Ezekiel 34:2–31

²“Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to you shepherds of Israel who only take care of yourselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock?^{s 3}You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock.^{t 4}You have not strengthened the weak or healed^u the sick or bound up^v the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally.^{w 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 scattered^a over the whole earth, and no one searched or looked for them.^b

⁷“ ‘Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: ⁸As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, because my flock lacks a shepherd and so has been plundered^c 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: ¹⁰This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against^f 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 rescue^g 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. ¹²As a shepherd^j 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 13}I will bring them out from the nations and gather^l them from the countries, and I will bring them into their own land.^m I will pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in all the settlements in the land.^{n 14}I will tend them in a good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel^o will be their grazing land. There they will lie down in good grazing land, and there they will feed in a rich pasture^p on the mountains of Israel.^{q 15}I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down,^r declares the Sovereign Lord.^{s 16}I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up^t the injured and strengthen the weak,^u but the sleek and the strong I will destroy.^v I will shepherd the flock with justice.^w

¹⁷“ ‘As for you, my flock, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will judge between one sheep and another, and between rams and goats.^{x 18}Is it not enough^y for you to feed on the good pasture? Must you also trample the rest of your pasture with your feet?^z Is it not enough for you to drink clear water? Must you also muddy the rest with your feet? ¹⁹Must my flock feed on what you have trampled and drink what you have muddied with your feet?

²⁰“ ‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says to them: See, I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep.^{a 21}Because you shove with flank and shoulder, butting all the weak sheep with your horns^b until you have driven them away, ²²I will save my flock, and they will no longer be plundered. I will judge between one sheep and another.^{c 23}I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend^d them; he will tend them and be their shepherd.^{e 24}I the Lord will be their God,^f and my servant David^g will be prince among them.^h I the Lord have spoken.ⁱ

²⁵“ ‘I will make a covenant^j of peace^k with them and rid the land of savage beasts^l so that they may live in the wilderness and sleep in the forests in safety.^{m 26}I will make them and the places surrounding my hill a blessing.^an I will send down showers in season;^o there will be showers of blessing.^{p 27}The trees will yield their fruit^q and the ground will yield its crops;^r the people will be secure^s in their land. They will know that I am the Lord, when I break the bars of their yoke^t and rescue them from the hands of those who enslaved them.^{u 28}They will no longer be plundered by the nations, nor will wild animals devour them. They will live in safety,^v and no one will make them afraid.^{w 29}I will provide for them a land renowned^x for its crops, and they will no longer be victims of famine^y in the land or bear the scorn^z of the nations.^{a 30}Then they will know that I, the Lord their God, am with them and that they, the Israelites, are my people, declares the Sovereign Lord.^{b 31}You are my sheep,^c the sheep of my pasture,^d and I am your God, declares the Sovereign Lord.’ ”