34

Irresponsible Shepherds

¹And 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 ⚓slaughter the fatlings, but you do not feed the flock. ⁴⚓The weak you have not strengthened, nor have you healed those who were sick, nor bound up the broken, nor brought back what was driven away, nor ⚓sought what was lost; but with ⚓force and cruelty you have ruled them. ⁵⚓So they were ⚓scattered because there was no shepherd; ⚓and they became food for all the beasts of the field when they were scattered. ⁶My sheep ⚓wandered through all the mountains, and on every high hill; yes, My flock was scattered over the whole face of the earth, and no one was seeking or searching for them.”
⁷‘Therefore, you 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 for 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”— ⁹therefore, O shepherds, hear the word of the Lord! ¹⁰Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I am⚓against the shepherds, and ⚓I will require My flock at their hand; I will cause them to cease feeding the sheep, and the shepherds shall ⚓feed themselves no more; for I will ⚓deliver My flock from their mouths, that they may no longer be food for them.”

God, the True Shepherd

¹¹‘For thus says the Lord God: “Indeed I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out. ¹²As a ⚓shepherd seeks out his flock on the day he is among his scattered sheep, so will I seek out My sheep and deliver them from all the places where they were scattered on ⚓a cloudy and dark day. ¹³And ⚓I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land; I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, in the valleys and in all the inhabited places of the country. ¹⁴⚓I will feed them in good pasture, and their fold shall be on the high mountains of Israel. ⚓There they shall lie down in a good fold and feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. ¹⁵I will feed My flock, and I will make them lie down,” says the Lord God. ¹⁶⚓“I will seek what was lost and bring back what was driven away, bind up the broken and strengthen what was sick; but I will destroy ⚓the fat and the strong, and feed them ⚓in judgment.”
¹⁷‘And as for you, O My flock, thus says the Lord God: ⚓“Behold, I shall judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and goats. ¹⁸Is it too little for you to have eaten up the good pasture, that you must tread down with your feet the residue of your pasture—and to have drunk of the clear waters, that you must foul the residue with your feet? ¹⁹And as for My flock, they eat what you have trampled with your feet, and they drink what you have fouled with your feet.”
²⁰‘Therefore thus says the Lord God to them: ⚓“Behold, I Myself will judge between the fat and the lean sheep. ²¹Because you have pushed with side and shoulder, butted all the weak ones with your horns, and scattered them abroad, ²²therefore I will save My flock, and they shall no longer be a prey; and I will judge between sheep and sheep. ²³I will establish one ⚓shepherd over them, and he shall feed them—⚓My servant David. He shall feed them and be their shepherd. ²⁴And ⚓I, the Lord, will be their God, and My servant David ⚓a prince among them; I, the Lord, have spoken.
²⁵⚓“I will make a covenant of peace with them, and ⚓cause wild beasts to cease from the land; and they ⚓will dwell safely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods. ²⁶I will make them and the places all around ⚓My hill ⚓a blessing; and I will ⚓cause showers to come down in their season; there shall be ⚓showers of blessing. ²⁷Then ⚓the trees of the field shall yield their fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase. They shall be safe in their land; and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I have ⚓broken the bands of their yoke and delivered them from the hand of those who ⚓enslaved them. ²⁸And they shall no longer be a prey for the nations, nor shall beasts of the land devour them; but ⚓they shall dwell safely, and no one shall make them afraid. ²⁹I will raise up for them a ⚓garden of renown, and they shall ⚓no longer be consumed with hunger in the land, ⚓nor bear the shame of the Gentiles anymore. ³⁰Thus they shall know that ⚓I, the Lord their God, am with them, and they, the house of Israel, are⚓My people,” says the Lord God.’
³¹“You are My ⚓flock, the flock of My pasture; you are men, and I am your God,” says the Lord God.

34

Yixayee cov yug yaaj

¹Yawmsaub has lug tuaj rua kuv tas, ²“Tuabneeg tug tub, ca le cev kuv le lug tawm tsaam Yixayee cov yug yaaj, ca le cev kuv le lug hab has rua puab tas, ‘Vaajtswv Yawmsaub has le nuav tas, Cov yug yaaj huv Yixayee kws nwg yug nwg tug kheej xwb yuav raug txom nyem lauj! Cov kws yug yaaj yeej yuav tsum yug yaaj los tsw yog? ³Mej noj yaaj tej roj hab naav yaaj tej plaub, mej tua tej yaaj rog rog, tassws mej tub tsw yug paab yaaj ntawd. ⁴Tug kws tsaug leeg mej tub tsw txhawb nwg tug zug, tug kws mob mej kuj tsw khu, tug kws pob txhaa luv mej kuj tsw muab ntaub qhwv, tug kws yuam kev moog lawm mej kuj tsw moog coj rov lug, tug kws pluj lawm mej kuj tsw moog nrhav. Mej kaav puab quab yuam puab ua nruj ua tswv rua puab. ⁵Ua le nuav puab txhad tswv rw quas sua taag vem yog tsw muaj ib tug yug yaaj. Puab tswv ua saab ua sua, tej tsaj nyaum huvsw txhad muab puab noj. ⁶Kuv cov yaaj tawg tswv moog moog lug lug rua sau txhua lub roob hab sau txhua lub pov roob sab. Kuv cov yaaj tswv rw quas sua moog thoob qaab ntuj, tsw muaj leejtwg moog cuab moog nrhav.
⁷“ ‘Vem le nuav, mej cov kws yug yaaj, ca le noog Yawmsaub tej lug, ⁸Vaajtswv Yawmsaub has tas, kuv yeej muaj txujsa nyob, kuv cov yaaj tau raug muab txeeb lawm hab kuv cov yaaj raug muab tso rua tsaj nyaum huvsw noj vem tsw muaj ib tug yug yaaj, hab kuv cov kws yug yaaj tsw moog nrhav kuv cov yaaj, puab yug puab xwb tsw yug kuv cov yaaj. ⁹Vem le nuav, mej cov kws yug yaaj, ca le noog Yawmsaub tej lug. ¹⁰Vaajtswv Yawmsaub has le nuav tas, Saib maj, kuv tawm tsaam cov kws yug yaaj hab kuv yuav rhu kuv cov yaaj huv puab txhais teg lug, hab txwv tsw pub puab yug yaaj lawm. Cov kws yug yaaj yuav tsw tau yug puab dua le lawm. Kuv yuav cawm kuv cov yaaj dim ntawm puab lub qhov ncauj, sub puab txhad tsw tau noj kuv cov yaaj.
¹¹“ ‘Tsua qhov Vaajtswv Yawmsaub has le nuav tas, Saib maj, kuv, yog kuv ntaag, kws yuav moog cuab kuv cov yaaj hab moog nrhav puab. ¹²Ib yaam le tug yug yaaj moog nrhav nwg paab yaaj rua thaus nwg nyob huv plawv nwg paab yaaj kws tawg rw quas sua lawm, kuv yuav nrhav kuv cov yaaj ib yaam le ntawd. Kuv yuav cawm puab dim huv txhua lub chaw kws puab tswv rw quas sua moog rua nub kws muaj fuab hab tsaus ntuj nti. ¹³Kuv yuav coj puab tawm huv txhua haiv tuabneeg lug hab qaws puab tawm huv luas tej tebchaws lug, hab kuv yuav coj puab lug rua huv puab lub tebchaws. Hab kuv yuav yug puab sau Yixayee tej roob, hab ntawm tej ntug dej hab ntawm txhua lub chaw kws muaj tuabneeg nyob huv lub tebchaws. ¹⁴Kuv yuav yug puab huv lub tshaav zaub kws zoo zoo, hab puab tej tshaav zaub yog Yixayee tej roob sab. Qhov chaw ntawd puab yuav pw huv tej chaw kws muaj zaub zoo zoo, hab puab yuav nrhav noj huv tej tshaav zaub mog mog sau Yixayee tej roob. ¹⁵Kuv yuav ua tug kws yug kuv cov yaaj ntaag, hab kuv yuav ca puab pw. Vaajtswv Yawmsaub has le nuav. ¹⁶Kuv yuav moog nrhav tug yaaj kws pluj, hab coj tug yuam kev rov lug, hab kuv muab ntaub qhwv tug kws pob txhaa luv. Kuv yuav txhawb zug rua tug kws tsaug leeg, tassws tug kws rog hab muaj zug kuv yuav muab ua kuas puam tsuaj. Kuv yuav ua ncaaj ua nceeg yug puab.
¹⁷“ ‘Mej cov kws yog kuv paab yaaj paab tshws mas Vaajtswv Yawmsaub has le nuav rua mej tas, Saib maj, kuv yuav txav txem rua kuv cov maum yaaj ib tug zuj zug hab txav txem rua tej txwv tshws txwv yaaj. ¹⁸Qhov kws mej noj zaub huv lub tshaav zaub kws zoo tsw txaus lov? Mej tseed tsuj pis ntag tej zaub kws tseed tshuav huv mej lub tshaav. Mej haus dej ntshab tsw txaus lov? Mej tseed xuas kwtaw du tej dej kws tseed tshuav nru taag. ¹⁹Kuv cov yaaj yuav noj tej kws mej kwtaw tsuj hab haus tej dej kws mej kwtaw ua nru taag lov?
²⁰“ ‘Vem le nuav Vaajtswv Yawmsaub has le nuav rua puab tas, Saib maj, kuv, yog kuv ntaag kws yuav tu plaub rua cov yaaj kws rog hab cov kws ntxaug. ²¹Vem mej muab xub pwg hab phaab taav xyeeb tug kws tsw muaj zug, hab xuas mej tej kub xyob puab, ua rua puab tswv rw quas sua moog, ²²kuv yuav cawm kuv paab yaaj paab tshws kuas dim, puab yuav tsw raug luas lws dua le lawm, kuv yuav txav txem rua cov yaaj ib tug zuj zug. ²³Kuv yuav tsaa ib tug yug yaaj xwb ua tug kws yug puab, yog kuv tug qhev Tavi,⚓ mas nwg yuav yug puab. Nwg yuav yug puab hab ua puab tug yug yaaj. ²⁴Hab kuv kws yog Yawmsaub yuav ua puab tug Vaajtswv, hab kuv tug qhev Tavi yuav ua puab tug thawj. Kuv yog Yawmsaub tau has ca le nuav lawm ntaag.
²⁵“ ‘Kuv yuav nrug puab sws cog lug kuas muaj kev thaaj yeeb hab yuav ntab tej tsaj nyaum tawm huv lub tebchaws, sub puab txhad tau nyob huv tebchaws moj saab qhua hab pw huv tej haav zoov tso sab plhuav. ²⁶Kuv yuav ua rua puab hab tej chaw kws nyob ib ncig kuv lub roob ua lub chaw kws muaj koob moov rua luas. Kuv yuav tso naag lug lawv lub caij lub nyoog, hab yuav lug tsheej kob kws muaj koob moov. ²⁷Tej txwv ntoo huv teb yuav txw txwv, hab tej aav yuav zoo qoob loos. Puab yuav nyob tso sab plhuav huv puab lub tebchaws. Mas puab yuav paub tas kuv yog Yawmsaub rua thaus kuv muab puab tug quab luv hab cawm puab dim huv cov kws muab puab ua qhev txhais teg. ²⁸Puab yuav tsw raug ib tsoom tebchaws lws dua le lawm, hab tej tsaj qus huv lub tebchaws yuav tsw tum puab noj le lawm. Puab yuav nyob tso sab plhuav hab yuav tsw muaj leejtwg ua rua puab ntshai. ²⁹Kuv yuav pub tej teb kws qoob loos zoo⚓ rua puab, sub puab txhad le tsw raug kev tshaib huv lub tebchaws dua le lawm, hab tsw raug ib tsoom tebchaws saib tsw taug le lawm. ³⁰Mas puab yuav paub tas kuv kws yog Yawmsaub, yog puab tug Vaajtswv, nrug nraim puab nyob, hab paub tas puab kws yog cov Yixayee yog kuv haiv tuabneeg. Vaajtswv Yawmsaub has le nuav. ³¹Mej yog kuv cov yaaj, yog cov yaaj kws nyob huv kuv lub tshaav zaub, hab kuv yog mej tug Vaajtswv. Vaajtswv Yawmsaub has le nuav ntaag.’ ”