God, the True Shepherd

11 ‘For thus says the Lord God: “Indeed I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out. 12 As a qshepherd seeks out his flock on the day he is among his scattered sheep, so will I seek out My sheep and deliver them from all the places where they were scattered on ra cloudy and dark day. 13 And sI will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land; I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, 2in the valleys and in all the inhabited places of the country. 14 tI will feed them in good pasture, and their fold shall be on the high mountains of Israel. uThere they shall lie down in a good fold and feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. 15 I will feed My flock, and I will make them lie down,” says the Lord God. 16 v“I will seek what was lost and bring back what was driven away, bind up the broken and strengthen what was sick; but I will destroy wthe fat and the strong, and feed them xin judgment.”

17 ‘And as for you, O My flock, thus says the Lord God: y“Behold, I shall judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and goats. 18 Is it too little for you to have eaten up the good pasture, that you must tread down with your feet the 3residue of your pasture—and to have drunk of the clear waters, that you must foul the residue with your feet? 19 And as for My flock, they eat what you have trampled with your feet, and they drink what you have fouled with your feet.”

20 ‘Therefore thus says the Lord God to them: z“Behold, I Myself will judge between the fat and the lean sheep. 21 Because you have pushed with side and shoulder, butted all the weak ones with your horns, and scattered them abroad, 22 therefore I will save My flock, and they shall no longer be a prey; and I will judge between sheep and sheep. 23 I will establish one ashepherd over them, and he shall feed them—bMy servant David. He shall feed them and be their shepherd. 24 And cI, the Lord, will be their God, and My servant David da prince among them; I, the Lord, have spoken.

25 e“I will make a covenant of peace with them, and fcause wild beasts to cease from the land; and they gwill dwell safely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods. 26 I will make them and the places all around hMy hill ia blessing; and I will jcause showers to come down in their season; there shall be kshowers of blessing. 27 Then lthe trees of the field shall yield their fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase. They shall be safe in their land; and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I have mbroken the bands of their yoke and delivered them from the hand of those who nenslaved them. 28 And they shall no longer be a prey for the nations, nor shall beasts of the land devour them; but othey shall dwell safely, and no one shall make them afraid. 29 I will raise up for them a pgarden 4of renown, and they shall qno longer be consumed with hunger in the land, rnor bear the shame of the Gentiles anymore. 30 Thus they shall know that sI, the Lord their God, am with them, and they, the house of Israel, are tMy people,” says the Lord God.’ ”

31 “You are My uflock, the flock of My pasture; you are men, and I am your God,” says the Lord God.

Judgment on Mount Seir

35 Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, set your face against aMount Seir and bprophesy against it, 3 and say to it, ‘Thus says the Lord God:

“Behold, O Mount Seir, I am against you;

cI will stretch out My hand against you,

And make you 1most desolate;

4 I shall lay your cities waste,

And you shall be desolate.

Then you shall know that I am the Lord.

5 d“Because you have had an 2ancient hatred, and have shed the blood of the children of Israel by the power of the sword at the time of their calamity, ewhen their iniquity came to an end, 6 therefore, as I live,” says the Lord God, “I will prepare you for fblood, and blood shall pursue you; gsince you have not hated 3blood, therefore blood shall pursue you. 7 Thus I will make Mount Seir 4most desolate, and cut off from it the hone who leaves and the one who returns. 8 And I will fill its mountains with the slain; on your hills and in your valleys and in all your ravines those who are slain by the sword shall fall. 9 iI will make you 5perpetually desolate, and your cities shall be uninhabited; jthen you shall know that I am the Lord.

10 “Because you have said, ‘These two nations and these two countries shall be mine, and we will kpossess them,’ although lthe Lord was there, 11 therefore, as I live,” says the Lord God, “I will do maccording to your anger and according to the envy which you showed in your hatred against them; and I will make Myself known among them when I judge you. 12 nThen you shall know that I am the Lord. I have oheard all your pblasphemies which you have spoken against the mountains of Israel, saying, ‘They are desolate; they are given to us to consume.’ 13 Thus qwith your mouth you have 6boasted against Me and multiplied your rwords against Me; I have heard them.”

14 ‘Thus says the Lord God: s“The whole earth will rejoice when I make you desolate. 15 tAs you rejoiced because the inheritance of the house of Israel was desolate, uso I will do to you; you shall be desolate, O Mount Seir, as well as all of Edom—all of it! Then they shall know that I am the Lord.” ’

Blessing on Israel

36 “And you, son of man, prophesy to the amountains of Israel, and say, ‘O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord! 2 Thus says the Lord God: “Because bthe enemy has said of you, ‘Aha! cThe 1ancient heights dhave become our possession,’ ” ’ 3 therefore prophesy, and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Because they made you desolate and swallowed you up on every side, so that you became the possession of the rest of the nations, eand you are taken up by the lips of ftalkers and slandered by the people”—4 therefore, O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God! Thus says the Lord God to the mountains, the hills, the 2rivers, the valleys, the desolate wastes, and the cities that have been forsaken, which gbecame plunder and hmockery to the rest of the nations all around—5 therefore thus says the Lord God: i“Surely I have spoken in My burning jealousy against the rest of the nations and against all Edom, jwho gave My land to themselves as a possession, with wholehearted joy and 3spiteful minds, in order to plunder its open country.” ’

6 “Therefore prophesy concerning the land of Israel, and say to the mountains, the hills, the rivers, and the valleys, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I have spoken in My jealousy and My fury, because you have kborne the shame of the nations.” 7 Therefore thus says the Lord God: “I have lraised My hand in an oath that surely the nations that are around you shall mbear their own shame. 8 But you, O mountains of Israel, you shall shoot forth your branches and yield your fruit to My people Israel, for they are about to come. 9 For indeed I am for you, and I will turn to you, and you shall be tilled and sown. 10 I will multiply men upon you, all the house of Israel, all of it; and the cities shall be inhabited and nthe ruins rebuilt. 11 oI will multiply upon you man and beast; and they shall increase and 4bear young; I will make you inhabited as in former times, and do pbetter for you than at your beginnings. qThen you shall know that I am the Lord. 12 Yes, I will cause men to walk on you, My people Israel; rthey shall take possession of you, and you shall be their inheritance; no more shall you sbereave them of children.”

13 ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Because they say to you, t‘You devour men and bereave your nation of children,’ 14 therefore you shall devour men no more, nor bereave your nation anymore,” says the Lord God. 15 uNor will I let you hear the taunts of the nations anymore, nor bear the reproach of the peoples anymore, nor shall you cause your nation to stumble anymore,” says the Lord God.’ ”