A Prophecy against Israel’s Shepherds 1 DRA And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: BSB BSB: Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
2 DRA Son of man, prophesy concerning the shepherds of Israel: prophesy, and say to the shepherds: Thus saith the Lord God: Woe to the shepherds of Israel, that fed themselves: should not the hocks be fed by the shepherds? BSB BSB: “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?
3 DRA You ate the milk, and you clothed yourselves with the wool, and you killed that which was fat: but my flock you did not feed. BSB BSB: You eat the fat, wear the wool, and butcher the fattened sheep, but you do not feed the flock.
4 DRA The weak you have not strengthened, and that which was sick you have not healed, that which was broken you have not bound up, and that which was driven away you have not brought again, neither have you sought that which was lost: but you ruled over them with rigour, and with a high hand. BSB BSB: 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.
5 DRA And my sheep were scattered, because there was no shepherd: and they became the prey of all the beasts of the field, and were scattered. BSB BSB: They were scattered for lack of a shepherd, and when they were scattered they became food for all the wild beasts.
6 DRA My sheep have wandered in every mountain, and in every high hill: and my flocks mere scattered upon the face of the earth, and there was none that sought them, there was none, I say, that sought them. BSB BSB: My flock went astray on all the mountains and every high hill. They were scattered over the face of all the earth, with no one to search for them or seek them out.’
7 DRA Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: BSB BSB: Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD:
8 DRA As I live, saith the Lord God, forasmuch as my flocks have been made a spoil, and my sheep are become a prey to all the beasts of the field, because there was no shepherd: for my shepherds did not seek after my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my flocks: BSB BSB: ‘As surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, because My flock lacks a shepherd and has become prey and food for every wild beast, and because My shepherds did not search for My flock but fed themselves instead,
9 DRA Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: BSB BSB: therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD!’
10 DRA Thus saith the Lord God: Behold I myself come upon the shepherds, I will require my hock at their hand, and I will cause them to cease from feeding the flock any more, neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more: and I will deliver my flock from their mouth, and it shall no more be meat for them. BSB BSB: This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will demand from them My flock and remove them from tending the flock, so that they can no longer feed themselves. For I will deliver My flock from their mouths, and it will no longer be food for them.’
The Good Shepherd (Psalm 23:1–6; John 10:1–21)
11 DRA For thus saith the Lord God: Behold I myself will seek my sheep, and will visit them. BSB BSB: For this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Behold, I Myself will search for My flock and seek them out.
12 DRA As the shepherd visiteth his hock in the day when he shall be in the midst of his sheep that were scattered, so will I visit my sheep, and will deliver them out of all the places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. BSB BSB: As a shepherd looks for his scattered sheep when he is among the flock, so I will look for My flock. I will rescue them from all the places to which they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness.
13 DRA And I will bring them out from the peoples, and will gather them out of the countries, and will bring them to their own land: and I will feed them in the mountains of Israel, by the rivers, and in all the habitations of the land. BSB BSB: I will bring them out from the peoples, gather them from the countries, and bring them into their own land. I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines, and in all the settlements of the land.
14 DRA I will feed them in the most fruitful pastures, and their pastures shall be in the high mountains of Israel: there shall they rest on the green grass, and be fed in fat pastures upon the mountains of Israel. BSB BSB: I will feed them in good pasture, and the lofty mountains of Israel will be their grazing land. There they will lie down in a good grazing land; they will feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel.
15 DRA I will feed my sheep: and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord God. BSB BSB: I will tend My flock and make them lie down, declares the Lord GOD.
16 DRA I will seek that which was lost: and that which was driven away, I will bring again: and I will bind up that which was broken, and I will strengthen that which was weak, and that which was fat and strong I will preserve: and I will feed them in judgment. BSB BSB: I will seek the lost, bring back the strays, bind up the broken, and strengthen the weak; but the sleek and strong I will destroy. I will shepherd them with justice.’
17 DRA And as for you, O my flocks, thus saith the Lord God: Behold I judge between cattle and cattle, of rams and of he goats. BSB BSB: This is what the Lord GOD says to you, My flock: ‘I will judge between one sheep and another, between the rams and the goats.
18 DRA Was it not enough for you to feed upon good pastures? but you must also tread down with your feet the residue of your pastures: and when you drank the dearest water, you troubled the rest with your feet. BSB BSB: Is it not enough for you to feed on the good pasture? Must you also trample the rest of the pasture with your feet? Is it not enough for you to drink the clear waters? Must you also muddy the rest with your feet?
19 DRA And my sheep were fed with that which you had trodden with your feet: and they drank what your feet had troubled. BSB BSB: Why must My flock feed on what your feet have trampled, and drink what your feet have muddied?’
20 DRA Therefore thus saith the Lord God to you: Behold, I myself will judge between the fat cattle and the lean. BSB BSB: Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says to them: ‘Behold, I Myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep.
21 DRA Because you thrusted with sides and shoulders, and struck all the weak cattle with your horns, till they were scattered abroad: BSB BSB: Since you shove with flank and shoulder, butting all the weak ones with your horns until you have scattered them abroad,
22 DRA I will save my dock, and it shall be no more a spoil, and I will judge between cattle and cattle. BSB BSB: I will save My flock, and they will no longer be prey. I will judge between one sheep and another.
23 DRA 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. BSB BSB: I will appoint over them one shepherd, My servant David, and he will feed them. He will feed them and be their shepherd.
24 DRA And I the Lord will be their God: and my servant David the prince in the midst of them: I the Lord have spoken it. BSB BSB: I, the LORD, will be their God, and My servant David will be a prince among them. I, the LORD, have spoken.
The Covenant of Peace 25 DRA And I will make a covenant of peace with them, and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land: and they that dwell in the wilderness shall sleep secure in the forests. BSB BSB: I will make with them a covenant of peace and rid the land of wild animals, so that they may dwell securely in the wilderness and sleep in the forest.
26 DRA And I will make them a blessing round about my hill: and I will send down the rain in its season, there shall be showers of blessing. BSB BSB: I will make them and the places around My hill a blessing. I will send down showers in season—showers of blessing.
27 DRA And the tree of the field shall yield its fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase, and they shall be in their land without fear: and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall have broken the bonds of their yoke, and shall have delivered them out of the hand of those that rule over them. BSB BSB: The trees of the field will give their fruit, and the land will yield its produce; My flock will be secure in their land. Then they will know that I am the LORD, when I have broken the bars of their yoke and delivered them from the hands that enslaved them.
28 DRA And they shall be no more for a spoil to the nations, neither shall the beasts of the earth devour them: but they shall dwell securely without any terror. BSB BSB: They will no longer be prey for the nations, and the beasts of the earth will not consume them. They will dwell securely, and no one will frighten them.
29 DRA And I will raise up for them a bud of renown: and they shall be no more consumed with famine in the land, neither shall they bear any more the reproach of the Gentiles. BSB BSB: And I will raise up for them a garden of renown, and they will no longer be victims of famine in the land or bear the scorn of the nations.
30 DRA And they shall know that I the Lord their God am with them, and that they are my people the house of Israel: saith the Lord God. BSB BSB: Then they will know that I, the LORD their God, am with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are My people,’ declares the Lord GOD.
31 DRA And you my flocks, the flocks of my pasture are men: and I am the Lord your God, saith the Lord God. BSB BSB: ‘You are My flock, the sheep of My pasture, My people, and I am your God,’ declares the Lord GOD.”