Ezekiel 34
Prophecy Against the Shepherds of Israel
The word of the Lord came to me: 2 a“Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy, and say to them, even to the shepherds, Thus says the Lord God: bAh, shepherds of Israel cwho have been feeding yourselves! dShould not shepherds feed the sheep? 3 aYou eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, byou slaughter the fat ones, but you do not feed the sheep. 4 aThe weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, bthe injured you have not bound up, bthe strayed you have not brought back, cthe lost you have not sought, and with force and dharshness you have ruled them. 5 aSo they were scattered, because there was no shepherd, and bthey became food for all the wild beasts. My sheep were scattered; 6 they wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. My sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth, awith none to search or seek for them.
7 “Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: 8 aAs I live, declares the Lord God, surely because bmy sheep have become a prey, and my sheep have become food for all the wild beasts, since there was no shepherd, and because my shepherds have not searched for my sheep, but the shepherds have fed themselves, and have not fed my sheep, 9 therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: 10 Thus says the Lord God, aBehold, I am against the shepherds, and bI will require my sheep at their hand and cput a stop to their feeding the sheep. dNo longer shall the shepherds feed themselves. eI will rescue my sheep from their mouths, that they may not be food for them.
The Lord God Will Seek Them Out
11 “For thus says the Lord God: aBehold, I, I bmyself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. 12 As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on aa day of clouds and bthick darkness. 13 And I will bring them out from the peoples aand gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land. And I will feed them on bthe mountains of Israel, by the ravines, and in all the inhabited places of the country. 14 aI will feed them with good pasture, and on the mountain heights of Israel shall be their grazing land. bThere they shall lie down in good grazing land, and on rich pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel. 15 aI myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, band I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord God. 16 aI will seek the lost, band I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and cthe fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice.
17 “As for you, my flock, thus says the Lord God: aBehold, I judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and bmale goats. 18 Is it not enough for you to feed on the good pasture, that you must tread down with your feet the rest of your pasture; and to drink of aclear water, that you must muddy the rest of the water with your feet? 19 And must my sheep eat what you have trodden with your feet, and drink what you have muddied with your feet?
20 “Therefore, thus says the Lord God to them: Behold, I, I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. 21 Because you push with side and shoulder, and athrust at all the bweak with your horns, till you have scattered them abroad, 22 I will rescue my flock; athey shall no longer be a prey. And I will judge between sheep and sheep. 23 And aI will set up over them one shepherd, bmy servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd. 24 And aI, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them. bI am the Lord; I have spoken.
The Lord’s Covenant of Peace
25 a“I will make with them a covenant of peace and bbanish wild beasts from the land, cso that they may dwell securely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods. 26 And I will make them and the places all around my hill aa blessing, and bI will send down the showers in their season; they shall be cshowers of blessing. 27 aAnd the trees of the field shall yield their fruit, and the earth shall yield its increase, band they shall be secure in their land. And cthey shall know that I am the Lord, when dI break the bars of their yoke, and ddeliver them from the hand of those who enslaved them. 28 aThey shall no more be a prey to the nations, bnor shall the beasts of the land devour them. cThey shall dwell securely, and none shall make them afraid. 29 And I will provide for them aa renowned place for planting so that bthey shall no more be consumed with hunger in the land, and no longer csuffer the reproach of the nations. 30 And they shall know that aI am the Lord their God with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are my people, declares the Lord God. 31 And you are my sheep, ahuman sheep of my pasture, and I am your God, declares the Lord God.”
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway,
a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.