A Prophecy against Israel’s Shepherds

Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and tell [them] that this is what the Lord GOD says:‘Woe to the shepherds of Israel, who vvv only feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed their flock? 3 You eat the fat, wear the wool, and butcher the fattened sheep, but you do not feed the flock.

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You have not strengthened the weak, healed the sick, bound up the injured, brought back the strays, or searched for the lost. Instead, you have ruled them with violence and cruelty. 5 They were scattered for lack of a shepherd, and when they were scattered they became food for all the wild beasts. 6 My flock went astray on all the mountains and every high hill. They were scattered over the face of all the earth, with no one to search [for them] or seek them out.’

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Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD: 8 ‘As surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, because My flock lacks a shepherd and has become prey [and] food for every wild beast, and because My shepherds did not search for My flock but fed themselves [instead] 9 therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD!’

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This is what the Lord GOD says:‘Behold, I [am] against the shepherds, and I will demand from them My flock and remove them from tending the flock, so that they can no longer feed themselves. For I will deliver My flock from their mouths, and it will no longer be food for them.’

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