1 Open jou deure, o L¡banon, sodat vuur jou sederbome verteer!

2 Huil, o sipres, omdat die seder geval het, omdat die pragtige bome verwoes is! Huil, eike van Basan, omdat die ontoeganklike woud afgekap is.

3 Hoor! die gejammer van die herders, want hulle heerlikheid is verwoes. Hoor! die geknor van die jong leeus, want die pronkbosse van die Jordaan is verwoes.

4 So sê die HERE my God: Wees herder van die slagskape --

5 hulle kopers maak hulle dood, sonder om skuldig te voel; hulle verkopers sê: Geloofd sy die HERE; ek word ryk! En hulle herders het geen medelyde met hulle nie.

6 Want Ek sal met die inwoners van die land geen medelyde meer hê nie, spreek die HERE; maar kyk, Ek gaan die mense oorlewer, elkeen in die hand van sy naaste en in die hand van sy koning; en hulle sal die land verwoes, en Ek sal uit hulle hand nie red nie.

7 En ek het die slagskape -- waarlik ellendige skape! -- opgepas; en ek het vir my twee stawe geneem. Die een het ek genoem: Lieflikheid, en die ander het ek genoem: Samebinding; en ek het die skape opgepas.

8 En ek het die drie herders in een maand vernietig. Toe het my siel ongeduldig geword oor hulle, terwyl hulle siel ook van my afkerig geword het.

9 Daarop het ek gesê: Ek wil julle nie meer oppas nie -- wat sterwend is, laat sterwe; en wat verlore gaan, laat verlore wees, en laat die wat oorbly, mekaar se vleis verslind!

10 Toe het ek my staf Lieflikheid geneem en dit verbreek, om my verbond wat ek met al die volke gesluit het, te verbreek.

11 En dit is op die dag verbreek. En so het die ellendiges onder die skape wat op my ag gegee het, bemerk dat dit 'n woord van die HERE was.

12 Daarop sê ek vir hulle: As dit goed is in julle oë, gee dan my loon; en so nie, laat dit dan staan. Toe het hulle my loon afgeweeg: dertig sikkels silwer.

13 Hierop sê die HERE vir my: Gooi dit vir die pottebakker -- die heerlike prys waarmee Ek deur hulle gewaardeer is! En ek het die dertig sikkels silwer geneem en dit in die huis van die HERE vir die pottebakker gegooi.

14 Toe het ek my tweede staf, Samebinding, verbreek, om die broederskap tussen Juda en Israel te verbreek.

15 Daarop sê die HERE vir my: Neem weer vir jou die gereedskap van 'n herder, van 'n dwase.

16 Want kyk, Ek sal 'n herder verwek in die land; na wat verlore is, sal hy nie omkyk nie; wat verstrooi is, nie opsoek nie; en wat gebroke is, nie genees nie; en wat nog regop staan, nie versorg nie. Maar die vleis van die vettes sal hy eet en selfs hulle kloue afruk.

17 Wee die slegte herder wat die skape in die steek laat! Mag die swaard sy arm tref en sy regteroog! Mag sy arm heeltemal verdor en sy regteroog heeltemal verduister word!

1 Let your doors be open, O Lebanon, so that fire may be burning among your cedars.

2 Give a cry of grief, O fir-tree, for the fall of the cedar, because the great ones have been made low: give cries of grief, O you oaks of Bashan, for the strong trees of the wood have come down.

3 The sound of the crying of the keepers of the flock! for their glory is made waste: the sound of the loud crying of the young lions! for the pride of Jordan is made waste.

4 This is what the Lord my God has said: Take care of the flock of death;

5 Whose owners put them to death and have no sense of sin; and those who get a price for them say, May the Lord be praised for I have much wealth: and the keepers of the flock have no pity for them.

6 For I will have no more pity for the people of the land, says the Lord; but I will give up everyone into his neighbour's hand and into the hand of his king: and they will make the land waste, and I will not keep them safe from their hands.

7 So I took care of the flock of death, for those who made profit out of the flock; and I took for myself two rods, naming one Beautiful, and the other Bands; and I took care of the flock.

8 And in one month I put an end to the three keepers of the flock; for my soul was tired of them, and their souls were disgusted with me.

9 And I said, I will not take care of you: If death comes to any, let death be its fate; if any is cut off, let it be cut off; and let the rest take one another's flesh for food.

10 And I took my rod Beautiful, cutting it in two, so that the Lord's agreement, which he had made with all the peoples, might be broken.

11 And it was broken on that day: and the sheep-traders, who were watching me, were certain that it was the word of the Lord.

12 And I said to them, If it seems good to you, give me my payment; and if not, do not give it. So they gave me my payment by weight, thirty shekels of silver.

13 And the Lord said to me, Put it into the store-house, the price at which I was valued by them. And I took the thirty shekels of silver and put them into the store-house in the house of the Lord.

14 Then I took my other rod, the one named Bands, cutting it in two, so that the relation of brothers between Judah and Israel might be broken.

15 And the Lord said to me, Take again the instruments of a foolish keeper of sheep.

16 For see, I will put a sheep-keeper over the land, who will have no care for that which is cut off, and will not go in search of the wanderers, or make well what is broken, and he will not give food to that which is ill, but he will take for his food the flesh of the fat, and let their feet be broken.

17 A curse on the foolish keeper who goes away from the flock! the sword will be on his arm and on his right eye: his arm will become quite dry and his eye will be made completely dark.