Ezekiel 34
The Prophecy against
the Shepherds of Israel |
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And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
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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?
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Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with
the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the
flock.
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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.
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And they were scattered, because there
is no shepherd: Mt. 9.36 · Mk. 6.34 and they became meat to all the beasts of the field, when
they were scattered.
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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.
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Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word
of the LORD;
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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;
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therefore, O ye shepherds, hear the word
of the LORD;
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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.
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For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, will both search my
sheep, and seek them out.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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I will feed my flock, and I will cause
them to lie down, saith the Lord GOD.
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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.
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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.
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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?
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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.
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Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD unto them; Behold, I, even I, will judge
between the fat cattle and between the lean cattle.
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Because ye have thrust with side and with
shoulder, and pushed all the diseased with your horns, till ye have
scattered them abroad;
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therefore will I save my flock, and they
shall no more be a prey; and I will judge between cattle and
cattle.
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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. Rev. 7.17
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And I the LORD will
be their God, and my servant David a prince among them; Ezek.
37.24 I the LORD have spoken it.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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31 |
And ye my flock, the flock of my pasture, are men, and I am your God, saith the Lord
GOD.
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