1 En die woord van die HERE het tot my gekom en gesê:
2 Mensekind, profeteer teen die herders van Israel; profeteer en sê vir hulle, die herders: So spreek die Here HERE: Wee die herders van Israel wat aan hulleself weiding verskaf! Moet die herders nie die skape laat wei nie?
3 Julle eet die vet en beklee julle met die wol; julle slag die vettes, maar die skape laat julle nie wei nie;
4 julle versterk die swakkes nie en maak die siekes nie gesond nie en die wat gewond is, verbind julle nie en wat weggedryf is, bring julle nie terug nie en wat verlore is, soek julle nie; maar met strengheid heers julle oor hulle en met hardheid.
5 So het hulle dan verstrooid geraak, omdat daar geen herder was nie; en hulle het die voedsel geword vir al die wilde diere van die veld en het verstrooid geraak.
6 My skape dwaal rond op al die berge en op al die hoë heuwels; ja, oor die hele oppervlakte van die aarde is my skape verstrooi, sonder dat iemand na hulle vra of hulle soek.
7 Daarom, o herders, hoor die woord van die HERE:
8 So waar as Ek leef, spreek die Here HERE, gewis, omdat my skape 'n prooi geword het en my skape as voedsel gedien het van al die wilde diere van die veld, omdat daar geen herder was nie, en my herders na my skape nie vra nie; en die herders aan hulleself weiding verskaf, maar my skape nie laat wei nie --
9 daarom, o herders, hoor die woord van die HERE!
10 So sê die Here HERE: Kyk, Ek het dit teen die herders! En Ek sal my skape van hulle hand eis en maak dat hulle geen skape meer oppas nie, sodat die herders aan hulleself nie meer weiding sal verskaf nie; en Ek sal my skape uit hulle mond uitruk, sodat dit hulle nie as voedsel sal dien nie.
11 Want so sê die Here HERE: Kyk, hier is Ek, en Ek sal na my skape vra en vir hulle sorg.
12 Soos 'n herder vir sy trop skape sorg op die dag as hy onder sy verspreide skape is, so sal Ek vir my skape sorg; en Ek sal hulle red uit al die plekke waarheen hulle verstrooi is, op die dag van wolke en donkerheid.
13 En Ek sal hulle uitlei uit die volke en versamel uit die lande en hulle bring in hul land; en Ek sal hulle laat wei op die berge van Israel, in die klowe en in al die bewoonbare plekke van die land.
14 Op 'n goeie weiveld sal Ek hulle laat wei, en op die hoë berge van Israel sal hulle weiplek wees. Daar sal hulle lê op 'n goeie plek en wei in 'n geil weiveld op die berge van Israel.
15 Ek self sal my skape oppas, en Ek self sal hulle laat lê en rus, spreek die Here HERE.
16 Die wat verlore is, sal Ek soek, en wat weggedryf is, sal Ek terugbring, en wat gewond is, sal Ek verbind, en die siekes sal Ek versterk; maar die vettes en die sterkes sal Ek verdelg: Ek sal hulle oppas soos dit reg is.
17 En wat julle aangaan, my skape, so sê die Here HERE, kyk, Ek sal oordeel tussen skape en skape, die ramme en die bokramme.
18 Is dit vir julle nie genoeg dat julle die goeie weiveld afwei nie? En moet julle die orige van jul weiveld met jul pote vertrap? En moet julle die helder water drink, terwyl julle die wat oorbly, met jul pote troebel maak?
19 En moet my skape afwei wat met julle pote vertrap is, en drink wat met julle pote troebel gemaak is?
20 Daarom, so sê die Here HERE vir hulle: Kyk, hier is Ek, en Ek sal oordeel tussen die vet skape en die maer skape.
21 Omdat julle al die swakkes met skof en skouer wegdruk en met julle horings stoot, totdat julle hulle uitgejaag het,
22 daarom sal Ek my skape red, sodat hulle nie meer 'n prooi sal wees nie; en Ek sal oordeel tussen skape en skape.
23 En Ek sal een enkele herder oor hulle verwek, en hy sal hulle laat wei, naamlik my kneg Dawid; hy sal hulle laat wei, en hy sal vir hulle 'n herder wees.
24 En Ek, die HERE, Ek sal vir hulle 'n God wees, en my kneg Dawid 'n vors in hulle midde. Ek, die HERE, het dit gespreek.
25 En Ek sal 'n verbond van vrede met hulle sluit en die wilde diere uit die land laat verdwyn; en hulle sal veilig bly in die woestyn en slaap in die bosse.
26 En Ek sal hulle en die plekke rondom my heuwel tot 'n seën maak en die stortreën laat val op sy tyd; stortreëns van seën sal dit wees.
27 En die bome van die veld sal hulle vrugte gee, en die land sal sy opbrings gee, en hulle sal veilig wees in hul land; en hulle sal weet dat Ek die HERE is as Ek hulle jukskeie stukkend breek en hulle red uit die hand van die wat hulle diensbaar gemaak het.
28 En hulle sal nie meer 'n prooi vir die nasies wees nie, en die wilde diere van die land sal hulle nie opeet nie; maar hulle sal veilig woon sonder dat iemand hulle verskrik.
29 En Ek sal vir hulle plante van naam verwek, sodat hulle nie meer deur hongersnood in die land weggeruk sal word nie en die smaad van die nasies nie meer sal dra nie.
30 Maar hulle sal weet dat Ek, die HERE hulle God, met hulle is, en dat hulle, die huis van Israel, my volk is, spreek die Here HERE.
31 En julle is my skape, die skape van my weide; julle is mense, Ek is julle God, spreek die Here HERE.
1 And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying, 2 Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, even to the shepherds, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Woe unto the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the sheep? 3 Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill the fatlings; but ye feed not the sheep. 4 The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought back that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with rigor have ye ruled over them. 5 And they were scattered, because there was no shepherd; and they became food to all the beasts of the field, and were scattered. 6 My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill: yea, my sheep were scattered upon all the face of the earth; and there was none that did search or seek after them.
7 Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of Jehovah: 8 As I live, saith the Lord Jehovah, surely forasmuch as my sheep became a prey, and my sheep became food to all the beasts of the field, because there was no shepherd, neither did my shepherds search for my sheep, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my sheep; 9 therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of Jehovah: 10 Thus saith the Lord Jehovah, Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require my sheep at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the sheep; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more; and I will deliver my sheep from their mouth, that they may not be food for them.
11 For thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I myself, even I, will search for my sheep, and will seek them out. 12 As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered abroad, so will I seek out my sheep; and I will deliver them out of all places whither they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. 13 And I will bring them out from the peoples, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land; and I will feed them upon the mountains of Israel, by the watercourses, and in all the inhabited places of the country. 14 I will feed them with good pasture; and upon the mountains of the height of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie down in a good fold; and on fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel. 15 I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord Jehovah. 16 I will seek that which was lost, and will bring back that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick: but the fat and the strong I will destroy; I will feed them in justice.
17 And as for you, O my flock, thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I judge between sheep and sheep, the rams and the he-goats. 18 Seemeth it a small thing unto you to have fed upon the good pasture, but ye must tread down with your feet the residue of your pasture? and to have drunk of the clear waters, but ye must foul the residue with your feet? 19 And as for my sheep, they eat that which ye have trodden with your feet, and they drink that which ye have fouled with your feet.
20 Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah unto them: Behold, I, even I, will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. 21 Because ye thrust with side and with shoulder, and push all the diseased with your horns, till ye have scattered them abroad; 22 therefore will I save my flock, and they shall no more be a prey; and I will judge between sheep and sheep. 23 And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd. 24 And I, Jehovah, will be their God, and my servant David prince among them; I, Jehovah, have spoken it.
25 And I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause evil beasts to cease out of the land; and they shall dwell securely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods. 26 And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in its season; there shall be showers of blessing. 27 And the tree of the field shall yield its fruit, and the earth shall yield its increase, and they shall be secure in their land; and they shall know that I am Jehovah, when I have broken the bars of their yoke, and have delivered them out of the hand of those that made bondmen of them. 28 And they shall no more be a prey to the nations, neither shall the beasts of the earth devour them; but they shall dwell securely, and none shall make them afraid. 29 And I will raise up unto them a plantation for renown, and they shall be no more consumed with famine in the land, neither bear the shame of the nations any more. 30 And they shall know that I, Jehovah, their God am with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are my people, saith the Lord Jehovah. 31 And ye my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, are men, and I am your God, saith the Lord Jehovah.