1And the word of Jehovah came unto me , saying , 2Son of man , prophesy against the shepherds of Israel , prophesy , and say unto them , even to the shepherds , Thus saith the Lord Jehovah : Woe unto the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves ! should not the shepherds feed the sheep ? 3Ye eat the fat , and ye clothe you with the wool , ye kill the fatlings; but ye feed not the sheep . 4The diseased have ye not strengthened , neither have ye healed that which was sick , neither have ye bound up that which was broken , neither have ye brought back that which was driven away , neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with rigor have ye ruled over them . 5And they were scattered , because there was no shepherd ; and they became food to all the beasts of the field , and were scattered . 6My sheep wandered through all the mountains , and upon every high hill : yea, my sheep were scattered upon all the face of the earth; and there was none that did search or seek after them . 7Therefore , ye shepherds , hear the word of Jehovah : 8As I live , saith the Lord Jehovah , surely forasmuch as my sheep became a prey, and my sheep became food to all the beasts of the field , because there was no shepherd , neither did my shepherds search for my sheep , but the shepherds fed themselves , and fed not my sheep ; 9therefore , ye shepherds , hear the word of Jehovah : 10Thus saith the Lord Jehovah , Behold , I am against the shepherds ; and I will require my sheep at their hand , and cause them to cease from feeding the sheep ; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more ; and I will deliver my sheep from their mouth , that they may not be food for them .
God as the True Shepherd
11For thus saith the Lord Jehovah : Behold , I myself, even I , will search for my sheep , and will seek them out . 12As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered abroad , so will I seek out my sheep ; and I will deliver them out of all places whither they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day . 13And I will bring them out from the peoples , and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land; and I will feed them upon the mountains of Israel , by the watercourses, and in all the inhabited places of the country . 14I will feed them with good pasture ; and upon the mountains of the height of Israel shall their fold be : there shall they lie down in a good fold ; and on fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel . 15I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep , and I will cause them to lie down , saith the Lord Jehovah . 16I will seek that which was lost, and will bring back that which was driven away , and will bind up that which was broken , and will strengthen that which was sick : but the fat and the strong I will destroy ; I will feed them in justice .
Judgment and Restoration
17And as for you, O my flock , thus saith the Lord Jehovah : Behold , I judge between sheep and sheep , the rams and the he-goats. 18Seemeth it a small thing unto you to have fed upon the good pasture , but ye must tread down with your feet the residue of your pasture ? and to have drunk of the clear waters , but ye must foul the residue with your feet ? 19And as for my sheep , they eat that which ye have trodden with your feet , and they drink that which ye have fouled with your feet . 20Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah unto them: Behold , I , even I , will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep . 21Because ye thrust with side and with shoulder , and push all the diseased with your horns , till ye have scattered them abroad ; 22therefore will I save my flock , and they shall no more be a prey; and I will judge between sheep and sheep . 23And I will set up one shepherd over them , and he shall feed them , even my servant David ; he shall feed them , and he shall be their shepherd . 24And I , Jehovah , will be their God , and my servant David prince among them ; I , Jehovah , have spoken it . 25And I will make with them a covenant of peace , and will cause evil beasts to cease out of the land; and they shall dwell securely in the wilderness , and sleep in the woods . 26And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing ; and I will cause the shower to come down in its season ; there shall be showers of blessing . 27And the tree of the field shall yield its fruit , and the earth shall yield its increase , and they shall be secure in their land ; and they shall know that I am Jehovah , when I have broken the bars of their yoke , and have delivered them out of the hand of those that made bondmen of them . 28And they shall no more be a prey to the nations , neither shall the beasts of the earth devour them ; but they shall dwell securely, and none shall make them afraid . 29And I will raise up unto them a plantation for renown , and they shall be no more consumed with famine in the land, neither bear the shame of the nations any more . 30And they shall know that I , Jehovah , their God am with them , and that they , the house of Israel , are my people , saith the Lord Jehovah . 31And ye my sheep , the sheep of my pasture , are men, and I am your God , saith the Lord Jehovah .