Eze 34 | NASB1995 | STEP | Then the word of the Lord came to me saying ,

Ezekiel 34

Prophecy against the Shepherds of Israel

1 Then the word of the Lord came to me saying, 2 “Son of man, prophesy against the ^ashepherds of Israel. Prophesy and say to ^{▼▼ Lit them, the shepherds}those shepherds, ‘Thus says the Lord ^{▼▼ Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord , and so throughout the ch}God, “Woe, shepherds of Israel who have been ^{▼▼ Lit pasturing, pasture
,} ^efeeding themselves! Should not the shepherds ^{▼▼ Lit pasturing, pasture
,} ^gfeed the flock? 3 “You ^heat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool, you ⁱslaughter the fat sheep without ^{▼▼ Lit pasturing}feeding the flock. 4 “Those who are sickly you have not strengthened, the ^{▼▼ Lit sick}diseased you have not healed, ^lthe broken you have not bound up, the scattered you have not brought back, nor have you ^msought for the lost; but with force and with severity you have dominated them. 5 “They were ⁿscattered for lack of a shepherd, and they became ^ofood for every beast of the field and were scattered. 6 “My flock ^pwandered through all the mountains and on every high hill; ^qMy flock was scattered over all the surface of the earth, and there was ^rno one to search or seek for them.”’”

7 Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: 8 “As I live,” declares the Lord God, “surely because My flock has become a ^sprey, My flock has even become food for all the beasts of the field for lack of a shepherd, and My shepherds did not search for My flock, but rather the shepherds fed themselves and did not feed My flock; 9 therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: 10 ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I am ^tagainst the shepherds, and I will demand My ^{▼▼ Or (a) flock}sheep ^{▼▼ Lit from their hand}from them and make them ^wcease from feeding ^{▼▼ Or (a) flock}sheep. So the shepherds will not ^{▼▼ Lit pasture, and so throughout the ch}feed themselves anymore, but I will ^zdeliver My flock from their mouth, so that they will not be food for them.”’”

The Restoration of Israel

11 For thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I Myself will ^aasearch for My sheep and seek them out. 12 ^ab“As a shepherd ^{▼▼ Or seek(s) out}cares for his herd in the day when he is among his scattered ^{▼▼ Or flock}sheep, so I will ^{▼▼ Or seek(s) out
,} ^afcare for My ^{▼▼ Or flock}sheep and will deliver them from all the places to which they were scattered on a ^ahcloudy and gloomy day. 13 “I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries and bring them to their own land; and I will ^aifeed them on the mountains of Israel, by the ^ajstreams, and in all the inhabited places of the land. 14 “I will feed them in a ^akgood pasture, and their grazing ground will be on the mountain heights of Israel. There they will lie down on good grazing ground and feed in ^{▼▼ Lit fat
,} ^amrich pasture on the mountains of Israel. 15 “I will ^anfeed My flock and I will ^{▼▼ Lit cause them to lie down}lead them to rest,” declares the Lord God. 16 “I will seek the lost, bring back the scattered, bind up the broken and strengthen the sick; but the ^apfat and the strong I will destroy. I will ^aqfeed them with judgment.

17 “As for you, My flock, thus says the Lord God, ‘Behold, I will ^arjudge between one ^{▼▼ Or lamb}sheep and another, between the rams and the male goats. 18 ‘Is it too ^atslight a thing for you that you should feed in the good pasture, that you must tread down with your feet the rest of your pastures? Or that you should drink of the clear waters, that you must ^{▼▼ Lit foul by trampling}foul the rest with your feet? 19 ‘As for My flock, they must eat what you tread down with your feet and drink what you ^{▼▼ Lit foul by trampling}foul with your feet!’”

20 Therefore, thus says the Lord God to them, “Behold, I, even I, will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. 21 “Because you push with side and with shoulder, and ^awthrust at all the ^{▼▼ Or sick}weak with your horns until you have scattered them ^{▼▼ Lit to the outside}abroad, 22 therefore, I will ^azdeliver My flock, and they will no longer be a prey; and I will judge between one sheep and another.

23 “Then I will ^baset over them one ^bbshepherd, My servant ^bcDavid, and he will feed them; he will feed them himself and be their shepherd. 24 “And I, the Lord, will be their God, and My servant ^bdDavid will be prince among them; I the Lord have spoken.

25 “I will make a ^becovenant of peace with them and ^bfeliminate harmful beasts from the land so that they may ^bglive securely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods. 26 “I will make them and the places around My hill a ^bhblessing. And I will cause ^bishowers to come down in their season; they will be showers of ^bjblessing. 27 “Also the tree of the field will yield its fruit and the earth will yield its increase, and they will be ^bksecure on their land. Then they will know that I am the Lord, when I have ^blbroken the bars of their yoke and have delivered them from the hand of those who enslaved them. 28 “They will no longer be a prey to the nations, and the beasts of the earth will not devour them; but they will ^bmlive securely, and no one will make them afraid. 29 “I will establish for them a ^bnrenowned planting place, and they will ^bonot again be ^{▼▼ Lit those gathered}victims of famine in the land, and they will not ^bqendure the insults of the nations anymore. 30 “Then they will know that ^brI, the Lord their God, am with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are My people,” declares the Lord God. 31 “As for you, My ^bssheep, the ^btsheep of My pasture, you are men, and I am your God,” declares the Lord God.