Ezekiel 34

₁The Lord talked to me and He said: ₂‘Son of man, you must prophesy_against the leaders_of_Israel and tell them: “The Lord God says: You are like bad shepherds of Israel. You care only for yourselves. Shepherds must care for the sheep and goats, ₃but you eat the fat meat of the sheep and goats, you make your clothes from their wool, you kill the fattest sheep and goats and you don't care for them. ₄You did not help the weak sheep and goats to become strong again, you did not heal the sick sheep and goats, you did not put anything on the wounds of the sheep and goats that were hurt, you did not bring back the sheep and goats that were lost, and you did not go and look for the sheep and goats that were lost. No, you ruled harshly and cruelly over them. ₅The enemies chased them all over because there was no shepherd to lead them and the wild animals killed them. ₆My sheep and goats were all over the mountains and high hills. Enemies chased them and they did not know where to go. No one went to look for them or asked where they were.

₇Shepherds, that is why you must listen to what the Lord says. ₈The Lord God says: I will punish the shepherds. This is sure, as sure as I live. Enemies have taken my sheep and goats for themselves, and wild animals have eaten my sheep and goats because there was no leader who could help them like a shepherd. My shepherds did not go and look for my sheep and goats. The shepherds cared only for themselves. They did not care for my sheep and goats.

₉That is why, shepherds, you must listen to what the Lord says.” ’ ₁₀The Lord God says: ‘Now I will become the enemy of the shepherds. I will take away my sheep and goats from the shepherds. They will never take care of my sheep again and they will never eat my sheep and goats again.’

₁₁The Lord God says: ‘Now I will look after my sheep and goats and take care of them and find them. ₁₂Like a shepherd who takes care of his sheep and goats when they have been lost and he finds them, that is how I will take care of my sheep and goats and I will save them from all the lands where they had to flee on that day when the dark clouds came. ₁₃I will bring them from among the nations, I will bring them together from the other lands and I will bring them to their own land where they will eat on the mountains_of_Israel near water streams and wherever people live. ₁₄I will give my sheep and goats a lot of food and the high mountains_of_Israel will be their fields. My sheep and goats will eat on the fertile fields on the mountains of Israel. ₁₅I will be the Shepherd of my sheep and goats and I will let them lie down and rest after they have eaten.’ This is what the Lord God said.

₁₆‘I will go and look for my sheep and goats that were lost and I will bring them back, I will heal the sheep and goats that were hurt, I will make the weak sheep and goats strong again, but I will kill the strong and fat sheep and goats. I will be fair when I am the Shepherd of my sheep.’

₁₇The Lord God says: ‘And you, my flock of sheep and goats, I will now judge the sheep and say who has done right or wrong, the sheep rams or the goat-rams. ₁₈You were on good fields and you ate a lot, but you were not satisfied. You trampled the grass that was left over. You had clean water to drink but then you made the water that was left over dirty and full of mud with your feet. ₁₉My sheep and goats had to eat the grass in the field that you had trampled. They had to drink water that you had made dirty.’

₂₀The Lord God says: ‘I will judge between the fat sheep and the thin sheep, ₂₁because the fat sheep have pushed away the thin sheep with their shoulders and their bodies. They have pushed the thin sheep away with their horns and chased them away from the flock. ₂₂I will save my sheep and goats. No one will be able to take them. I will judge between the different sheep and goats.’

₂₃‘I will choose one shepherd and appoint him to look after my people and he will care for them. I will appoint my servant David. He will take care of them, and he will be their shepherd. ₂₄I, the Lord, will be their God and my servant David will rule over them. I, the Lord, have said this.

₂₅And I will make a covenant with them so that they will have peace. I will cause the wild animals in the land to die so that my sheep and goats can be safe in the fields and so that they can sleep among the bushes. ₂₆I will be good to them and to the land around my hill. I will give rain at the right time. Yes, I will bless them very much, like rain falling down on them. ₂₇There will be fruit on the trees and a lot of wheat that people can harvest. My people will be safe in their land. They will know that I am the Lord when I break the yokes on their necks and when I save them from the people who have made them slaves. ₂₈Other nations will no longer be able to come and take them away, and wild animals will no longer kill them. They will live safely and they will not be afraid anymore.

₂₉I will make everything that they plant fertile and everyone will see it. My people will not be hungry again and the other nations will not say bad things about them anymore. ₃₀My people will know that I, the Lord, am their God, and that I am with them. The Israelites will know that they are my people.’ This is what the Lord God said.

₃₁‘Yes, you are my sheep and goats on my field. You are my people and I am your God.’ This is what the Lord God said.