1 The word of Yahweh was addressed to me as follows,
2 'Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them, "Shepherds, the Lord Yahweh says this: Disaster is in store for the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Are not shepherds meant to feed a flock?
3 Yet you have fed on milk, you have dressed yourselves in wool, you have sacrificed the fattest sheep, but failed to feed the flock.
4 You have failed to make weak sheep strong, or to care for the sick ones, or bandage the injured ones. You have failed to bring back strays or look for the lost. On the contrary, you have ruled them cruelly and harshly.
5 For lack of a shepherd they have been scattered, to become the prey of all the wild animals; they have been scattered.
6 My flock is astray on every mountain and on every high hill; my flock has been scattered all over the world; no one bothers about them and no one looks for them.
7 "Very well, shepherds, hear the word of Yahweh:
8 As I live, I swear it -- declares the Lord Yahweh -- since my flock has been pillaged and for lack of a shepherd is now the prey of every wild animal, since my shepherds have ceased to bother about my flock, since my shepherds feed themselves rather than my flock,
9 very well, shepherds, hear the word of Yahweh:
10 The Lord Yahweh says this: Look, I am against the shepherds. I shall take my flock out of their charge and henceforth not allow them to feed my flock. And the shepherds will stop feeding themselves, because I shall rescue my sheep from their mouths to stop them from being food for them.
11 "For the Lord Yahweh says this: Look, I myself shall take care of my flock and look after it.
12 As a shepherd looks after his flock when he is with his scattered sheep, so shall I look after my sheep. I shall rescue them from wherever they have been scattered on the day of clouds and darkness.
13 I shall bring them back from the peoples where they are; I shall gather them back from the countries and bring them back to their own land. I shall pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in all the inhabited parts of the country.
14 I shall feed them in good pasturage; the highest mountains of Israel will be their grazing ground. There they will rest in good grazing grounds; they will browse in rich pastures on the mountains of Israel.
15 I myself shall pasture my sheep, I myself shall give them rest -- declares the Lord Yahweh.
16 I shall look for the lost one, bring back the stray, bandage the injured and make the sick strong. I shall watch over the fat and healthy. I shall be a true shepherd to them.
17 "As for you, my sheep, the Lord Yahweh says this: I shall judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and he-goats.
18 Not content to drink the clearest of the water, you foul the rest with your feet.
19 And my sheep must graze on what your feet have trampled and drink what your feet have fouled.
20 Very well, the Lord Yahweh says this: I myself shall judge between the fat sheep and the thin sheep.
21 Since you have jostled with flank and shoulder and butted all the ailing sheep with your horns, until you have scattered them outside,
22 I shall come and save my sheep and stop them from being victimised. I shall judge between sheep and sheep.
23 "I shall raise up one shepherd, my servant David, and put him in charge of them to pasture them; he will pasture them and be their shepherd.
24 I, Yahweh, shall be their God, and my servant David will be ruler among them. I, Yahweh, have spoken.
25 I shall make a covenant of peace with them; I shall rid the country of wild animals. They will be able to live secure in the desert and go to sleep in the woods.
26 I shall settle them round my hill; I shall send rain at the proper time; it will be a rain of blessings.
27 The trees of the countryside will yield their fruit and the soil will yield its produce; they will be secure on their soil. And they will know that I am Yahweh when I break the bars of their yoke and rescue them from the clutches of their slave-masters.
28 No more will they be a prey to the nations, no more will the wild animals of the country devour them. They will live secure, with no one to frighten them.
29 I shall make splendid vegetation grow for them; no more will they suffer from famine in the country; no more will they have to bear the insults of other nations.
30 So they will know that I, their God, am with them and that they, the House of Israel, are my people -- declares the Lord Yahweh.
31 And you, my sheep, are the flock of my human pasture, and I am your God -- declares the Lord Yahweh." '
Versículos relacionados com Ezekiel, 34:
Ezekiel 34 talks about the religious leadership of Israel and its neglect of the people, leading to the oppression and helplessness of the sheep, which represent the people of God. The chapter denounces the shepherds who benefit at the expense of the people and calls for a new leader who takes care of the flock with justice and love. Below are five verses related to the topics covered in Ezekiel 34:
Isaiah 56:11: "They are greedy dogs, who never have sufficient; they are pastors who understand nothing. They all turn to their own way, each for their greed, each in turn." The verse denounces the greed and neglect of religious leaders who do not take care of the people, as well as Ezekiel 34.
Zechariah 11:4-5: "Thus saith the Lord my God: cease the sheep destined for the slaughterhouse, whose buyers kill them and are not considered guilty; and those who sell them say, Blessed be the Lord, because I am enriching! pastors themselves have no mercy on them. " The verse shows the cruelty of religious leaders who exploit the people for their own benefit, as described in Ezekiel 34.
Jeremiah 23:1-2: "Woe to the shepherds who destroy and disperse the flock of my pastures! Declares the Lord. So, thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, against the shepherds who take care of my people: You have scattered mine flock, and expelled him, and did not visit him. Behold, I will visit you the evil of your actions, declares the Lord. " The verse also denounces the neglect of religious leaders and announces divine justice over them.
John 10:11: "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives his life through the sheep." The verse presents Jesus as the example of leader who cares for the people with love and justice, as opposed to the negligent leaders described in Ezekiel 34.
Hebrews 13:17: "I obey your leaders, and submit to them, for they sail for your soul as one who will be accountable, that they may do it with joy and not moaning, because that would not be useful for you." The verse encourages obedience to religious leaders who take care of the people with responsibility and love, as should be the role of pastors described in Ezekiel 34.
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