Ezekiel 34

Prophecy Against the Shepherds of Israel

1 And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2 "Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD to the shepherds: a "Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks? 3 b "You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool; you c slaughter the fatlings, but you do not feed the flock. 4 d "The weak you have not strengthened, nor have you healed those who were sick, nor bound up the broken, nor brought back what was driven away, nor e sought what was lost; but with f force and 1 cruelty you have ruled them. 5 g "So they were h scattered because there was no shepherd; i and they became food for all the beasts of the field when they were scattered. 6 "My sheep j wandered through all the mountains, and on every high hill; yes, My flock was scattered over the whole face of the earth, and no one was seeking or searching for them."

7 'Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD: 8 "As I live," says the Lord GOD, "surely because My flock became a prey, and My flock k became food for every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, nor did My shepherds search for My flock, l but the shepherds fed themselves and did not feed My flock" - 9 'therefore, O shepherds, hear the word of the LORD! 10 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, I am m against the shepherds, and n I will require My flock at their hand; I will cause them to cease feeding the sheep, and the shepherds shall o feed themselves no more; for I will p deliver My flock from their mouths, that they may no longer be food for them."

The Lord God Will Seek Them Out

11 'For thus says the Lord GOD: "Indeed I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out. 12 "As a q shepherd seeks out his flock on the day he is among his scattered sheep, so will I seek out My sheep and deliver them from all the places where they were scattered on r a cloudy and dark day. 13 "And s I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land; I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, 2 in the valleys and in all the inhabited places of the country. 14 t "I will feed them in good pasture, and their fold shall be on the high mountains of Israel. u There they shall lie down in a good fold and feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. 15 "I will feed My flock, and I will make them lie down," says the Lord GOD. 16 v "I will seek what was lost and bring back what was driven away, bind up the broken and strengthen what was sick; but I will destroy w the fat and the strong, and feed them x in judgment."

17 'And as for you, O My flock, thus says the Lord GOD: y "Behold, I shall judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and goats. 18 "Is it too little for you to have eaten up the good pasture, that you must tread down with your feet the 3 residue of your pasture - and to have drunk of the clear waters, that you must foul the residue with your feet? 19 "And as for My flock, they eat what you have trampled with your feet, and they drink what you have fouled with your feet."

20 'Therefore thus says the Lord GOD to them: z "Behold, I Myself will judge between the fat and the lean sheep. 21 "Because you have pushed with side and shoulder, butted all the weak ones with your horns, and scattered them abroad, 22 "therefore I will save My flock, and they shall no longer be a prey; and I will judge between sheep and sheep. 23 "I will establish one a shepherd over them, and he shall feed them - b My servant David. He shall feed them and be their shepherd. 24 "And c I, the LORD, will be their God, and My servant David d a prince among them; I, the LORD, have spoken.

The Lord's Covenant of Peace

25 e "I will make a covenant of peace with them, and f cause wild beasts to cease from the land; and they g will dwell safely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods. 26 "I will make them and the places all around h My hill i a blessing; and I will j cause showers to come down in their season; there shall be k showers of blessing. 27 "Then l the trees of the field shall yield their fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase. They shall be safe in their land; and they shall know that I am the LORD, when I have m broken the bands of their yoke and delivered them from the hand of those who n enslaved them. 28 "And they shall no longer be a prey for the nations, nor shall beasts of the land devour them; but o they shall dwell safely, and no one shall make them afraid. 29 "I will raise up for them a p garden 4 of renown, and they shall q no longer be consumed with hunger in the land, r nor bear the shame of the Gentiles anymore. 30 "Thus they shall know that s I, the LORD their God, am with them, and they, the house of Israel, are t My people," says the Lord GOD.' " 31 "You are My u flock, the flock of My pasture; you are men, and I am your God," says the Lord GOD.

  1. Cross References
    Jeremiah 23:1
    Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture!" says the LORD.
    Ezekiel 22:25
    The conspiracy of her prophets in her midst is like a roaring lion tearing the prey; they have devoured people; they have taken treasure and precious things; they have made many widows in her midst.
    Micah 3:1 - 3
    And I said: "Hear now, O heads of Jacob, And you rulers of the house of Israel: Is it not for you to know justice?
    Micah 3:11
    Her heads judge for a bribe, Her priests teach for pay, And her prophets divine for money. Yet they lean on the LORD, and say, "Is not the LORD among us? No harm can come upon us.
    Zechariah 11:17
    "Woe to the worthless shepherd, Who leaves the flock! A sword shall be against his arm And against his right eye; His arm shall completely wither, And his right eye shall be totally blinded."
  2. Cross References
    Isaiah 56:11
    Yes, they are greedy dogs Which never have enough. And they are shepherds Who cannot understand; They all look to their own way, Every one for his own gain, From his own territory.
    Zechariah 11:16
    For indeed I will raise up a shepherd in the land who will not care for those who are cut off, nor seek the young, nor heal those that are broken, nor feed those that still stand. But he will eat the flesh of the fat and tear their hooves in pieces.
  3. Cross References
    Ezekiel 33:25
    Therefore say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "You eat meat with blood, you lift up your eyes toward your idols, and shed blood. Should you then possess the land?
    Ezekiel 33:26
    "You rely on your sword, you commit abominations, and you defile one another's wives. Should you then possess the land?"'
    Micah 3:1 - 3
    And I said: "Hear now, O heads of Jacob, And you rulers of the house of Israel: Is it not for you to know justice?
    Zechariah 11:5
    Whose owners slaughter them and feel no guilt; those who sell them say, 'Blessed be the LORD, for I am rich'; and their shepherds do not pity them.
  4. Cross References
    Zechariah 11:16
    For indeed I will raise up a shepherd in the land who will not care for those who are cut off, nor seek the young, nor heal those that are broken, nor feed those that still stand. But he will eat the flesh of the fat and tear their hooves in pieces.
  5. Cross References
    Matthew 9:36
    But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.
    Matthew 10:16
    Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.
    Matthew 18:12
    What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying?
    Matthew 18:13
    And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray.
    Luke 15:4
    What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?
  6. Cross References
    1 Peter 5:3
    Nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.
  7. Cross References
    Ezekiel 33:21
    And it came to pass in the twelfth year of our captivity, in the tenth month, on the fifth day of the month, that one who had escaped from Jerusalem came to me and said, "The city has been captured!
  8. Cross References
    Numbers 27:17
    "who may go out before them and go in before them, who may lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the LORD may not be like sheep which have no shepherd."
    1 Kings 22:17
    Then he said, "I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd. And the LORD said, 'These have no master. Let each return to his house in peace.'
    Jeremiah 10:21
    For the shepherds have become dull-hearted, And have not sought the LORD; Therefore they shall not prosper, And all their flocks shall be scattered.
    Matthew 9:36
    But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.
    Mark 6:34
    And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd. So He began to teach them many things.
  9. Cross References
    Isaiah 56:9
    All you beasts of the field, come to devour, All you beasts in the forest.
    Jeremiah 12:9
    My heritage is to Me like a speckled vulture; The vultures all around are against her. Come, assemble all the beasts of the field, Bring them to devour!
  10. Cross References
    Jeremiah 40:11
    Likewise, when all the Jews who were in Moab, among the Ammonites, in Edom, and who were in all the countries, heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant of Judah, and that he had set over them Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan.
    Jeremiah 40:12
    Then all the Jews returned out of all places where they had been driven, and came to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah at Mizpah, and gathered wine and summer fruit in abundance.
    Jeremiah 50:6
    My people have been lost sheep. Their shepherds have led them astray; They have turned them away on the mountains. They have gone from mountain to hill; They have forgotten their resting place.
    Ezekiel 7:16
    Those who survive will escape and be on the mountains Like doves of the valleys, All of them mourning, Each for his iniquity.
    1 Peter 2:25
    For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
  11. Cross References
    Ezekiel 34:5
    So they were scattered because there was no shepherd; and they became food for all the beasts of the field when they were scattered.
    Ezekiel 34:6
    "My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and on every high hill; yes, My flock was scattered over the whole face of the earth, and no one was seeking or searching for them."
  12. Cross References
    Ezekiel 34:2
    Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD to the shepherds: "Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks?
    Ezekiel 34:10
    'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require My flock at their hand; I will cause them to cease feeding the sheep, and the shepherds shall feed themselves no more; for I will deliver My flock from their mouths, that they may no longer be food for them."
  13. Cross References
    Jeremiah 21:13
    "Behold, I am against you, O inhabitant of the valley, And rock of the plain," says the LORD, "Who say, 'Who shall come down against us? Or who shall enter our dwellings?'
    Jeremiah 52:24 - 27
    The captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the second priest, and the three doorkeepers.
    Ezekiel 5:8
    Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: 'Indeed I, even I, am against you and will execute judgments in your midst in the sight of the nations.
    Ezekiel 13:8
    Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: "Because you have spoken nonsense and envisioned lies, therefore I am indeed against you," says the Lord GOD.
    Zechariah 10:3
    My anger is kindled against the shepherds, And I will punish the goatherds. For the LORD of hosts will visit His flock, The house of Judah, And will make them as His royal horse in the battle.
  14. Cross References
    Ezekiel 3:18
    When I say to the wicked, 'You shall surely die,' and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, that same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand.
    Hebrews 13:17
    Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.
  15. Cross References
    Ezekiel 34:2
    Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD to the shepherds: "Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks?
    Ezekiel 34:8
    As I live," says the Lord GOD, "surely because My flock became a prey, and My flock became food for every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, nor did My shepherds search for My flock, but the shepherds fed themselves and did not feed My flock" -
  16. Cross References
    Psalms 72:12 - 14
    For He will deliver the needy when he cries, The poor also, and him who has no helper.
    Ezekiel 13:23
    "Therefore you shall no longer envision futility nor practice divination; for I will deliver My people out of your hand, and you shall know that I am the LORD." '"
  17. Cross References
    Jeremiah 31:10
    "Hear the word of the LORD, O nations, And declare it in the isles afar off, and say, 'He who scattered Israel will gather him, And keep him as a shepherd does his flock.'
  18. Cross References
    Jeremiah 13:16
    Give glory to the LORD your God Before He causes darkness, And before your feet stumble On the dark mountains, And while you are looking for light, He turns it into the shadow of death And makes it dense darkness.
    Ezekiel 30:3
    For the day is near, Even the day of the LORD is near; It will be a day of clouds, the time of the Gentiles.
    Joel 2:2
    A day of darkness and gloominess, A day of clouds and thick darkness, Like the morning clouds spread over the mountains. A people come, great and strong, The like of whom has never been; Nor will there ever be any such after them, Even for many successive generations.
  19. Cross References
    Isaiah 65:9
    I will bring forth descendants from Jacob, And ...
    Isaiah 65:10
    Sharon shall be a fold of flocks, And the Valle...
    Jeremiah 23:3
    But I will gather the remnant of My flock out o...
    Ezekiel 11:17
    "Therefore say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "I wil...
    Ezekiel 20:41
    I will accept you as a sweet aroma when I bring...
    Ezekiel 28:25
    Thus says the Lord GOD: "When I have gathered t...
    Ezekiel 36:24
    For I will take you from among the nations, gat...
    Ezekiel 37:21
    Then say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Sur...
    Ezekiel 37:22
    And I will make them one nation in the land, on...
  20. Cross References
    Psalms 23:2
    He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.
    Jeremiah 3:15
    And I will give you shepherds according to My heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding.
    John 10:9
    I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.
  21. Cross References
    Jeremiah 33:12
    Thus says the LORD of hosts: 'In this place which is desolate, without man and without beast, and in all its cities, there shall again be a dwelling place of shepherds causing their flocks to lie down.
  22. Cross References
    Isaiah 40:11
    He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, And carry them in His bosom, And gently lead those who are with young.
    Micah 4:6
    In that day," says the LORD, "I will assemble the lame, I will gather the outcast And those whom I have afflicted.
    Matthew 18:11
    For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.
    Mark 2:17
    When Jesus heard it, He said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.
    Luke 5:32
    "I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."
  23. Cross References
    Isaiah 10:16
    Therefore the Lord, the Lord of hosts, Will send leanness among his fat ones; And under his glory He will kindle a burning Like the burning of a fire.
    Amos 4:1
    Hear this word, you cows of Bashan, who are on the mountain of Samaria, Who oppress the poor, Who crush the needy, Who say to your husbands, "Bring wine, let us drink!
  24. Cross References
    Jeremiah 10:24
    O LORD, correct me, but with justice; Not in Your anger, lest You bring me to nothing.
  25. Cross References
    Ezekiel 20:37
    I will make you pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant.
    Malachi 4:1
    For behold, the day is coming, Burning like an oven, And all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up," Says the LORD of hosts, "That will leave them neither root nor branch.
    Matthew 25:32
    All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.
  26. Cross References
    Ezekiel 34:17
    And as for you, O My flock, thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, I shall judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and goats.
  27. Cross References
    Isaiah 40:11
    He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will...
    Jeremiah 23:4
    I will set up shepherds over them who will feed...
    Jeremiah 23:5
    Behold, the days are coming," says the LORD, "T...
    Hosea 1:11
    Then the children of Judah and the children of ...
    John 10:11
    I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives...
    Hebrews 13:20
    Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lor...
    1 Peter 2:25
    For you were like sheep going astray, but have ...
    1 Peter 5:4
    And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will r...
  28. Cross References
    Jeremiah 30:9
    But they shall serve the LORD their God, And David their king, Whom I will raise up for them.
    Ezekiel 37:24
    David My servant shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd; they shall also walk in My judgments and observe My statutes, and do them.
    Hosea 3:5
    Afterward the children of Israel shall return and seek the LORD their God and David their king. They shall fear the LORD and His goodness in the latter days.
  29. Cross References
    Exodus 29:45
    I will dwell among the children of Israel and will be their God.
    Ezekiel 37:25
    Then they shall dwell in the land that I have given to Jacob My servant, where your fathers dwelt; and they shall dwell there, they, their children, and their children's children, forever; and My servant David shall be their prince forever.
  30. Cross References
    Isaiah 55:3
    Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live; And I will make an everlasting covenant with you - The sure mercies of David.
    Jeremiah 30:9
    But they shall serve the LORD their God, And David their king, Whom I will raise up for them.
    Ezekiel 37:24
    David My servant shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd; they shall also walk in My judgments and observe My statutes, and do them.
    Ezekiel 37:25
    Then they shall dwell in the land that I have given to Jacob My servant, where your fathers dwelt; and they shall dwell there, they, their children, and their children's children, forever; and My servant David shall be their prince forever.
    Hosea 3:5
    Afterward the children of Israel shall return and seek the LORD their God and David their king. They shall fear the LORD and His goodness in the latter days.
  31. Cross References
    Ezekiel 37:26
    Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them, and it shall be an everlasting covenant with them; I will establish them and multiply them, and I will set My sanctuary in their midst forevermore.
  32. Cross References
    Leviticus 26:6
    I will give peace in the land, and you shall lie down, and none will make you afraid; I will rid the land of evil beasts, and the sword will not go through your land.
    Job 5:22
    You shall laugh at destruction and famine, And you shall not be afraid of the beasts of the earth.
    Job 5:23
    For you shall have a covenant with the stones of the field, And the beasts of the field shall be at peace with you.
    Isaiah 11:6 - 9
    The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, The leopard shall lie down with the young goat, The calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And a little child shall lead them.
    Hosea 2:18
    In that day I will make a covenant for them With the beasts of the field, With the birds of the air, And with the creeping things of the ground. Bow and sword of battle I will shatter from the earth, To make them lie down safely.
  33. Cross References
    Jeremiah 23:6
    In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell safely; Now this is His name by which He will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
  34. Cross References
    Isaiah 56:7
    Even them I will bring to My holy mountain, And make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices Will be accepted on My altar; For My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.
  35. Cross References
    Genesis 12:2
    I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing.
    Isaiah 19:24
    In that day Israel will be one of three with Egypt and Assyria - a blessing in the midst of the land.
    Zechariah 8:13
    And it shall come to pass That just as you were a curse among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, So I will save you, and you shall be a blessing. Do not fear, Let your hands be strong.
  36. Cross References
    Leviticus 26:4
    Then I will give you rain in its season, the land shall yield its produce, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.
  37. Cross References
    Psalms 68:9
    You, O God, sent a plentiful rain, Whereby You confirmed Your inheritance, When it was weary.
  38. Cross References
    Leviticus 26:4
    Then I will give you rain in its season, the land shall yield its produce, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.
    Psalms 85:12
    Yes, the LORD will give what is good; And our land will yield its increase.
    Isaiah 4:2
    In that day the Branch of the LORD shall be beautiful and glorious; And the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and appealing For those of Israel who have escaped.
  39. Cross References
    Leviticus 26:13
    I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that you should not be their slaves; I have broken the bands of your yoke and made you walk upright.
    Isaiah 52:2
    Shake yourself from the dust, arise; Sit down, O Jerusalem! Loose yourself from the bonds of your neck, O captive daughter of Zion!
    Isaiah 52:3
    For thus says the LORD: "You have sold yourselves for nothing, And you shall be redeemed without money.
    Jeremiah 2:20
    For of old I have broken your yoke and burst your bonds; And you said, 'I will not transgress,' When on every high hill and under every green tree You lay down, playing the harlot.
  40. Cross References
    Jeremiah 25:14
    '(For many nations and great kings shall be served by them also; and I will repay them according to their deeds and according to the works of their own hands.)'"
  41. Cross References
    Jeremiah 30:10
    Therefore do not fear, O My servant Jacob,' says the LORD, 'Nor be dismayed, O Israel; For behold, I will save you from afar, And your seed from the land of their captivity. Jacob shall return, have rest and be quiet, And no one shall make him afraid.
    Ezekiel 39:26
    After they have borne their shame, and all their unfaithfulness in which they were unfaithful to Me, when they dwelt safely in their own land and no one made them afraid.
  42. Cross References
    Isaiah 11:1
    There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall grow out of his roots.
  43. Cross References
    Ezekiel 36:29
    I will deliver you from all your uncleannesses. I will call for the grain and multiply it, and bring no famine upon you.
  44. Cross References
    Ezekiel 36:3
    Therefore prophesy, and say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Because they made you desolate and swallowed you up on every side, so that you became the possession of the rest of the nations, and you are taken up by the lips of talkers and slandered by the people" -
    Ezekiel 36:6
    "Therefore prophesy concerning the land of Israel, and say to the mountains, the hills, the rivers, and the valleys, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, I have spoken in My jealousy and My fury, because you have borne the shame of the nations."
    Ezekiel 36:15
    "Nor will I let you hear the taunts of the nations anymore, nor bear the reproach of the peoples anymore, nor shall you cause your nation to stumble anymore," says the Lord GOD.'"
  45. Cross References
    Ezekiel 34:24
    And I, the LORD, will be their God, and My servant David a prince among them; I, the LORD, have spoken.
  46. Cross References
    Psalms 46:7
    The LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah
    Psalms 46:11
    The LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah
    Ezekiel 14:11
    "that the house of Israel may no longer stray from Me, nor be profaned anymore with all their transgressions, but that they may be My people and I may be their God," says the Lord GOD.'"
    Ezekiel 36:28
    Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; you shall be My people, and I will be your God.
  47. Cross References
    Psalms 100:3
    Know that the LORD, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
    Jeremiah 23:1
    Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture!" says the LORD.
    John 10:11
    I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.
New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
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