NET Bible

New American Standard Bible 1995

1The word of the LORD came to me:

1Then the word of the LORD came to me saying,

2"Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy, and say to them--to the shepherds: 'This is what the sovereign LORD says: Woe to the shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves! Should not shepherds feed the flock?

2"Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and say to those shepherds, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Woe, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flock?

3You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the choice animals, but you do not feed the sheep!

3"You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat sheep without feeding the flock.

4You have not strengthened the weak, healed the sick, bandaged the injured, brought back the strays, or sought the lost, but with force and harshness you have ruled over them.

4"Those who are sickly you have not strengthened, the diseased you have not healed, the broken you have not bound up, the scattered you have not brought back, nor have you sought for the lost; but with force and with severity you have dominated them.

5They were scattered because they had no shepherd, and they became food for every wild beast.

5"They were scattered for lack of a shepherd, and they became food for every beast of the field and were scattered.

6My sheep wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. My sheep were scattered over the entire face of the earth with no one looking or searching for them.

6"My flock wandered through all the mountains and on every high hill; My flock was scattered over all the surface of the earth, and there was no one to search or seek for them."'"

7"'Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD:

7Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD:

8As surely as I live, declares the sovereign LORD, my sheep have become prey and have become food for all the wild beasts. There was no shepherd, and my shepherds did not search for my flock, but fed themselves and did not feed my sheep,

8"As I live," declares the Lord GOD, "surely because My flock has become a prey, My flock has even become food for all the beasts of the field for lack of a shepherd, and My shepherds did not search for My flock, but rather the shepherds fed themselves and did not feed My flock;

9Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD:

9therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD:

10This is what the sovereign LORD says: Look, I am against the shepherds, and I will demand my sheep from their hand. I will no longer let them be shepherds; the shepherds will not feed themselves anymore. I will rescue my sheep from their mouth, so that they will no longer be food for them.

10'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will demand My sheep from them and make them cease from feeding sheep. So the shepherds will not feed themselves anymore, but I will deliver My flock from their mouth, so that they will not be food for them."'"

11"'For this is what the sovereign LORD says: Look, I myself will search for my sheep and seek them out.

11For thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out.

12As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his scattered sheep, so I will seek out my flock. I will rescue them from all the places where they have been scattered on a cloudy, dark day.

12"As a shepherd cares for his herd in the day when he is among his scattered sheep, so I will care for My sheep and will deliver them from all the places to which they were scattered on a cloudy and gloomy day.

13I will bring them out from among the peoples and gather them from foreign countries; I will bring them to their own land. I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the streams and all the inhabited places of the land.

13"I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries and bring them to their own land; and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the streams, and in all the inhabited places of the land.

14In a good pasture I will feed them; the mountain heights of Israel will be their pasture. There they will lie down in a lush pasture, and they will feed on rich grass on the mountains of Israel.

14"I will feed them in a good pasture, and their grazing ground will be on the mountain heights of Israel. There they will lie down on good grazing ground and feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel.

15I myself will feed my sheep and I myself will make them lie down, declares the sovereign LORD.

15"I will feed My flock and I will lead them to rest," declares the Lord GOD.

16I will seek the lost and bring back the strays; I will bandage the injured and strengthen the sick, but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them--with judgment!

16"I will seek the lost, bring back the scattered, bind up the broken and strengthen the sick; but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them with judgment.

17"'As for you, my sheep, this is what the sovereign LORD says: Look, I am about to judge between one sheep and another, between rams and goats.

17"As for you, My flock, thus says the Lord GOD, 'Behold, I will judge between one sheep and another, between the rams and the male goats.

18Is it not enough for you to feed on the good pasture, that you must trample the rest of your pastures with your feet? When you drink clean water, must you muddy the rest of the water by trampling it with your feet?

18'Is it too slight a thing for you that you should feed in the good pasture, that you must tread down with your feet the rest of your pastures? Or that you should drink of the clear waters, that you must foul the rest with your feet?

19As for my sheep, they must eat what you trampled with your feet, and drink what you have muddied with your feet!

19'As for My flock, they must eat what you tread down with your feet and drink what you foul with your feet!'"

20"'Therefore, this is what the sovereign LORD says to them: Look, I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep.

20Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD to them, "Behold, I, even I, will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep.

21Because you push with your side and your shoulder, and thrust your horns at all the weak sheep until you scatter them abroad,

21"Because you push with side and with shoulder, and thrust at all the weak with your horns until you have scattered them abroad,

22I will save my sheep; they will no longer be prey. I will judge between one sheep and another.

22therefore, I will deliver My flock, and they will no longer be a prey; and I will judge between one sheep and another.

23I will set one shepherd over them, and he will feed them--namely, my servant David. He will feed them and will be their shepherd.

23"Then I will set over them one shepherd, My servant David, and he will feed them; he will feed them himself and be their shepherd.

24I, the LORD, will be their God, and my servant David will be prince among them; I, the LORD, have spoken!

24"And I, the LORD, will be their God, and My servant David will be prince among them; I the LORD have spoken.

25"'I will make a covenant of peace with them and will rid the land of wild beasts, so that they can live securely in the wilderness and even sleep in the woods.

25"I will make a covenant of peace with them and eliminate harmful beasts from the land so that they may live securely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods.

26I will turn them and the regions around my hill into a blessing. I will make showers come down in their season; they will be showers that bring blessing.

26"I will make them and the places around My hill a blessing. And I will cause showers to come down in their season; they will be showers of blessing.

27The trees of the field will yield their fruit and the earth will yield its crops. They will live securely on their land; they will know that I am the LORD, when I break the bars of their yoke and rescue them from the hand of those who enslaved them.

27"Also the tree of the field will yield its fruit and the earth will yield its increase, and they will be secure on their land. Then they will know that I am the LORD, when I have broken the bars of their yoke and have delivered them from the hand of those who enslaved them.

28They will no longer be prey for the nations and the wild beasts will not devour them. They will live securely and no one will make them afraid.

28"They will no longer be a prey to the nations, and the beasts of the earth will not devour them; but they will live securely, and no one will make them afraid.

29I will prepare for them a healthy planting. They will no longer be victims of famine in the land and will no longer bear the insults of the nations.

29"I will establish for them a renowned planting place, and they will not again be victims of famine in the land, and they will not endure the insults of the nations anymore.

30Then they will know that I, the LORD their God, am with them, and that they are my people, the house of Israel, declares the sovereign LORD.

30"Then they will know that I, the LORD their God, am with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are My people," declares the Lord GOD.

31And you, my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, are my people, and I am your God, declares the sovereign LORD.'"

31"As for you, My sheep, the sheep of My pasture, you are men, and I am your God," declares the Lord GOD.

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