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 Open, O Lebanon, thy doors, And fire doth devour among thy cedars.

² Howl, O fir, for fallen hath the cedar, For their honourable ones were destroyed, Howl, ye oaks of Bashan, For come down hath the fenced forest,

³ A voice of the howling of the shepherds! For destroyed was their robe of honour, A voice of the roaring of young lions! For destroyed was the excellency of Jordan.

⁴ Thus said Jehovah my God: `Feed the flock of the slaughter,

⁵ Whose buyers slay them, and are not guilty, And their sellers say, Blessed [is] Jehovah, And I am rich, And their shepherds have no pity on them.

⁶ For I have pity no more on inhabitants of the land, An affirmation of Jehovah, And lo, I am causing man to come forth, Each into the hand of his neighbour, And into the hand of his king, And they have beaten down the land, And I do not deliver out of their hand.'

⁷ And I feed the flock of slaughter, even you, ye afflicted of the flock; and I take to me two staves, the one I have called Pleasantness, and the other I have called Bands, and I feed the flock.

⁸ And I cut off the three shepherds in one month, and my soul is grieved with them, and also their soul hath abhorred me.

⁹ And I say, `I do not feed you, the dying, let die; and the cut off, let be cut off; and the remaining ones, let each eat the flesh of its neighbour.'

¹⁰ And I take My staff Pleasantness, and cut it asunder, to make void My covenant that I had made with all the peoples:

¹¹ and it is broken in that day, and know well do the afflicted of the flock who are observing me, that it [is] a word of Jehovah.

¹² And I say unto them: `If good in your eyes, give my hire, and if not, forbear;' and they weigh out my hire -- thirty silverlings.

¹³ And Jehovah saith unto me, `Cast it unto the potter;' the goodly price that I have been prized at by them, and I take the thirty silverlings, and cast them [to] the house of Jehovah, unto the potter.

¹⁴ And I cut asunder my second staff, Bands, to break the unity between Judah and Israel.

¹⁵ And Jehovah saith unto me, `Again take to thee the instrument of a foolish shepherd.

¹⁶ For lo, I am raising up a shepherd in the land, The cut off he doth not inspect, The shaken off he doth not seek, And the broken he doth not heal, The standing he doth not sustain, And the flesh of the fat he doth eat, And their hoofs he doth break off.

¹⁷ Wo [to] the worthless shepherd, forsaking the flock, A sword [is] on his arm, and on his right eye, His arm is utterly dried up, And his right eye is very dim!'