A Prophecy against Israel’s Shepherds 1And the worde off the LORDE came vnto me, sayenge: 2Thou sonne off ma, prophecye agaynst the shepherdes of Israel, prophecy, and speake vnto them: Thus saieth the LORDE God: Wo be vnto the shepherdes off Israel, that fede them selues. Shulde not the shepherdes fede ye flockes? 3Ye haue eaten vp the fatte, ye haue clothed you with the woll: the best fedde haue ye slayne, but ye flocke haue ye not norished: 4The weake haue ye not holden vp, the sicke haue ye not healed: the broken haue ye not bounde together, the outcastes haue ye not brought agayne: ye lost haue ye not sought, but churlishly and cruelly haue ye ruled the. 5Thus are they scatred here and there without a shepherde: yee all the beastes off the felde deuoure them, and they go astraye. 6My shepe go wandringe vpon all moutaynes and vpon euery hye hill, yee they be scatred abrode in all feldes, and there is no man, that careth for them, or seketh after them. 7Therfore o ye shepherdes heare the worde off the LORDE, 8Thus sayeth the LORDE God: As truly as I lyue, for so moch as my shepe are robbed, and deuoured off all the wylde beestes off the felde, hauynge no shepherde: and seynge that my shepherdes take no regarde off my shepe, but fede them selues only, and not my shepe: 9Therfore heare ye worde off the LORDE, o ye shepherdes: 10Thus sayeth the LORDE God: Beholde, I myselff will vpon the shepherdes, and requyre my shepe from their hondes, and make the ceasse from fedynge of my shepe: yee the shepherdes shall fede them selues nomore: For I will delyuer my shepe out off their mouthes so that they shall not deuoure them after this. The Good Shepherd 11For thus saieth the LORDE God: Beholde, I will loke to my shepe myselff, and seke them. 12Like as a shepherde amoge the flocke seketh after the shepe that are scatred abrode, euen so will I seke after my shepe, and gather them together out off all places, where they haue bene scatred in the cloudy and darcke daye. 13I will bringe them out from all people, and gather them together out of all londes. I will bringe the in to their owne londe, and fede them vpon the mountaynes off Israel, by the ryuers, and in all the places of the countre. 14I will fede them in right good pastures, and vpon the hie mountaynes off Israel shall there foldes be. There shal they lye in a good folde, ad in a fat pasture shall they fede: euen vpon the mountaynes of Israel. 15I will fede my shepe myselff, and bringe them to their rest, sayeth the LORDE God. 16Soch as be lost, will I seke: soch as go astraye, wil I brynge agayne: soch as be wouded, will I bynde vp: soch as be weake, will I make stronge: soch as be fat and well lykinge, those will I preserue, and fede them with ye thinge that is laufull. 17And as for you (o my shepe) sayeth the LORDE God: I will put a difference amonge the shepe, amonge the wethers ad the goates. 18Was it not ynough for you, to eat vp the good pasture, but ye must treade downe the residue of youre pasture wt youre fete also? Was it not ynough for you to drynke cleare water, but ye must trouble the residue also with youre fete? 19Thus my shepe must be fayne to eate ye thinge, that ye haue troden downe with yor fete, and to drynke it, that ye with youre fete haue defyled. 20Therfore, thus sayeth the LORDE God vnto them: Beholde, I will seuer the fat shepe from the leane: 21for so moch as ye haue shot the weake shepe a po ye sydes & shulders, and runne vpon them with youre hornes, so longe till ye haue vtterly scatred them abrode. 22I wil helpe my shepe, so yt they shal nomore be spoyled: yee I wil discerne one shepe from another. 23I wil rayse vp vnto them one only shepherde: euen my seruaunt Dauid, he shal fede the, and he shal be their shepherde. 24I the LORDE wil be their God, and my seruaunt Dauid shal be their prince: Euen I the LORDE haue spoken it. The Covenant of Peace 25Morouer, I wil make a couenaunt of peace with them, and dryue all euell beastes out of the londe: so that they maye dwell safely in the wildernesse, and slepe in the woddes. 26Good fortune & prosperite wil I geue them, and vnto all that be rounde aboute my hill. A prosperous shower and rayne wil I sende them in due season, 27that the trees in the wodde maye bringe forth their frutes, & ye grounde hir increase. They shalbe safe in their londe, and shal knowe, that I am the LORDE, which haue broke their yocke, and delyuered them out of the hondes of those, that helde them in subieccion. 28They shal nomore be spoyled of the Heithen, ner deuoured with the beastes of the lode: but safely shal they dwell, & no man shall fraye them. 29I wil set vp an excellet plate for them, so yt they shal suffre no more hunger in the londe, nether beare the reprofe of ye Heithen eny more. 30Thus shal they vnderstonde, that I the LORDE their God am wt them, & yt they (euen the house of Israel) are my people, saieth the LORDE God. 31Ye men are my flocke, ye are the shepe of my pasture: and I am youre God, saieth the LORDE God. |
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