Matthew 27:3–10)
10 DBY And I took my staff, Beauty, and cut it asunder, that I might break my covenant which I had made with all the peoples. BSB BSB: Next I took my staff called Favor and cut it in two, revoking the covenant I had made with all the nations.
11 DBY And it was broken in that day; and so the poor of the flock that gave heed to me knew that it was the word of Jehovah. BSB BSB: It was revoked on that day, and so the afflicted of the flock who were watching me knew that it was the word of the LORD.
12 DBY And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my hire; and if not, forbear. And they weighed for my hire thirty silver-pieces. BSB BSB: Then I told them, “If it seems right to you, give me my wages; but if not, keep them.” So they weighed out my wages, thirty pieces of silver.
13 DBY And Jehovah said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prized at by them. And I took the thirty silver-pieces, and cast them to the potter in the house of Jehovah. BSB BSB: And the LORD said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—this magnificent price at which they valued me. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them to the potter in the house of the LORD.
14 DBY And I cut asunder mine other staff, Bands, to break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel. BSB BSB: Then I cut in two my second staff called Union, breaking the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.
15 DBY And Jehovah said unto me, Take unto thee yet the instruments of a foolish shepherd. BSB BSB: And the LORD said to me: “Take up once more the equipment of a foolish shepherd.
16 DBY For behold, I will raise up a shepherd in the land, who shall not visit those that are about to perish, neither shall seek that which is strayed away, nor heal that which is wounded, nor feed that which is sound; but he will eat the flesh of the fat, and tear their hoofs in pieces. BSB BSB: For behold, I will raise up a shepherd in the land who will neither care for the lost, nor seek the young, nor heal the broken, nor sustain the healthy, but he will devour the flesh of the choice sheep and tear off their hooves.
17 DBY Woe to the worthless shepherd that leaveth the flock! The sword shall be upon his arm, and upon his right eye; his arm shall be clean dried up, and his right eye utterly darkened. BSB BSB: Woe to the worthless shepherd, who deserts the flock! May a sword strike his arm and his right eye! May his arm be completely withered and his right eye utterly blinded!”