1 ¶ Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

2 Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say to them, The Lord GOD says this to the shepherds; Woe to the shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! should not the shepherds feed their flocks?

3 You eat the fat, clothe yourselves with the wool, and kill the fattened animals: but you do not tend the flock.

4 You have not strengthened the weak, healed the sick, or bound up broken limbs, nor have you brought back those who were driven away, or looked for those who were lost; but you have ruled them with force and violence.

5 So they were scattered, because there is no shepherd: and they became prey for all the beasts of the field, when they were scattered.

6 My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and over every high hill: yea, my flock was scattered over the face of the earth, and no one looked for them, or tried to find them.

7 ¶ Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD;

8 As I live, says the Lord GOD, because my sheep have no shepherd, they have become a prey, and my flock is devoured by every beast of the field, and my shepherds do not look for my flock, but feed themselves, and do not feed my flock;

9 Therefore, O you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD;

10 The Lord GOD says; Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will demand my flock from them, and stop them from shepherding the flock; nor will the shepherds feed themselves any longer; for I will deliver my flock from their mouth, so that they will no longer devour them.

11 For the Lord GOD says; Behold, I, even I, will both search for my sheep, and look after them.

12 As a shepherd looks out for his flock when they are scattered around him; so will I look out for my sheep, and will rescue them from every place where they may be scattered on the cloudy and gloomy days.

13 And I will bring them away from those people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them on the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the country.

14 I will feed them in good pasture, and their grazing land will be on the high hills of Israel: there they will lie in a good place, and feed in a rich pasture on the mountains of Israel.

15 I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, says the Lord GOD.

16 I will seek those who were lost, bring back those who were driven away, bandage the injured, and strengthen the sick: but I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with justice.

17 ¶ And as for you, O my flock, the Lord GOD says; Behold, I judge between sheep and sheep, and between the rams and the he goats.

18 Is it not enough for you to eat up the good pasture, must you trample on the rest? or to drink clear water, must you muddy the rest with your feet?

19 So my flock has to eat what you have trampled on; and drink what you have fouled with your feet.

20 Therefore the Lord GOD says to them; Behold, I, even I, will judge between the fat sheep and between the lean sheep.

21 Because you push with your side and shoulder, and shove all the weak away with your horns, until you have scattered them far and wide;

22 Therefore I will save my flock, and they will no longer be a prey; and I will judge between sheep and sheep.

23 And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he will feed them, even my servant David; he will feed them, and he will be their shepherd.

24 And I the LORD will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them; I the LORD have decreed it.

25 And I will make a covenant of peace with them, and will remove the evil beasts from the land: and they will dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods.

26 And I will make them and the places around my hill a blessing; and I will cause the showers to fall in their season; and there will be showers of blessing.

27 And the trees of the field will yield their fruit, and the earth will yield its increase, and they will be safe in their land, and will know that I am the LORD, when I have broken the bars of their yoke, and rescued them from the hands of those who exploited them.

28 And they will no longer be a prey to the heathen, nor will the beasts of the land devour them; but they will dwell safely, and no one will make them afraid.

29 And I will cause their crops to thrive, and they will no longer be consumed by famine in the land, or suffer the insults of the heathen.

30 Thus they will know that I the LORD their God am with them, and that they, even the house of Israel, are my people, says the Lord GOD.

31 And you my sheep, the flock of my pasture, are men, and I am your God, says the Lord GOD.