The Father Confronts the Failed Shepherds
34 1 The word of our Father came to me:
2 Son of man, prophesy against Israel's shepherds. Prophesy and tell them, the shepherds: This is what the Sovereign Father says: Woe to Israel's shepherds who feed only themselves! Shouldn't shepherds feed the flock? 3 You eat the fat, wear the wool, slaughter the fattened animals, but do not feed the flock. 4 You haven't strengthened the weak, healed the sick, bandaged the injured, brought back the strays, or sought the lost. Instead you ruled them with force and harshness. 5 They scattered without a shepherd, and when scattered became food for every wild animal. 6 My sheep strayed over all the mountains and every high hill, scattered across the whole earth, with no one searching or looking for them.
7 Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of our Father: 8 As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Father: because my flock was plundered and became food for every wild animal with no shepherd, and my shepherds did not search for my flock but fed themselves instead 9 —therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of our Father: 10 This is what the Sovereign Father says: I oppose the shepherds. I will demand my flock back from them and stop their tending, so they can no longer feed themselves. I will pull my flock from their mouths; my sheep will not be their food.
11 For the Sovereign Father says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. a a v11 Here our Father takes up the shepherd's work himself — the same heart Jesus claims when he says, "I am the good shepherd" (John 10:11). The Father who searches becomes the Son who lays down his life for the sheep. 12 As a shepherd tends his scattered flock when he is among them, so I will tend my sheep. I will rescue them from every place they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness. 13 I will bring them out from the peoples, gather them from the countries, and bring them into their own land. I will shepherd them on Israel's mountains, in the ravines, and everywhere people live in the land. 14 I will feed them in good pasture; the mountain heights of Israel will be their grazing land. There they will lie down in good grazing land, and feed on rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. 15 I myself will tend my flock and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign Father. 16 I will seek the lost, bring back the strays, bandage the injured, strengthen the weak, but destroy the fat and strong. I will shepherd them justly.
17 You, my flock, this is what the Sovereign Father says: I will judge between sheep and sheep, between the rams and goats. 18 Isn't grazing the best pasture enough, without trampling the rest? Isn't drinking clear water enough, without fouling the rest with your feet? 19 Must my flock feed on what you trampled and drink what you muddied with your feet?
20 So the Sovereign Father says to them: I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. 21 Because you shove with side and shoulder, butting all the weak with your horns until you drove them off, 22 I will save my flock; they will no longer be prey. I will judge between sheep and sheep. 23 I will set one shepherd over them, my servant David; he will tend them; he will tend them and be their shepherd. b b v23 Centuries after David died, our Father promises one shepherd from David's line who would tend his flock forever. Jesus is that Shepherd — "I am the good shepherd... there will be one flock, one shepherd" (John 10:11, 16). 24 I, the Father, will be their Father; my servant David a prince among them. I, the Father, have spoken.
25 I will make a peace covenant with them and clear wild animals from the land, so they live securely in the wilderness and sleep in the forests. 26 I will make them and the area around my hill a blessing, and send showers in season—showers of blessing. 27 The trees of the field will yield their fruit and the ground its crops; the people will live secure on their land. They will know I am their Father when I break the bars of their yoke and rescue them from the hand of those who enslaved them. 28 The nations will no longer plunder them, nor wild animals devour them. They will live securely, with no one to frighten them. 29 I will give them a land famous for crops; no longer will they suffer famine there or bear the nations' scorn. 30 Then they will know that I, their Father, am with them, and they, the house of Israel, are my people, declares the Sovereign Father. 31 You are my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, and I am your Father, declares the Sovereign Father."
