¹ And there is a word of Jehovah unto me, saying,

² `Son of man, prophesy concerning shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and thou hast said unto them: To the shepherds, thus said the Lord Jehovah: Wo [to] the shepherds of Israel, Who have been feeding themselves! The flock do not the shepherds feed?

³ The fat ye do eat, and the wool ye put on, The fed one ye slaughter, the flock ye feed not.

⁴ The weak ye have not strengthened, And the sick one ye have not healed, And the broken ye have not bound up, And the driven away have not brought back, And the lost ye have not sought, And with might ye have ruled them and with rigour.

⁵ And they are scattered from want of a shepherd, And are for food to every beast of the field, Yea, they are scattered.

⁶ Go astray do My flock on all the mountains, And on every high hill, And on all the face of the land have My flock been scattered, And there is none inquiring, and none seeking.

⁷ Therefore, shepherds, hear a word of Jehovah:

⁸ I live -- an affirmation of the Lord Jehovah, If not, because of My flock being for a prey, Yea, My flock is for food to every beast of the field, Because there is no shepherd, And My shepherds have not sought My flock, And the shepherds do feed themselves, And My flock they have not fed.

⁹ Therefore, O shepherds, hear a word of Jehovah:

¹⁰ Thus said the Lord Jehovah: Lo, I [am] against the shepherds, And have required My flock from their hand, And caused them to cease from feeding the flock, And no more do the shepherds feed themselves, And I have delivered My flock from their mouth, And they are not to them for food.

¹¹ For thus said the Lord Jehovah: Lo, I -- even I, have required My flock, And I have sought it out.

¹² As a shepherd's searching of his drove, In the day of his being in the midst of his scattered flock, so I do seek My flock, And have delivered them out of all places, Whither they have been scattered, In a day of cloud and thick darkness.

¹³ And brought them out from the peoples, And have gathered them from the lands, And brought them unto their own ground, And have fed them on mountains of Israel, By streams, and by all dwellings of the land.

¹⁴ With good pasture I do feed them, And on mountains of the high place of Israel is their habitation, There do they lie down in a good habitation, And fat pastures they enjoy on mountains of Israel.

¹⁵ I feed My flock, and cause them to lie down, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah.

¹⁶ The lost I seek, and the driven away bring back, And the broken I bind up, and the sick I strengthen, And the fat and the strong I destroy, I feed it with judgment.

¹⁷ And you, My flock, thus said the Lord Jehovah: Lo, I am judging between sheep and sheep, between rams and he-goats.

¹⁸ Is it a little thing for you -- the good pasture ye enjoy, And the remnant of your pasture ye tread down with your feet, And a depth of waters ye do drink, And the remainder with your feet ye trample,

¹⁹ And My flock the trodden thing of your feet consumeth, And the trampled thing of your feet drinketh?

²⁰ Therefore, thus said the Lord Jehovah to them: Lo, I -- even I, have judged between fat sheep and lean sheep.

²¹ Because with side and with shoulder ye thrust away, And with your horns push all the diseased, Till ye have scattered them to the out-place,

²² And I have given safety to My flock, And they are not any more for prey, And I have judged between sheep and sheep.

²³ And have raised up over them one shepherd, And he hath fed them -- my servant David, He doth feed them, and he is their shepherd,

²⁴ And I, Jehovah, I am their God, And My servant David prince in their midst, I, Jehovah, have spoken.

²⁵ And I have made for them a covenant of peace, And caused evil beasts to cease out of the land, And they have dwelt in a wilderness confidently, And they have slept in forests.

²⁶ And I have given them, and the suburbs of my hill, a blessing, And caused the shower to come down in its season, Showers of blessing they are.

²⁷ And given hath the tree of the field its fruit, And the land doth give her increase, And they have been on their land confident, And they have known that I [am] Jehovah, In My breaking the bands of their yoke, And I have delivered them from the hand of those laying service on them.

²⁸ And they are no more a prey to nations, And the beast of the earth devoureth them not, And they have dwelt confidently, And there is none troubling.

²⁹ And I have raised for them a plant for renown, And they are no more consumed by hunger in the land, And they bear no more the shame of the nations.

³⁰ And they have known that I, Jehovah, their God, [am] with them, And they -- the house of Israel -- My people, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah.

³¹ And ye, My flock, the flock of My pasture, Men ye [are] -- I [am] your God, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah!'

¹ The word that hath been unto Jeremiah from Jehovah, saying,

² `Thus spake Jehovah, God of Israel, saying, Write for thee all the words that I have spoken unto thee on a book.

³ For, lo, days are coming -- an affirmation of Jehovah -- and I have turned back [to] the captivity of My people Israel and Judah, said Jehovah, and I have caused them to turn back unto the land that I gave to their fathers, and they do possess it.'

⁴ And these [are] the words that Jehovah hath spoken concerning Israel and concerning Judah:

⁵ Surely thus said Jehovah: A voice of trembling we have heard, Fear -- and there is no peace.

⁶ Ask, I pray you, and see, is a male bringing forth? Wherefore have I seen every man, His hands on his loins, as a travailing woman, And all faces have been turned to paleness?

⁷ Wo! for great [is] that day, without any like it, Yea, a time of adversity it [is] to Jacob, Yet out of it he is saved.

⁸ And it hath come to pass, in that day, An affirmation of Jehovah of Hosts, I break his yoke from off thy neck, And thy bands I draw away, And lay no more service on him do strangers.

⁹ And they have served Jehovah their God, And David their king whom I raise up to them.

¹⁰ And thou, be not afraid, My servant Jacob, An affirmation of Jehovah, Nor be affrighted, O Israel, For, lo, I am saving thee from afar, And thy seed from the land of their captivity, And Jacob hath turned back and rested, And is quiet, and there is none troubling.

¹¹ For with thee [am] I, An affirmation of Jehovah -- to save thee, For I make an end of all the nations Whither I have scattered thee, Only, of thee I do not make an end, And I have chastised thee in judgment, And do not entirely acquit thee.

¹² For thus said Jehovah: Incurable is thy breach, grievous thy stroke,

¹³ There is none judging thy cause to bind up, Healing medicines there are none for thee.

¹⁴ all loving thee have forgotten thee, Thee they do not seek, For with the stroke of an enemy I smote thee, The chastisement of a fierce one, Because of the abundance of thy iniquity, Mighty have been thy sins!

¹⁵ What! -- thou criest concerning thy breach! Incurable [is] thy pain, Because of the abundance of thy iniquity, Mighty have been thy sins! I have done these to thee.

¹⁶ Therefore all consuming thee are consumed, And all thine adversaries -- all of them -- Into captivity do go, And thy spoilers have been for a spoil, And all thy plunderers I give up to plunder.

¹⁷ For I increase health to thee, And from thy strokes I do heal thee, An affirmation of Jehovah, For `Outcast' they have called to thee, `Zion it [is], there is none seeking for her.'

¹⁸ Thus said Jehovah: Lo, I turn back [to] the captivity of the tents of Jacob, And his dwelling places I pity, And the city hath been built on its heap, And the palace according to its ordinance remaineth.

¹⁹ And gone forth from them hath thanksgiving, And the voice of playful ones, And I have multiplied them and they are not few, And made them honourable, and they are not small.

²⁰ And his sons have been as aforetime, And his company before Me is established, And I have seen after all his oppressors.

²¹ And his honourable one hath been of himself, And his ruler from his midst goeth forth, And I have caused him to draw near, And he hath drawn nigh unto Me, For who [is] he who hath pledged his heart To draw nigh unto Me? An affirmation of Jehovah.

²² And ye have been to Me for a people, And I am to you for God.

²³ Lo, a whirlwind of Jehovah -- Fury hath gone forth -- a cutting whirlwind, On the head of the wicked it stayeth.

²⁴ The fierceness of the anger of Jehovah Doth not turn back till His doing, Yea, till His establishing the devices of His heart, In the latter end of the days we consider it!