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

以色列的牧人

¹耶和華的話臨到我，說： ²「人子啊，你要向以色列的牧人說預言，對他們說，主耶和華如此說：禍哉！以色列的牧人只知牧養自己。牧人豈不當牧養羣羊嗎？ ³你們吃肥油⚓、穿羊毛、宰殺肥羊，卻不牧養羣羊。 ⁴瘦弱的，你們不調養；有病的，你們不醫治；受傷的，你們未包紮；被逐的，你們不去領回；失喪的，你們不尋找；卻用暴力嚴嚴地轄制牠們⚓。 ⁵牠們因無牧人就分散；既分散，就成為一切野獸的食物。 ⁶我的羊流落眾山之間和各高岡上，分散在全地，無人去尋，無人去找。
⁷「所以，你們這些牧人要聽耶和華的話。 ⁸主耶和華說：我指着我的永生起誓，我的羊因無牧人就成為掠物，也作了一切野獸的食物。我的牧人不尋找我的羊；這些牧人只知餵養自己，並不餵養我的羊。 ⁹所以你們這些牧人要聽耶和華的話。 ¹⁰主耶和華如此說：看哪，我必與牧人為敵，從他們手裏討回我的羊，使他們不再牧放羣羊；牧人也不再餵養自己。我必救我的羊脫離他們的口，不再作他們的食物。」

好牧人

¹¹「主耶和華如此說：『看哪，我必親自尋找我的羊，將牠們尋見。 ¹²牧人在羊羣四散的日子怎樣尋找他的羊，我必照樣尋找我的羊。這些羊在密雲黑暗的日子散在各處，我要從那裏救回牠們。 ¹³我要從萬民中領出牠們，從各國聚集牠們，引領牠們歸回故土。我要在以色列山上，在一切溪水旁邊，在境內所有可居住的地牧養牠們。 ¹⁴我要在肥美的草場牧養牠們。牠們的圈必在以色列高處的山上，牠們必躺臥在佳美的圈內，在以色列山肥美的草場上吃草。 ¹⁵我要親自牧養我的羣羊，使牠們得以躺臥。這是主耶和華說的。 ¹⁶失喪的，我必尋找；被逐的，我必領回；受傷的，我必包紮；有病的，我必醫治；只是肥的壯的，我要除滅⚓；我必秉公牧養牠們。』
¹⁷「我的羊羣哪，論到你們，主耶和華如此說：看哪，我要在羊與羊中間、公綿羊與公山羊中間施行審判。 ¹⁸你們在肥美的草場上吃草還以為是小事嗎？竟用你們的腳踐踏剩下的草；你們喝了清水，竟用你們的腳攪渾剩下的水。 ¹⁹至於我的羊，只能吃你們所踐踏的，喝你們所攪渾的。
²⁰「所以，主耶和華對牠們如此說：看哪，我要親自在肥羊和瘦羊中間施行審判。 ²¹因為你們用側邊用肩推擠一切瘦弱的羊，又用角牴撞，使牠們四散在外； ²²所以，我要拯救我的羣羊，牠們必不再作掠物；我也要在羊和羊中間施行審判。 ²³我必在他們之上立一牧人⚓，就是我的僕人大衛，牧養牠們；他必牧養他們，作他們的牧人。 ²⁴我－耶和華必作他們的上帝，我的僕人大衛要在他們中間作王。這是我－耶和華說的。
²⁵「我要與他們立平安的約，使惡獸從境內斷絕；他們在曠野也能安然居住，在樹林也能躺臥。 ²⁶我要使他們和我山岡的四圍蒙福；我也必叫時雨落下，使福如甘霖降下。 ²⁷田野的樹木必結果子，地也必有出產；他們要在自己的土地安然居住。我折斷他們所負的軛，救他們脫離奴役他們之人的手；那時，他們就知道我是耶和華。 ²⁸他們必不再作外邦人的掠物，地上的野獸也不再吞吃他們；他們卻要安然居住，無人使他們驚嚇。 ²⁹我必為他們建立聞名的⚓栽種之地；他們在境內就不再為饑荒所滅，也不再受列國的羞辱。 ³⁰他們必知道我－耶和華他們的上帝與他們同在，並知道他們，以色列家，是我的子民。這是主耶和華說的。 ³¹你們這些人，你們是我的羊，我草場上的羊；我是你們的上帝。這是主耶和華說的。」