5 So they were scattered because there was no shepherd,x and when they were scattered they became food for all the wild animals.y 6 My sheep wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill.z They were scattereda over the whole earth, and no one searched or looked for them.b

7 “ ‘Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: 8 As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, because my flock lacks a shepherd and so has been plunderedc and has become food for all the wild animals,d and because my shepherds did not search for my flock but cared for themselves rather than for my flock,e 9 therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: 10 This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am againstf the shepherds and will hold them accountable for my flock. I will remove them from tending the flock so that the shepherds can no longer feed themselves. I will rescueg my flock from their mouths, and it will no longer be food for them.h

11 “ ‘For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search for my sheepi and look after them. 12 As a shepherdj looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness.k