| Holman Christian Standard Bible | International Standard Version |
| 1The word of the LORD came to me: " | 1A message came from the LORD for me, and it had this to say: |
| 2Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy, and say to them: This is what the Lord GOD says to the shepherds: Woe to the shepherds of Israel, who have been feeding themselves! Shouldn't the shepherds feed their flock? | 2"Son of Man, prophesy against Israel's shepherds. Tell those shepherds, 'This is what the Lord GOD says: "Woe to you shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves and not the sheep. Shouldn't shepherds feed the sheep? |
| 3You eat the fat, wear the wool, and butcher the fattened animals, but you do not tend the flock. | 3You're eating the best parts, clothing yourselves with the wool, and slaughtering the home-grown sheep without having fed the sheep! |
| 4You have not strengthened the weak, healed the sick, bandaged the injured, brought back the strays, or sought the lost. Instead, you have ruled them with violence and cruelty. | 4You haven't strengthened the weak, treated the sick, set broken bones, regathered the scattered, or looked for the lost. Instead, you've dominated them with brutal force and ruthlessness. |
| 5They were scattered for lack of a shepherd; they became food for all the wild animals when they were scattered. | 5"Since they have no shepherd, they have been scattered around and have become prey for all sorts of wild animals. How scattered they are! |
| 6My flock went astray on all the mountains and every high hill. They were scattered over the whole face of the earth, and there was no one searching or seeking for them." | 6My sheep have gone wandering on all of the mountains, on all of the hills, and throughout every high place in the whole world, with no one to look for them or go out in search of them. |
| 7Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD. | 7"Therefore listen to what the LORD says, you shepherds: |
| 8As I live"--the declaration of the Lord GOD--"because My flock has become prey and food for every wild animal since they lack a shepherd, for My shepherds do not search for My flock, and because the shepherds feed themselves rather than My flock, | 8As certainly as I'm alive and living, my sheep have truly become victims, food for all of the wild animals because there are no shepherds. My shepherds did not go searching for my flock. Instead, the shepherds fed themselves, and my flock they would not feed!' |
| 9therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD!" | 9"Therefore, you shepherds, listen to what the LORD says: |
| 10This is what the Lord GOD says: Look, I am against the shepherds. I will demand My flock from them and prevent them from shepherding the flock. The shepherds will no longer feed themselves, for I will rescue My flock from their mouths so that they will not be food for them." | 10This is what the Lord GOD says: "Watch out, I'm coming after you shepherds! I'm going to demand my sheep back from them and fire them as shepherds. The shepherds won't be shepherds anymore when I snatch my flock right out of their mouths so they can't be eaten by them anymore."'" |
| 11For this is what the Lord GOD says: See, I Myself will search for My flock and look for them. | 11"This is what the LORD says: 'Watch me! I'm going to search for my flock. I'll watch over them myself. |
| 12As a shepherd looks for his sheep on the day he is among his scattered flock, so I will look for My flock. I will rescue them from all the places where they have been scattered on a cloudy and dark day. | 12Just as a shepherd looks after his flock during the day time while he is with them, so also I'm going to watch over my sheep, delivering them from every place where they've been scattered during the times of gloom and doom. |
| 13I will bring them out from the peoples, gather them from the countries, and bring them into their own land. I will shepherd them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines, and in all the inhabited places of the land. | 13I'm going to bring them out from foreign nations and from foreign lands. Then I'll bring them to their own land and feed them in Israel—on the mountains, in their valleys, and in all of their settlements throughout the land. |
| 14I will tend them with good pasture, and their grazing place will be on Israel's lofty mountains. There they will lie down in a good grazing place; they will feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. | 14I'll feed them in excellent pastures, and even the very heights of Israel's mountains will serve as verdant pastures for them in which they'll rest and feed—yes, even on the fertile mountains of Israel! |
| 15I will tend My flock and let them lie down." This is the declaration of the Lord GOD." | 15I will feed my sheep and give them rest,' declares the Lord GOD. |
| 16I will seek the lost, bring back the strays, bandage the injured, and strengthen the weak, but I will destroy the fat and the strong. I will shepherd them with justice." | 16I'm going to seek both the lost as well as the scattered, and bring them both back so their broken bones can be set and the sick can be healed. But in righteousness I'll exterminate the fat and the stiff-necked.'" |
| 17The Lord GOD says to you, My flock: I am going to judge between one sheep and another, between the rams and male goats. | 17"Now as for you, my flock, this is what the Lord GOD says: 'Watch out! I'm going to judge between one sheep and another, and between the rams and the goats. |
| 18Isn't it enough for you to feed on the good pasture? Must you also trample the rest of the pasture with your feet? Or isn't it enough that you drink the clear water? Must you also muddy the rest with your feet? | 18Is it such an insignificant thing to you that you're feeding in good pastures but trampling down the other pastures with your feet? Or that as you're drinking from the clear streams you're muddying the rest with your feet? |
| 19Yet My flock has to feed on what your feet have trampled, and drink what your feet have muddied." | 19My flock is grazing on what you've been treading down with your feet and they're drinking what you've been making muddy with your feet!' |
| 20Therefore, this is what the Lord GOD says to them: See, I Myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. | 20"Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says to them: 'Watch me! I'm going to judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep, |
| 21Since you have pushed with flank and shoulder and butted all the weak ones with your horns until you scattered them all over, | 21since you've been bumping aside all the weaker sheep with your backsides and shoulders, butting them with your horns until they're scattered around outside. |
| 22I will save My flock, and they will no longer be prey for you. I will judge between one sheep and another. | 22That's how I'll save my sheep so they won't be plundered any longer. I'm going to judge between one sheep and another.'" |
| 23I will appoint over them a single shepherd, My servant David, and he will shepherd them. He will tend them himself and will be their shepherd. | 23"'Then I'll install one shepherd for them—my servant David—and he will feed them, will be there for them, and will serve as their shepherd. |
| 24I, Yahweh, will be their God, and My servant David will be a prince among them. I, Yahweh, have spoken." | 24I, the LORD, will be their God, and my servant David will rule among them as Prince.' I, the LORD, have spoken this. |
| 25I will make a covenant of peace with them and eliminate dangerous animals in the land, so that they may live securely in the wilderness and sleep in the forest. | 25"I'm going to enter into a covenant with them, one of peace, and I'll eliminate wild beasts from the land so they can live securely in the wilderness and sleep in the forests. |
| 26I will make them and the area around My hill a blessing: I will send down showers in their season--showers of blessing. | 26I'm going to make them and everything that surrounds my hill a blessing. I'll send down the rain! At the appropriate time there will be a rainstorm of blessing! |
| 27The trees of the field will give their fruit, and the land will yield its produce; My flock will be secure in their land. They will know that I am Yahweh when I break the bars of their yoke and rescue them from the hands of those who enslave them. | 27I'll bring fruit to the trees in the orchards, the land will yield its produce, they will live securely on their land, and they will learn that I am the LORD, when I break the bar that has been their yoke and deliver them from the control of those who have enslaved them. |
| 28They will no longer be prey for the nations, and the wild animals of the land will not consume them. They will live securely, and no one will frighten them. | 28They will no longer be plundered by the nations, and wild animals will no longer devour them. They will settle down confidently, with nothing to frighten them. |
| 29I will establish for them a place renowned for its agriculture, and they will no longer be victims of famine in the land. They will no longer endure the insults of the nations. | 29I'm going to prepare for them the best of gardening spots. They will no longer live as victims in a land of starvation, nor will they have to bear the insults of the international community. |
| 30Then they will know that I, Yahweh their God, am with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are My people." This is the declaration of the Lord GOD." | 30That's when they'll learn that I, the LORD their God, am with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are my people,' declares the Lord GOD. |
| 31You are My flock, the human flock of My pasture, and I am your God." This is the declaration of the Lord GOD. | 31And as for you, my sheep, the flock that I'm pasturing, you are mankind, and I am your God,' declares the Lord GOD." |
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