Ezekiel 34

And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

1The LORD spoke to me. He said:

2Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks?

2"Son of man, speak against the shepherds of Israel. A shepherd here means a leader who was supposed to care for the people. Say this to them: The Lord GOD says, Trouble is coming to the shepherds of Israel! You only feed yourselves. Shouldn't shepherds feed the sheep?

3Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock.

3You eat the fat parts. You wear clothes made from the wool. You kill the best-fed sheep. But you do not feed the flock.

4The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them.

4You did not make the weak sheep strong. You did not heal the sick ones. You did not wrap up the hurt ones. You did not bring back the ones that wandered off. You did not go look for the lost ones. Instead you ruled them in a rough and cruel way.

5And they were scattered, because there is no shepherd: and they became meat to all the beasts of the field, when they were scattered.

5So the sheep were scattered, because there was no shepherd. Once they were scattered, wild animals ate them.

NoteThe KJV says the sheep "became meat" to wild animals. In 1611 "meat" meant food of any kind, not just animal flesh.

6My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill: yea, my flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them.

6My sheep wandered over all the mountains and every high hill. They were spread out all over the earth. No one went looking for them.

7Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD;

7So listen, you shepherds. Hear what the LORD says.

8As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely because my flock became a prey, and my flock became meat to every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, neither did my shepherds search for my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my flock;

8The Lord GOD says: As surely as I live, this is true. My flock had no shepherd, so wild animals caught them and ate them. My shepherds did not go looking for my flock. They fed themselves and not my sheep.

9Therefore, O ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD;

9So listen, you shepherds. Hear what the LORD says.

10Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require my flock at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the flock; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more; for I will deliver my flock from their mouth, that they may not be meat for them.

10The Lord GOD says: Look, I am against the shepherds. I will make them answer to me for my flock. I will stop them from being shepherds. They will not be able to feed themselves anymore. I will take my flock out of their mouths, so the sheep are not their food.

11For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out.

11The Lord GOD says: Look, I myself will search for my sheep. I will go and find them.

12As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.

12A shepherd looks for his sheep when they get scattered. I will look for my sheep the same way. They were scattered on a dark, cloudy day. I will bring them back safely from every place they went.

13And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the country.

13I will bring them out from other nations. I will gather them from far countries. I will bring them to their own land. I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, in the valleys, and in every town.

14I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel.

14I will feed them in good grass. Their resting place will be on Israel's high mountains. There they will lie down in a good, safe spot. They will eat rich grass on the mountains of Israel.

15I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord GOD.

15I will feed my flock. I will let them lie down and rest. This is what the Lord GOD says.

16I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick: but I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment.

16I will look for the lost ones. I will bring back the ones that wandered off. I will wrap up the hurt ones. I will make the weak ones strong. But I will destroy the fat and strong ones. I will take care of my flock in a fair way.

17And as for you, O my flock, thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I judge between cattle and cattle, between the rams and the he goats.

17And now to you, my flock. The Lord GOD says: Look, I will judge between one sheep and another. I will judge between the rams and the male goats.

18Seemeth it a small thing unto you to have eaten up the good pasture, but ye must tread down with your feet the residue of your pastures? and to have drunk of the deep waters, but ye must foul the residue with your feet?

18Isn't it enough that you eat the good grass? Must you also stomp on the rest with your feet? Isn't it enough that you drink the clear water? Must you also muddy the rest with your feet?

19And as for my flock, they eat that which ye have trodden with your feet; and they drink that which ye have fouled with your feet.

19So my flock has to eat the grass you stomped on. They have to drink the water you made muddy.

20Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD unto them; Behold, I, even I, will judge between the fat cattle and between the lean cattle.

20So the Lord GOD says to them: Look, I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the thin sheep.

21Because ye have thrust with side and with shoulder, and pushed all the diseased with your horns, till ye have scattered them abroad;

21You push with your side and your shoulder. You butt all the weak ones with your horns. You keep pushing until they are scattered far away.

22Therefore will I save my flock, and they shall no more be a prey; and I will judge between cattle and cattle.

22So I will save my flock. They will not be caught and eaten anymore. I will judge between one sheep and another.

23And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd.

23I will put one shepherd over them, my servant David. He will feed them. He will be their shepherd.

24And I the LORD will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them; I the LORD have spoken it.

24I the LORD will be their God. My servant David will be a ruler among them. I the LORD have said it.

25And I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land: and they shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods.

25I will make a peace agreement with them. I will clear the wild animals out of the land. Then they can live safely in open country. They can even sleep in the woods.

26And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing.

26I will bless them and the places around my hill. I will send the rain at the right time. There will be showers of blessing.

27And the tree of the field shall yield her fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase, and they shall be safe in their land, and shall know that I am the LORD, when I have broken the bands of their yoke, and delivered them out of the hand of those that served themselves of them.

27The trees in the field will grow fruit. The ground will grow crops. My people will be safe in their land. They will know that I am the LORD. I will break the heavy bars off their necks. I will free them from the people who used them as slaves.

NoteA yoke is a wooden bar put on animals to make them pull a load. Here it stands for being ruled harshly by others.

28And they shall no more be a prey to the heathen, neither shall the beast of the land devour them; but they shall dwell safely, and none shall make them afraid.

28Other nations will not catch them and eat them anymore. Wild animals will not eat them. They will live safely, and no one will scare them.

29And I will raise up for them a plant of renown, and they shall be no more consumed with hunger in the land, neither bear the shame of the heathen any more.

29I will make good things grow for them, and people will hear about it. They will not go hungry in the land anymore. Other nations will not shame them anymore.

NoteThe KJV says "a plant of renown." Renown means being widely known. The picture is of growing things so good that everyone hears about them.

30Thus shall they know that I the LORD their God am with them, and that they, even the house of Israel, are my people, saith the Lord GOD.

30Then they will know that I, the LORD their God, am with them. They will know that they, the people of Israel, are my people. This is what the Lord GOD says.

31And ye my flock, the flock of my pasture, are men, and I am your God, saith the Lord GOD.

31You are my flock, the sheep I feed. You are my people, and I am your God. This is what the Lord GOD says.