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 the Lord came to me, saying,
2 Son of man, be a prophet against the keepers of the flock of Israel, and say to them, O keepers of the sheep! this is the word of the Lord: A curse is on the keepers of the flock of Israel who take the food for themselves! is it not right for the keepers to give the food to the sheep?
3 You take the milk and are clothed with the wool, you put the fat beasts to death, but you give the sheep no food.
4 You have not made the diseased ones strong or made well that which was ill; you have not put bands on the broken or got back that which had been sent away or made search for the wandering ones; and the strong you have been ruling cruelly.
5 And they were wandering in every direction because there was no keeper: and they became food for all the beasts of the field.
6 And my sheep went out of the way, wandering through all the mountains and on every high hill: my sheep went here and there over all the face of the earth; and no one was troubled about them or went in search of them.
7 For this cause, O keepers of the flock, give ear to the word of the Lord:
8 By my life, says the Lord, truly, because my sheep have been taken away, and my sheep became food for all the beasts of the field, because there was no keeper, and my keepers did not go in search of the sheep, but the keepers took food for themselves and gave my sheep no food;
9 For this reason, O you keepers of the flock, give ear to the word of the Lord;
10 This is what the Lord has said: See I am against the keepers of the flock, and I will make search and see what they have done with my sheep, and will let them be keepers of my sheep no longer; and the keepers will no longer get food for themselves; I will take my sheep out of their mouths so that they may not be food for them.
11 For this is what the Lord has said: Truly, I, even I, will go searching and looking for my sheep.
12 As the keeper goes looking for his flock when he is among his wandering sheep, so I will go looking for my sheep, and will get them safely out of all the places where they have been sent wandering in the day of clouds and black night.
13 And I will take them out from among the peoples, and get them together from the countries, and will take them into their land; and I will give them food on the mountains of Israel by the water-streams and wherever men are living in the country.
14 I will give them good grass-land for their food, and their safe place will be the mountains of the high place of Israel: there they will take their rest in a good place, and on fat grass-land they will take their food on the mountains of Israel.
15 I myself will give food to my flock, and I will give them rest, says the Lord.
16 I will go in search of that which had gone wandering from the way, and will get back that which had been sent in flight, and will put bands on that which was broken, and give strength to that which was ill: but the fat and the strong I will give up to destruction; I will give them for their food the punishment which is theirs by right.
17 And as for you, O my flock, says the Lord, truly, I will be judge between sheep and sheep, the he-sheep and the he-goats.
18 Does it seem a small thing to you to have taken your food on good grass-land while the rest of your grass-land is stamped down under your feet? and that after drinking from clear waters you make the rest of the waters dirty with your feet?
19 And as for my sheep, their food is the grass which has been stamped on by your feet, and their drink the water which has been made dirty by your feet.
20 For this reason the Lord has said to them, Truly, I, even I, will be judge between the fat sheep and the thin sheep.
21 Because you have been pushing with side and leg, pushing the diseased with your horns till they were sent away in every direction;
22 I will make my flock safe, and they will no longer be taken away, and I will be judge between sheep and sheep.
23 And I will put over them one keeper, and he will give them food, even my servant David; he will give them food and be their keeper.
24 And I the Lord will be their God and my servant David their ruler; I the Lord have said it.
25 And I will make with them an agreement of peace, and will put an end to evil beasts through all the land: and they will be living safely in the waste land, sleeping in the woods.
26 And I will give the rain at the right time, and I will make the shower come down at the right time; there will be showers of blessing.
27 And the tree of the field will give its fruit and the earth will give its increase, and they will be safe in their land; and they will be certain that I am the Lord, when I have had their yoke broken and have given them salvation from the hands of those who made them servants.
28 And their goods will no longer be taken by the nations, and they will not again be food for the beasts of the earth; but they will be living safely and no one will be a cause of fear to them.
29 And I will give them planting-places of peace, and they will no longer be wasted from need of food or put to shame by the nations.
30 And they will be certain that I the Lord their God am with them, and that they, the children of Israel, are my people, says the Lord.
31 And you are my sheep, the sheep of my grass-lands, and I am your God, says the Lord.