And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
John 10:10-21
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.
