*THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET
EZEKIEL
Ezekiel 34 ©
A prophecy against the wicked shepherds of God’s people, vs. 1, 2, etc. God promises that he will seek out His sheep Himself, deliver them and feed them aright, and put a difference between sheep and sheep, rams and goats, 10. For which end He will raise up and send the chief Shepherd and Prince of His church, Jesus Christ, under Whose government His sheep shall be blessed and happy, 23.
AND the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Son of man, prophesy against the 1shepherdsa 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! 2should not the shepherds feed the flocks?
Ye eat the 3fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye 4kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock.
The 5diseased 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 6lost; but withb7force and with cruelty have ye ruled them.
And they were scattered, because there is 8no shepherd: and they became meat to all the beasts of the field, when they were scattered.
My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill: yea, my flock was scattered 9upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them.
¶Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD;
As I live, saith the Lord GOD, 10surely 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;
Therefore, O ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD;
Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I 11am against the shepherds; and I will 12require my flock at their hand, and cause them to 13cease 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.
¶For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out.
14As a shepherd seeketh out his flock 15in 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 16in the cloudy and dark day.
And I will bring them out from the people, and gatherc them from the countries, and will bring them to their own 17land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the country.
I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the 18high 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.
I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord GOD.
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 19fat and the strong; I will feed them with 20judgment.
And as for you, O my flock, thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I judge between 21cattle and cattle, between the rams and the he goats.
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 22deep waters, but ye must foul the 23residue with your feet?
And as for 24my flock, they eat that 25which ye have trodden with your feet; and they drink that which ye have fouled with your feet.
¶Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD 26unto them; Behold, I, even I, will judge between the 27fat cattle and between the lean cattle.
Because ye have 28thrust with side and with shoulder, and pushed all the diseased with your horns, till ye have scattered them abroad;
Therefore will I save my flock, and they shall no more be a prey; and I will judge between cattle and cattle.
And I will set up one shepherdd over them, and he shall feed them, even my 29servante David;f he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd.
And I the LORD will be their 30God, and my servant David a 31princeg32among them; I the LORD have spoken it.
And I will make with them a 33covenant of 34peace, and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land: and they shall dwell 35safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods.
And I will make 36them and the places round about my hill a 37blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing.
And the tree of the field shall yield her fruit, and the earth shall yield her 38increase, and they shall be safe in their land, and shall know that I am the LORD, when I have broken the 39bands of their yoke, and delivered them out of the hand of those that 40served themselves of them.
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.
And I will raise up for them a 41plant of 42renown, and they shall be no more 43consumed with hunger in the land, neither bear theh44shame of the heathen any more.
Thus shall they know that I the LORD their God am 45with them, and 46that they, even 47the house of Israel, are my people, saith the Lord GOD.
And ye myi flock, the flock of my pasture, are 48men, and I am your God, saith the Lord GOD.