A Prophecy against Israel’s Shepherds

1And the woorde of the Lorde came vnto me, saying, 2Sonne of man, prophesie against the shepherdes of Israel, prophesie & say vnto them, Thus saieth the Lord God vnto the shepherds, Wo be vnto the shepherds of Israel, that feede them selues: should not the shepherds feede the flockes? 3Yee eate the fat, and yee clothe you with the wooll: yee kill them that are fed, but ye feede not the sheepe. 4The weake haue ye not strengthened: the sicke haue ye not healed, neither haue ye bounde vp the broken, nor brought againe that which was driuen away, neither haue yee sought that which was lost, but with crueltie, and with rigour haue yee ruled them. 5And they were scattered without a shepherde: and when they were dispersed, they were deuoured of all the beastes of the fielde. 6My sheepe wandred through all the mountaines, and vpon euery hie hill: yea, my flocke was scattered through al the earth, and none did seeke or search after them.

7Therefore ye shepherds, heare the woorde of the Lord. 8As I liue, sayeth the Lorde God, surely because my flocke was spoyled, and my sheepe were deuoured of all the beasts of the fielde, hauing no shepherde, neither did my shepherdes seeke my sheepe, but the shepherdes fedde them selues, and fedde not my sheepe, 9Therefore, heare ye the word of the Lorde, O ye shepherds. 10Thus saieth the Lorde God, Behold, I come against the shepherds, and will require my sheepe at their hands, and cause them to cease from feeding the sheepe: neither shall the shepherds feede them selues any more: for I wil deliuer my sheepe from their mouthes, and they shall no more deuoure them.

The Good Shepherd
(Psalm 23:1–6; John 10:1–21)

11For thus sayeth the Lorde God, Beholde, I will search my sheepe, and seeke them out. 12As a shepherd searcheth out his flocke, when he hath bene among his sheepe that are scattered, so wil I seeke out my sheepe and wil deliuer them out of all places, where they haue beene scattered in the cloudie and darke day, 13And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countreis, and will bring them to their owne lande, and feede them vpon the mountaines of Israel, by the riuers, and in all the inhabited places of the countrey. 14I will feede them in a good pasture, and vpon the hie mountaines of Israel shal their folde be: there shall they lie in a good folde and in fat pasture shall they feede vpon the mountaines of Israel. 15I will feede my sheepe, and bring them to their rest, sayth the Lord God. 16I will seeke that which was lost, and bring againe that which was driue away, and will binde vp that which was broken, and will strengthen the weake but I wil destroy the fat & the strong, and I will feede them with iudgement.

17Also you my sheepe, Thus saieth the Lorde God, behold, I iudge betweene sheepe, & sheepe, betweene the rammes and the goates. 18Seemeth it a small thing vnto you to haue eaten vp the good pasture, but yee must treade downe with your feete the residue of your pasture? and to haue drunke of the deepe waters, but yee must trouble the residue with your feete? 19And my sheepe eate that which yee haue troden with your feete, and drinke that which ye haue troubled with your feete.

20Therefore thus sayth the Lorde God vnto them, behold, I, euen I wil iudge betweene the fat sheepe and the leane sheepe. 21Because ye haue thrust with side and with shoulder, & pusht al the weake with your hornes, till ye haue scattered them abroade, 22Therefore wil I helpe my sheepe, and they shal no more be spoyled, & I wil iudge betweene sheepe and sheepe.

23And I wil set vp a shepherd ouer them, and he shall feede them, euen my seruant Dauid, he shal feede them, and he shalbe their shepherd. 24And I the Lord will be their God, and my seruant Dauid shalbe the prince amog them. I the Lord haue spoken it.

The Covenant of Peace

25And I will make with them a couenant of peace, and will cause the euil beastes to cease out of the land: and they shal dwel safely in the wildernesse, and sleepe in the woods. 26And I wil set them, as a blessing, euen roud about my mountaine: and I will cause rayne to come downe in due season, & there shalbe raine of blessing. 27And the tree of the fielde shal yeeld her fruite, and the earth shall giue her fruite, and they shalbe safe in their land, and shal know that I am the Lord, when I haue broken the cordes of their yoke, & deliuered them out of the hands of those that serued themselues of them. 28And they shall no more be spoyled of the heathen, neither shall the beastes of the land deuoure them, but they shal dwell safely and none shal make them afrayd. 29And I will rayse vp for them a plant of renoume, & they shalbe no more consumed with hunger in the land, neither beare the reproche of the heathen any more. 30Thus shall they vnderstande, that I the Lorde their God am with them, and that they, euen the house of Israel, are my people, sayth the Lord God. 31And yee my sheepe, the sheepe of my pasture are men, and I am your God, saith the Lord God.