¹ وكان اليّ كلام الرب قائلا

² يا ابن آدم تنبأ على رعاة اسرائيل تنبأ وقل لهم. هكذا قال السيد الرب للرعاة. ويل لرعاة اسرائيل الذين كانوا يرعون انفسهم. ألا يرعى الرعاة الغنم.

³ تاكلون الشحم وتلبسون الصوف وتذبحون السمين ولا ترعون الغنم.

⁴ المريض لم تقووه والمجروح لم تعصبوه والمكسور لم تجبروه والمطرود لم تستردوه والضال لم تطلبوه بل بشدة وبعنف تسلطتم عليهم.

⁵ فتشتّتت بلا راعي وصارت مأكلا لجميع وحوش الحقل وتشتّتت.

⁶ ضلّت غنمي في كل الجبال وعلى كل تل عال. وعلى كل وجه الارض تشتّتت غنمي ولم يكن من يسأل او يفتش

⁷ فلذلك ايها الرعاة اسمعوا كلام الرب.

⁸ حيّ انا يقول السيد الرب من حيث ان غنمي صارت غنيمة وصارت غنمي مأكلا لكل وحش الحقل اذ لم يكن راع ولا سأل رعاتي عن غنمي ورعى الرعاة انفسهم ولم يرعوا غنمي

⁹ فلذلك ايها الرعاة اسمعوا كلام الرب.

¹⁰ هكذا قال السيد الرب هانذا على الرعاة واطلب غنمي من يدهم واكفهم عن رعي الغنم ولا يرعى الرعاة انفسهم بعد فاخلص غنمي من افواههم فلا تكون لهم مأكلا.

¹¹ لانه هكذا قال السيد الرب. هانذا اسأل عن غنمي وافتقدها.

¹² كما يفتقد الراعي قطيعه يوم يكون في وسط غنمه المشتّتة هكذا افتقد غنمي واخلصها من جميع الاماكن التي تشتّتت اليها في يوم الغيم والضباب.

¹³ واخرجها من الشعوب واجمعها من الاراضي وآتي بها الى ارضها وارعاها على جبال اسرائيل وفي الاودية وفي جميع مساكن الارض.

¹⁴ ارعاها في مرعى جيد ويكون مراحها على جبال اسرائيل العالية هنالك تربض في مراح حسن وفي مرعى دسم يرعون على جبال اسرائيل.

¹⁵ انا ارعى غنمي واربضها يقول السيد الرب.

¹⁶ واطلب الضال واسترد المطرود واجبر الكسير واعصب الجريح وابيد السمين والقوي وارعاها بعدل.

¹⁷ وانتم يا غنمي فهكذا قال السيد الرب. هانذا احكم بين شاة وشاة. بين كباش وتيوس.

¹⁸ أهو صغير عندكم ان ترعوا المرعى الجيد وبقية مراعيكم تدوسونها بارجلكم وان تشربوا من المياه العميقة والبقية تكدرونها باقدامكم.

¹⁹ وغنمي ترعى من دوس اقدامكم وتشرب من كدر ارجلكم

²⁰ لذلك هكذا قال السيد الرب لهم. هانذا احكم بين الشاة السمينة والشاة المهزولة.

²¹ لانكم بهزتم بالجنب والكتف ونطحتم المريضة بقرونكم حتى شتّتموها الى خارج

²² فاخلّص غنمي فلا تكون من بعد غنيمة واحكم بين شاة وشاة.

²³ واقيم عليها راعيا واحدا فيرعاها عبدي داود هو يرعاها وهو يكون لها راعيا.

²⁴ وانا الرب اكون لهم الها وعبدي داود رئيسا في وسطهم. انا الرب تكلمت.

²⁵ واقطع معهم عهد سلام وانزع الوحوش الرديئة من الارض فيسكنون في البرية مطمئنين وينامون في الوعور.

²⁶ واجعلهم وما حول اكمتي بركة وانزل عليهم المطر في وقته فتكون امطار بركة.

²⁷ وتعطي شجرة الحقل ثمرتها وتعطي الارض غلتها ويكونون آمنين في ارضهم ويعلمون اني انا الرب عند تكسيري ربط نيرهم واذا انقذتهم من يد الذين استعبدوهم.

²⁸ فلا يكونون بعد غنيمة للامم ولا ياكلهم وحش الارض بل يسكنون آمنين ولا مخيف.

²⁹ واقيم لهم غرسا لصيت فلا يكونون بعد منفيي الجوع في الارض ولا يحملون بعد تعيير الامم.

³⁰ فيعلمون اني انا الرب الههم معهم وهم شعبي بيت اسرائيل يقول السيد الرب.

³¹ وانتم يا غنمي غنم مرعاي اناس انتم. انا الهكم يقول السيد الرب

¹ Then Jacob went on his journey, and came to the land of the children of the east.

² He looked, and behold, a well in the field, and, behold, three flocks of sheep lying there by it. For out of that well they watered the flocks. The stone on the well's mouth was large.

³ There all the flocks were gathered. They rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the sheep, and put the stone again on the well's mouth in its place.

⁴ Jacob said to them, "My relatives, where are you from?" They said, "We are from Haran."

⁵ He said to them, "Do you know Laban, the son of Nahor?" They said, "We know him."

⁶ He said to them, "Is it well with him?" They said, "It is well. See, Rachel, his daughter, is coming with the sheep."

⁷ He said, "Behold, it is still the middle of the day, not time to gather the livestock together. Water the sheep, and go and feed them."

⁸ They said, "We can't, until all the flocks are gathered together, and they roll the stone from the well's mouth. Then we water the sheep."

⁹ While he was yet speaking with them, Rachel came with her father's sheep, for she kept them.

¹⁰ It happened, when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban, his mother's brother, and the sheep of Laban, his mother's brother, that Jacob went near, and rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the flock of Laban his mother's brother.

¹¹ Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice, and wept.

¹² Jacob told Rachel that he was her father's brother, and that he was Rebekah's son. She ran and told her father.

¹³ It happened, when Laban heard the news of Jacob, his sister's son, that he ran to meet Jacob, and embraced him, and kissed him, and brought him to his house. Jacob told Laban all these things.

¹⁴ Laban said to him, "Surely you are my bone and my flesh." He lived with him for a month.

¹⁵ Laban said to Jacob, "Because you are my brother, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what will your wages be?"

¹⁶ Laban had two daughters. The name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel.

¹⁷ Leah's eyes were weak, but Rachel was beautiful in form and attractive.

¹⁸ Jacob loved Rachel. He said, "I will serve you seven years for Rachel, your younger daughter."

¹⁹ Laban said, "It is better that I give her to you, than that I should give her to another man. Stay with me."

²⁰ Jacob served seven years for Rachel. They seemed to him but a few days, for the love he had for her.

²¹ Jacob said to Laban, "Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in to her."

²² Laban gathered together all the men of the place, and made a feast.

²³ It happened in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter, and brought her to him. He went in to her.

²⁴ Laban gave Zilpah his handmaid to his daughter Leah for a handmaid.

²⁵ It happened in the morning that, behold, it was Leah. He said to Laban, "What is this you have done to me? Didn't I serve with you for Rachel? Why then have you deceived me?"

²⁶ Laban said, "It is not done so in our place, to give the younger before the firstborn.

²⁷ Fulfill the week of this one, and we will give you the other also for the service which you will serve with me yet seven other years."

²⁸ Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week. He gave him Rachel his daughter as wife.

²⁹ Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah, his handmaid, to be her handmaid.

³⁰ He went in also to Rachel, and he loved also Rachel more than Leah, and served with him yet seven other years.

³¹ Yahweh saw that Leah was hated, and he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren.

³² Leah conceived, and bore a son, and she named him Reuben. For she said, "Because Yahweh has looked at my affliction. For now my husband will love me."

³³ She conceived again, and bore a son, and said, "Because Yahweh has heard that I am hated, he has therefore given me this son also." She named him Simeon.

³⁴ She conceived again, and bore a son. Said, "Now this time will my husband be joined to me, because I have borne him three sons." Therefore was his name called Levi.

³⁵ She conceived again, and bore a son. She said, "This time will I praise Yahweh." Therefore she named him Judah. Then she stopped bearing.