1
Open thy doors, O Lebanon, and the fire may devour thy cedars.
2
Howl, O fir tree, for the cedar has fallen, because the magnificent are devastated; Howl, O ye oaks◦ of Bashan, for the forest of Bazar* has come··down.
3
There is a voice of the howling of the shepherds, for their magnificence is devastated; there is a voice of the roaring of young··lions, for the pride of the Jordan is devastated.
4
Thus says Jehovah my God: Pasture the flock of the slaughter◦,
5
whose buyers kill them, and hold· not themselves ·as··guilty; and those who sell them say, Blessed be Jehovah, and I am··rich; and their own shepherds pity them not.
6
For I will not have··pity any··more over those dwelling in the land, says◦ Jehovah; but, behold, I▵ will make man to be found, a man◦ given into the hand of his companion, and into the hand of his king; and they shall beat··down the land, and from their hand I will not rescue them.
7
And I pastured the flock of the slaughter◦ on account of you, O afflicted of the flock. And I took for myself two sticks: the one I called Pleasantness, and the other one I called Cords; and I pastured the flock.
8
And I cut··off▵ the three shepherds in one month◦, and My soul cut· them ·short, and their soul also abhorred▵ Me.
9
And I said, I will not shepherd you. That which dies, let it die, and that which is to be cut··off▵, let it be cut··off▵. And let those who are left eat, a woman the flesh of her companion.
10
And I took My stick, Pleasantness, and hewed· it ·off, to make· My covenant ·of··none··effect, which I had cut with◦ all the peoples.
11
And it was made··of··none··effect in that◦ day; and so the afflicted of the flock that kept··watch··on Me knew that it◦ was the word of Jehovah.
12
And I said to▵ them, If it is good in your eyes, give▵ me my wage; and if not, forbear. And they weighed My wage, thirty pieces of silver.
13
And Jehovah said to▵ me, Cast it to▵ the potter—a magnificent price◦ that I was··priced among them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast it into the house of Jehovah to▵ the potter.
14
And I hewed··off My second stick, Cords, to make··of··none··effect the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.
15
And Jehovah said to▵ me, Take for thyself yet··again the instruments of a stupid shepherd.
16
For, behold, I▵ will raise··up a shepherd in the land; those who are cut··off▵ he will not visit; the lad he will not seek, and the broken he will not heal; he who stands··up he will not sustain, but he shall eat the flesh of the nourished and pull··off◦ their hoofs.
17
Woe to the shepherd of a vain··god◦, forsaking the flock! The sword shall be against his arm, and against his right eye; his arm drying··up shall be··dried··up, and his right eye dimming shall be··dim.
