1Open thy doors , O Lebanon , that the fire may devour thy cedars. 2Wail , O fir-tree, for the cedar is fallen , because the goodly ones are destroyed : wail , O ye oaks of Bashan , for the strong forest is come down . 3A voice of the wailing of the shepherds ! for their glory is destroyed : a voice of the roaring of young lions ! for the pride of the Jordan is laid waste .
The Broken Covenant
4Thus said Jehovah my God : Feed the flock of slaughter ; 5whose possessors slay them , and hold themselves not guilty; and they that sell them say, Blessed be Jehovah , for I am rich ; and their own shepherds pity them not . 6For I will no more pity the inhabitants of the land, saith Jehovah ; but , lo , I will deliver the men every one into his neighbor ’s hand , and into the hand of his king ; and they shall smite the land, and out of their hand I will not deliver them .
The Price of Betrayal
7So I fed the flock of slaughter , verily the poor of the flock . And I took unto me two staves ; the one I called Beauty , and the other I called Bands ; and I fed the flock . 8And I cut off the three shepherds in one month ; for my soul was weary of them , and their soul also loathed me . 9Then said I , I will not feed you : that which dieth , let it die ; and that which is to be cut off , let it be cut off ; and let them that are left eat every one the flesh of another . 10And I took my staff Beauty , and cut it asunder , that I might break my covenant which I had made with all the peoples .
The Coming Judgment
11And it was broken in that day ; and thus the poor of the flock that gave heed unto me knew that it was the word of Jehovah . 12And I said unto them, If ye think good , give me my hire ; and if not , forbear . So they weighed for my hire thirty pieces of silver . 13And Jehovah said unto me , Cast it unto the potter , the goodly price that I was prized at by them . And I took the thirty pieces of silver , and cast them unto the potter , in the house of Jehovah . 14Then I cut asunder mine other staff , even Bands , that I might break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel . 15And Jehovah said unto me , Take unto thee yet again the instruments of a foolish shepherd . 16For , lo , I will raise up a shepherd in the land, who will not visit those that are cut off , neither will seek those that are scattered , nor heal that which is broken , nor feed that which is sound; but he will eat the flesh of the fat sheep , and will tear their hoofs in pieces . 17Woe to the worthless shepherd that leaveth the flock ! the sword shall be upon his arm , and upon his right eye : his arm shall be clean dried up , and his right eye shall be utterly darkened .