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, unto the shepherds, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Woe to the shepherds of Israel that feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flock?3 Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool; ye kill them that are fattened: {but} ye feed not the flock.4 The weak have ye not strengthened, nor have ye healed the sick, and ye have not bound up {what was} broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought for that which was lost; but with harshness and with rigour have ye ruled over them.5 And they were scattered because there was no shepherd; and they became meat to all the beasts of the field, and were scattered.6 My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill, and my sheep have been scattered upon all the face of the earth, and there was none that searched, or that sought for them.7 Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of Jehovah:8 {As} I live, saith the Lord Jehovah, verily because my sheep have been a prey, and my sheep have been meat to every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, and my shepherds searched not for my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my flock,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 flock: that the shepherds may feed themselves no 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, {even} I, will both search for my sheep, and tend them.12 As a shepherd tendeth his flock in the day that he is among his scattered sheep, so will I tend my sheep, and 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 to their own land; and I will feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the water-courses, and in all the habitable places of the country.14 I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie down in a good fold, and in a fat pasture they shall feed upon the mountains of Israel.15 I will myself feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord Jehovah.16 I will seek the lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up the broken, and will strengthen that which was sick; but I will destroy the fat and the strong: I will feed them with judgment.17 And as for you, my flock, thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I judge between sheep and sheep, between the rams and the he-goats.18 Is it too small a thing unto you to have eaten up the good pastures, but ye must tread down with your feet the rest of your pastures; and to have drunk of the settled waters, but ye must foul the rest with your feet?19 And my sheep have to eat that which ye have trodden with your feet, and to drink that which ye have fouled with your feet.20 Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah unto them: Behold, {it is} I, and I will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep.21 Because ye thrust with side and with shoulder, and push all the weak ones with your horns, till ye have scattered them abroad,22 -I will save my flock, that they may 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 a prince in their midst: 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 in safety 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 in safety in their land, and shall know that I {am} Jehovah, when I have broken the bands of their yoke and delivered them out of the hand of those that kept them in servitude.28 And they shall no more be a prey to the nations, neither shall the beast of the earth devour them; but they shall dwell in safety, and none shall make them afraid.29 And I will raise up for them a plant of renown, and they shall be no more consumed with hunger in the land, neither bear the ignominy 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 flock, the flock of my pasture, are men: I {am} your God, saith the Lord Jehovah.

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.