 1 The Word of the Lord came to me saying, 2 Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and say to them, Thus says the Lord God to the shepherds: Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves. Should not the shepherds feed the flocks? 3 You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool. You kill the fat ones, but you do not feed the flock. 4 You have not made the weak strong, nor have you healed the sick, nor have you bound up the broken. You have not brought again those driven away, nor have you sought what was lost. But you have ruled them with force and with cruelty. 5 They were scattered for lack of a shepherd. They became food to all the beasts of the field when they were scattered. 6 My sheep wandered through all the mountains and on every high hill. Yes, my flock was scattered on all the face of the earth, and none searched nor sought for them. 7 Therefore, shepherds, hear the Word of the Lord: 8 As I live, says the Lord God, surely because my flock became a prey, and my flock became food to every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, nor did my shepherds search for my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves and did not feed my flock, 9 therefore, O shepherds, hear the Word of the Lord. 10 Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require my flock at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the flock. Nor shall the shepherds feed themselves any more. For I will deliver my flock from their mouth, and they will not be food to devour. 11 For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I myself will search for my sheep and seek them out. 12 As a shepherd seeks out his flock in the day that he is among his scattered sheep, so I will seek out my sheep and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. 13 I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the lands, and will bring them to their own land and feed them on the mountain of Israel by the rivers, and in all the places of the land where people live. 14 I will feed them in a good pasture, and their fold shall be on the high mountains of Israel. There they shall lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel. 15 I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, says the Lord God. 16 I will seek the lost, and bring again those driven away, and will bind up the broken, and will strengthen the sick. But I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment. 17 You, my flock, says the Lord God: Behold, I judge between lamb and lamb, between rams and he goats. 18 Is it a small thing to you to have eaten up the good pasture, but you must trample the rest of your pastures with your feet? And to have drunk of the clear waters, but you must foul the rest with your feet? 19 My flock, they eat what your feet have trampled, and they drink what your feet have fouled. 20 So the Lord God says this to them: Behold I myself will judge between the fat lamb and the lean lamb. 21 Because you have thrust with side and with shoulder and have pushed all the weak with your horns until you have scattered them to the outside, 22 therefore I will save my flock and they will no longer be prey. I will judge between lamb and lamb. 23 I will set up one shepherd over them and he will feed them. My servant David will feed them and he will be their shepherd. 24 I the Lord will be their God and my servant David a ruler among them. I the Lord have spoken. 25 I will make a covenant of peace with them and will send the evil beasts out of the land. They will live safely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods. 26 I will make them and the places around my hill, a blessing. I will bring down the shower in its season. There will be showers of blessing. 27 The tree of the field will yield its fruit and the earth will yield its increase. Then they will be safe in their land and they will know that I am the Lord when I have broken the bands of their yoke and delivered them out of the hands of those who enslaved them. 28 No longer will they be a prey to the nations nor will the beast of the land eat them. But they will live safely and no one will terrify them. 29 I will raise up for them a noted planting place and they will never again gathered by famine in the land nor will they bear the shame of the nations any more. 30 Then they will know that I the Lord their God am with them. The house of Israel is my people, says the Lord God. 31 You are my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, and I am your God, says the Lord God.
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