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耶和华的话临到我，说： ²“人子啊，你要向以色列的牧人说预言，对他们说，主耶和华如此说：祸哉！以色列的牧人只知牧养自己。牧人岂不当牧养群羊吗？ ³你们吃肥油⚓、穿羊毛、宰杀肥羊，却不牧养群羊。 ⁴瘦弱的，你们不调养；有病的，你们不医治；受伤的，你们未包扎；被逐的，你们不去领回；失丧的，你们不寻找；却用暴力严严地辖制它们⚓。 ⁵它们因无牧人就分散；既分散，就成为一切野兽的食物。 ⁶我的羊流落众山之间和各高冈上，分散在全地，无人去寻，无人去找。
⁷“所以，你们这些牧人要听耶和华的话。 ⁸主耶和华说：我指着我的永生起誓，我的羊因无牧人就成为掠物，也作了一切野兽的食物。我的牧人不寻找我的羊；这些牧人只知喂养自己，并不喂养我的羊。 ⁹所以你们这些牧人要听耶和华的话。 ¹⁰主耶和华如此说：看哪，我必与牧人为敌，从他们手里讨回我的羊，使他们不再牧放群羊；牧人也不再喂养自己。我必救我的羊脱离他们的口，不再作他们的食物。”

好牧人

¹¹“主耶和华如此说：‘看哪，我必亲自寻找我的羊，将它们寻见。 ¹²牧人在羊群四散的日子怎样寻找他的羊，我必照样寻找我的羊。这些羊在密云黑暗的日子散在各处，我要从那里救回它们。 ¹³我要从万民中领出它们，从各国聚集它们，引领它们归回故土。我要在以色列山上，在一切溪水旁边，在境内所有可居住的地牧养它们。 ¹⁴我要在肥美的草场牧养它们。它们的圈必在以色列高处的山上，它们必躺卧在佳美的圈内，在以色列山肥美的草场上吃草。 ¹⁵我要亲自牧养我的群羊，使它们得以躺卧。这是主耶和华说的。 ¹⁶失丧的，我必寻找；被逐的，我必领回；受伤的，我必包扎；有病的，我必医治；只是肥的壮的，我要除灭⚓；我必秉公牧养它们。’
¹⁷“我的羊群哪，论到你们，主耶和华如此说：看哪，我要在羊与羊中间、公绵羊与公山羊中间施行审判。 ¹⁸你们在肥美的草场上吃草还以为是小事吗？竟用你们的脚践踏剩下的草；你们喝了清水，竟用你们的脚搅浑剩下的水。 ¹⁹至于我的羊，只能吃你们所践踏的，喝你们所搅浑的。
²⁰“所以，主耶和华对它们如此说：看哪，我要亲自在肥羊和瘦羊中间施行审判。 ²¹因为你们用侧边用肩推挤一切瘦弱的羊，又用角抵撞，使它们四散在外； ²²所以，我要拯救我的群羊，它们必不再作掠物；我也要在羊和羊中间施行审判。 ²³我必在他们之上立一牧人⚓，就是我的仆人大卫，牧养它们；他必牧养他们，作他们的牧人。 ²⁴我─耶和华必作他们的上帝，我的仆人大卫要在他们中间作王。这是我─耶和华说的。
²⁵“我要与他们立平安的约，使恶兽从境内断绝；他们在旷野也能安然居住，在树林也能躺卧。 ²⁶我要使他们和我山冈的四围蒙福；我也必叫时雨落下，使福如甘霖降下。 ²⁷田野的树木必结果子，地也必有出产；他们要在自己的土地安然居住。我折断他们所负的轭，救他们脱离奴役他们之人的手；那时，他们就知道我是耶和华。 ²⁸他们必不再作外邦人的掠物，地上的野兽也不再吞吃他们；他们却要安然居住，无人使他们惊吓。 ²⁹我必为他们建立闻名的⚓栽种之地；他们在境内就不再为饥荒所灭，也不再受列国的羞辱。 ³⁰他们必知道我─耶和华他们的上帝与他们同在，并知道他们，以色列家，是我的子民。这是主耶和华说的。 ³¹你们这些人，你们是我的羊，我草场上的羊；我是你们的上帝。这是主耶和华说的。”