¹ Och HERRENS ord kom till mig; han sade:

² Du människobarn, profetera mot Israels herdar, profetera och säg till dem, till herdarna: Så säger Herren, HERREN: Ve eder, I Israels herdar, som haven sörjt allenast för eder själva! Var det då icke för hjorden som herdarna borde sörja?

³ I stället åten I upp det feta, med ullen klädden I eder, det gödda slaktaden I; men om hjorden vårdaden I eder icke.

⁴ De svaga stärkten I icke, det sjuka heladen I icke, det sargade förbunden I icke, det fördrivna förden I icke tillbaka, det förlorade uppsökten I icke, utan med förtryck och hårdhet fören I fram mot dem.

⁵ Så blevo de förskingrade, därför att de icke hade någon herde, de blevo till mat åt alla markens djur, ja, de blevo förskingrade.

⁶ Mina får gå nu vilse på alla berg och alla höga kullar; över hela jorden äro mina får förskingrade, utan att någon frågar efter dem eller uppsöker dem.

⁷ Hören därför HERRENS ord, I herdar:

⁸ Så sant jag lever, säger Herren, HERREN, sannerligen, eftersom mina får hava lämnats till rov, ja, eftersom mina får hava blivit till mat åt alla markens djur, då de nu icke hava någon herde, och eftersom mina herdar icke fråga efter mina får ja, eftersom herdarna sörja för sig själva och icke sörja för mina får,

⁹ därför, I herdar: Hören HERRENS ord:

¹⁰ Så säger Herren, HERREN: Se, jag skall komma över herdarna och utkräva mina får ur deras hand och göra slut på deras herdetjänst; och herdarna skola då icke mer kunna sörja för sig själva, ty jag skall rädda mina får ur deras gap, så att de icke bliva till mat åt dem.

¹¹ Ty så säger Herren, HERREN: Se, jag skall själv taga mig an mina får och leta dem tillsammans.

¹² Likasom en herde letar tillsammans sin hjord, när hans får äro förströdda omkring honom, så skall ock jag leta tillsammans mina får och rädda dem från alla de orter till vilka de förskingrades på en dag av moln och töcken.

¹³ Och jag skall föra dem ut ifrån folken och församla dem ur länderna, och skall låta dem komma till sitt eget land och föra dem i bet på Israels berg, vid bäckarna och var man eljest kan bo i landet.

¹⁴ På goda betesplatser skall jag föra dem i bet, på Israels höga berg skola de få sina betesmarker; där skola de lägra sig på goda betesmarker, och fett bete skola de hava på Israels berg.

¹⁵ Jag skall själv föra mina får i bet och själv utse lägerplatser åt dem, säger Herren, HERREN.

¹⁶ Det förlorade skall jag uppsöka, det fördrivna skall jag föra tillbaka, det sargade skall jag förbinda, och det svaga skall jag stärka. Men det feta och det starka skall jag förgöra; ja, jag skall sköta det såsom rätt är.

¹⁷ Men I, mina får, så säger Herren, HERREN: Se, jag vill döma mellan får och får, mellan vädurar och bockar.

¹⁸ Är det eder icke nog att I fån beta på den bästa betesplatsen, eftersom I med edra fötter trampen ned vad som är kvar på eder betesplats? Och är det eder icke nog att I fån dricka det klaraste vattnet, eftersom I med edra fötter grumlen vad som har lämnats kvar?

¹⁹ Skola mina får beta av det som edra fötter hava trampat ned, och dricka vad edra fötter hava grumlat?

²⁰ Nej; därför säger Herren, HERREN så till dem: Se, jag skall själv döma mellan de feta fåren och de magra fåren.

²¹ Eftersom I med sida och bog stöten undan alla de svaga och med edra horn stången dem, till dess att I haven drivit dem ut och förskingrat dem,

²² därför skall jag frälsa mina får, så att de icke mer bliva till rov, och skall döma mellan får och får.

²³ Och jag skall låta en herde uppstå, gemensam för dem alla, och han skall föra dem i bet, nämligen min tjänare David; ja, han skall föra dem i bet, han skall vara deras herde.

²⁴ Jag, HERREN, skall vara deras Gud, men min tjänare David skall vara hövding bland dem. Jag, HERREN, har talat.

²⁵ Och jag skall med dem sluta ett fridsförbund; jag skall göra ände på vilddjuren i landet, så att man i trygghet kan bo mitt i öknen och sova i skogarna.

²⁶ Och jag skall låta dem själva och landet runt omkring min höjd bliva till välsignelse. Jag skall låta regn falla i rätt tid; regnskurar till välsignelse skall det bliva.

²⁷ Träden på marken skola bära sin frukt, och jorden skall giva sin gröda, och själva skola de bo i sitt land i trygghet; och de skola förnimma att jag är HERREN, när jag bryter sönder deras ok och räddar dem från de människors hand, som hava hållit dem i träldom.

²⁸ De skola sedan icke mer bliva ett byte för folken, och markens djur skola ej äta upp dem, utan de skola bo i trygghet, och ingen skall förskräcka dem.

²⁹ Och jag skall åt dem låta en plantering växa upp, som skall bliva dem till berömmelse; och de som bo i landet skola icke mer ryckas bort av hunger, ej heller skola de mer lida smälek av folken.

³⁰ Och de skola förnimma att jag, HERREN, deras Gud, är med dem, och att de, Israels hus, äro mitt folk, säger HERREN, HERREN.

³¹ Ja, I ären mina får, I ären får i min hjord, människor som I ären, och jag är eder Gud, säger Herren, HERREN.

¹ In the five and twentieth year of our captivity, in the beginning of the year, in the tenth [day] of the month, in the fourteenth year after that the city was struck, in the same day, the hand of Yahweh was on me, and he brought me there.

² In the visions of God brought he me into the land of Israel, and set me down on a very high mountain, whereon was as it were the frame of a city on the south.

³ He brought me there; and, behold, there was a man, whose appearance was like the appearance of brass, with a line of flax in his hand, and a measuring reed; and he stood in the gate.

⁴ The man said to me, Son of man, see with your eyes, and hear with your ears, and set your heart on all that I shall show you; for, to the intent that I may show them to you, you are brought here: declare all that you see to the house of Israel.

⁵ Behold, a wall on the outside of the house all around, and in the man's hand a measuring reed six cubits long, of a cubit and a handbreadth each: so he measured the thickness of the building, one reed; and the height, one reed.

⁶ Then came he to the gate which looks toward the east, and went up its steps: and he measured the threshold of the gate, one reed broad; and the other threshold, one reed broad.

⁷ Every lodge was one reed long, and one reed broad; and [the space] between the lodges was five cubits; and the threshold of the gate by the porch of the gate toward the house was one reed.

⁸ He measured also the porch of the gate toward the house, one reed.

⁹ Then measured he the porch of the gate, eight cubits; and its posts, two cubits; and the porch of the gate was toward the house.

¹⁰ The lodges of the gate eastward were three on this side, and three on that side; they three were of one measure: and the posts had one measure on this side and on that side.

¹¹ He measured the breadth of the opening of the gate, ten cubits; and the length of the gate, thirteen cubits;

¹² and a border before the lodges, one cubit [on this side], and a border, one cubit on that side; and the lodges, six cubits on this side, and six cubits on that side.

¹³ He measured the gate from the roof of the one lodge to the roof of the other, a breadth of twenty-five cubits; door against door.

¹⁴ He made also posts, sixty cubits; and the court [reached] to the posts, around the gate.

¹⁵ [From] the forefront of the gate at the entrance to the forefront of the inner porch of the gate were fifty cubits.

¹⁶ There were closed windows to the lodges, and to their posts within the gate all around, and likewise to the arches; and windows were around inward; and on [each] post were palm trees.

¹⁷ Then brought he me into the outer court; and behold, there were rooms and a pavement, made for the court all around: thirty rooms were on the pavement.

¹⁸ The pavement was by the side of the gates, answerable to the length of the gates, even the lower pavement.

¹⁹ Then he measured the breadth from the forefront of the lower gate to the forefront of the inner court outside, one hundred cubits, [both] on the east and on the north.

²⁰ The gate of the outer court whose prospect is toward the north, he measured its length and its breadth.

²¹ The lodges of it were three on this side and three on that side; and its posts and its arches were after the measure of the first gate: its length was fifty cubits, and the breadth twenty-five cubits.

²² The windows of it, and its arches, and the palm trees of it, were after the measure of the gate whose prospect is toward the east; and they went up to it by seven steps; and its arches were before them.

²³ There was a gate to the inner court over against the [other] gate, [both] on the north and on the east; and he measured from gate to gate one hundred cubits.

²⁴ He led me toward the south; and behold, a gate toward the south: and he measured its posts and its arches according to these measures.

²⁵ There were windows in it and in its arches all around, like those windows: the length was fifty cubits, and the breadth twenty-five cubits.

²⁶ There were seven steps to go up to it, and its arches were before them; and it had palm trees, one on this side, and another on that side, on its posts.

²⁷ There was a gate to the inner court toward the south: and he measured from gate to gate toward the south a hundred cubits.

²⁸ Then he brought me to the inner court by the south gate: and he measured the south gate according to these measures;

²⁹ and its lodges, and its posts, and its arches, according to these measures: and there were windows in it and in its arches all around; it was fifty cubits long, and twenty-five cubits broad.

³⁰ There were arches all around, twenty-five cubits long, and five cubits broad.

³¹ The arches of it were toward the outer court; and palm trees were on its posts: and the ascent to it had eight steps.

³² He brought me into the inner court toward the east: and he measured the gate according to these measures;

³³ and its lodges, and its posts, and its arches, according to these measures: and there were windows therein and in its arches all around; it was fifty cubits long, and twenty-five cubits broad.

³⁴ The arches of it were toward the outer court; and palm trees were on its posts, on this side, and on that side: and the ascent to it had eight steps.

³⁵ He brought me to the north gate: and he measured [it] according to these measures;

³⁶ its lodges, its posts, and its arches: and there were windows therein all around; the length was fifty cubits, and the breadth twenty-five cubits.

³⁷ The posts of it were toward the outer court; and palm trees were on its posts, on this side, and on that side: and the ascent to it had eight steps.

³⁸ A room with its door was by the posts at the gates; there they washed the burnt offering.

³⁹ In the porch of the gate were two tables on this side, and two tables on that side, to kill thereon the burnt offering and the sin offering and the trespass offering.

⁴⁰ On the [one] side outside, as one goes up to the entry of the gate toward the north, were two tables; and on the other side, which belonged to the porch of the gate, were two tables.

⁴¹ Four tables were on this side, and Four tables on that side, by the side of the gate; eight tables, whereupon they killed [the sacrifices].

⁴² There were four tables for the burnt offering, of cut stone, a cubit and a half long, and a cubit and a half broad, and one cubit high; whereupon they laid the instruments with which they killed the burnt offering and the sacrifice.

⁴³ The hooks, a handbreadth long, were fastened within all around: and on the tables was the flesh of the offering.

⁴⁴ Outside of the inner gate were rooms for the singers in the inner court, which was at the side of the north gate; and their prospect was toward the south; one at the side of the east gate having the prospect toward the north.

⁴⁵ He said to me, This room, whose prospect is toward the south, is for the priests, the keepers of the duty of the house;

⁴⁶ and the room whose prospect is toward the north is for the priests, the keepers of the duty of the altar: these are the sons of Zadok, who from among the sons of Levi come near to Yahweh to minister to him.

⁴⁷ He measured the court, one hundred cubits long, and a hundred cubits broad, foursquare; and the altar was before the house.

⁴⁸ Then he brought me to the porch of the house, and measured each post of the porch, five cubits on this side, and five cubits on that side: and the breadth of the gate was three cubits on this side, and three cubits on that side.

⁴⁹ The length of the porch was twenty cubits, and the breadth eleven cubits; even by the steps by which they went up to it: and there were pillars by the posts, one on this side, and another on that side.