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Ezekiel 34
1 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy,
and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto the shepherds; Woe be to the
shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the
flocks?
3 Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them
that are fed: but ye feed not the flock.
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 again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that
which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them.
5 And they were scattered, because there is no shepherd: and they
became meat to all the beasts of the field, when they were scattered.
6 My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high
hill: yea, my flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did
search or seek after them.
7 Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD;
8 As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely because my flock became a
prey, and my flock became meat to every beast of the field, because there was no
shepherd, neither did my shepherds search for my flock, but the shepherds fed
themselves, and fed not my flock;
9 Therefore, O ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD;
10 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against the shepherds; and
I will require my flock at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the
flock; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more; for I will deliver
my flock from their mouth, that they may not be meat for them.
11 For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, will both search
my sheep, and seek them out.
12 As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among
his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them
out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.
13 And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from
the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the
mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited 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 in a good fold, and in a fat
pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel.
15 I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith
the Lord GOD.
16 I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was
driven away, and will bind up that which was 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, O my flock, thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I
judge between cattle and cattle, between the rams and the he goats.
18 Seemeth it a small thing unto you to have eaten up the good
pasture, but ye must tread down with your feet the residue of your pastures? and
to have drunk of the deep waters, but ye must foul the residue with your feet?
19 And as for my flock, 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 GOD unto them; Behold, I, even I,
will judge between the fat cattle and between the lean cattle.
21 Because ye have thrust with side and with shoulder, and pushed
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 cattle and cattle.
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 the LORD will be their God, and my servant David a prince
among them; I the LORD have spoken it.
25 And I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause
the evil beasts to cease out of the land: and they shall dwell safely 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 his season; there shall be
showers of blessing.
27 And the tree of the field shall yield her fruit, and the earth
shall yield her increase, and they shall be safe in their land, and shall know
that I am the LORD, when I have broken the bands of their yoke, and delivered
them out of the hand of those that served themselves of them.
28 And they shall no more be a prey to the heathen, neither shall
the beast of the land devour them; but they shall dwell safely, 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 shame of the
heathen any more.
30 Thus shall they know that I the LORD their God am with them, and
that they, even the house of Israel, are my people, saith the Lord GOD.
31 And ye my flock, the flock of my pasture, are men, and I am your
God, saith the Lord GOD.
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