Jer 10:21 | NET2full | STEP | For our leaders are stupid . They have not sought the Lord ’s advice . So they do not act wisely , and the people they are responsible for have all been scattered .

‏ Jeremiah 10:21

21 For our leaders ^{▼▼tn Heb “the shepherds.”} are stupid.
They have not sought the Lord’s advice. ^{▼▼tn Heb “They have not sought the Lord.”} ^{▼▼sn The idiom translated sought the Lord’s advice quite commonly refers to seeking the Lord’s guidance through a prophet. See for example Exod 18:15; 1 Sam 9:9; 1 Kgs 22:8. It would not exclude consulting the law.}
So they do not act wisely,
and the people they are responsible for ^{▼▼tn Heb “all their flock (or “pasturage”).”} ^{▼▼sn This verse uses the figure of shepherds for rulers, and that of sheep for the people ruled. It is a common figure in the Bible. See Ezek 34 for an extended development of this metaphor.} have all been scattered.