Ezekiel 34

Prophecy Against the Shepherds of Israel

1 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 d "Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy, and say to them, even to the shepherds, Thus says the Lord God: e Ah, shepherds of Israel f who have been feeding yourselves! g Should not shepherds feed the sheep? 3 h You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, i you slaughter the fat ones, but you do not feed the sheep. 4 j The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, h the injured you have not bound up, h the strayed you have not brought back, k the lost you have not sought, and with force and l harshness you have ruled them. 5 m So they were scattered, because there was no shepherd, and n they became food for all the wild beasts. 6 My sheep were scattered; they wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. My sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth, o with none to search or seek for them.

7 "Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: 8 p As I live, declares the Lord God, surely because q my sheep have become a prey, and my sheep have become food for all the wild beasts, since there was no shepherd, and because my shepherds have not searched for my sheep, but the shepherds have fed themselves, and have not fed my sheep, 9 therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: 10 Thus says the Lord God, r Behold, I am against the shepherds, and s I will require my sheep at their hand and t put a stop to their feeding the sheep. u No longer shall the shepherds feed themselves. v I will rescue my sheep from their mouths, that they may not be food for them.

The Lord God Will Seek Them Out

11 "For thus says the Lord God: w Behold, I, I x myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. 12 As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on y a day of clouds and z thick darkness. 13 And I will bring them out from the peoples a and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land. And I will feed them on b the mountains of Israel, by the ravines, and in all the inhabited places of the country. 14 c I will feed them with good pasture, and on the mountain heights of Israel shall be their grazing land. d There they shall lie down in good grazing land, and on rich pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel. 15 e I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, d and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord God. 16 f I will seek the lost, g and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and h the fat and the strong I will destroy. 1 I will feed them in justice.

17 "As for you, my flock, thus says the Lord God: i Behold, I judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and j male goats. 18 Is it not enough for you to feed on the good pasture, that you must tread down with your feet the rest of your pasture; and to drink of k clear water, that you must muddy the rest of the water with your feet? 19 And must my sheep eat what you have trodden with your feet, and drink what you have muddied with your feet?

20 "Therefore, thus says the Lord God to them: Behold, I, I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. 21 Because you push with side and shoulder, and l thrust at all the m weak with your horns, till you have scattered them abroad, 22 I will rescue 2 my flock; n they shall no longer be a prey. And I will judge between sheep and sheep. 23 And o I will set up over them one shepherd, p my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd. 24 And q I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them. r I am the Lord; I have spoken.

The Lord's Covenant of Peace

25 s "I will make with them a covenant of peace and t banish wild beasts from the land, u so that they may dwell securely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods. 26 And I will make them and the places all around my hill v a blessing, and w I will send down the showers in their season; they shall be x showers of blessing. 27 y And the trees of the field shall yield their fruit, and the earth shall yield its increase, u and they shall be secure in their land. And z they shall know that I am the Lord, when a I break the bars of their yoke, and a deliver them from the hand of those who enslaved them. 28 n They shall no more be a prey to the nations, t nor shall the beasts of the land devour them. u They shall dwell securely, and none shall make them afraid. 29 And I will provide for them b renowned plantations so that c they shall no more be consumed with hunger in the land, and no longer d suffer the reproach of the nations. 30 And they shall know that q I am the Lord their God with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are my people, declares the Lord God. 31 And you are my sheep, e human sheep of my pasture, and I am your God, declares the Lord God."

  1. Cross References
    Ezekiel 2:1
    And he said to me, "Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak with you.
  2. Cross References
    Jeremiah 23:1
    Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture!" declares the Lord.
  3. Cross References
    Ezekiel 34:8
    As I live, declares the Lord God, surely because my sheep have become a prey, and my sheep have become food for all the wild beasts, since there was no shepherd, and because my shepherds have not searched for my sheep, but the shepherds have fed themselves, and have not fed my sheep.
    Ezekiel 34:10
    Thus says the Lord God, Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require my sheep at their hand and put a stop to their feeding the sheep. No longer shall the shepherds feed themselves. I will rescue my sheep from their mouths, that they may not be food for them.
    Jude 1:12
    These are hidden reefs at your love feasts, as they feast with you without fear, shepherds feeding themselves; waterless clouds, swept along by winds; fruitless trees in late autumn, twice dead, uprooted.
  4. Cross References
    2 Corinthians 12:14
    Here for the third time I am ready to come to you. And I will not be a burden, for I seek not what is yours but you. For children are not obligated to save up for their parents, but parents for their children.
  5. Cross References
    Zechariah 11:16
    For behold, I am raising up in the land a shepherd who does not care for those being destroyed, or seek the young or heal the maimed or nourish the healthy, but devours the flesh of the fat ones, tearing off even their hoofs.
  6. Cross References
    Zechariah 11:4 - 5
    Thus said the Lord my God: "Become shepherd of the flock doomed to slaughter.
    Micah 3:2 - 3
    You who hate the good and love the evil, who tear the skin from off my people and their flesh from off their bones.
  7. Cross References
    Ezekiel 34:16
    I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice.
    Ezekiel 34:21
    Because you push with side and shoulder, and thrust at all the weak with your horns, till you have scattered them abroad.
  8. Cross References
    Ezekiel 34:3
    You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat ones, but you do not feed the sheep.
  9. Cross References
    Ezekiel 34:3
    You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat ones, but you do not feed the sheep.
  10. Cross References
    Matthew 18:12
    What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray?
    Luke 15:4
    What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it?
  11. Cross References
    Exodus 1:13 - 14
    So they ruthlessly made the people of Israel work as slaves
    1 Peter 5:3
    Not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.
  12. Cross References
    1 Kings 22:17
    And 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 home in peace.'
    Matthew 9:36
    When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
  13. Cross References
    Jeremiah 50:7
    All who found them have devoured them, and their enemies have said, 'We are not guilty, for they have sinned against the Lord, their habitation of righteousness, the Lord, the hope of their fathers.
    Jeremiah 50:17
    Israel is a hunted sheep driven away by lions. First the king of Assyria devoured him, and now at last Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has gnawed his bones.
  14. Cross References
    Ezekiel 34:11
    For thus says the Lord God : Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out.
  15. Cross References
    Ezekiel 16:48
    As I live, declares the Lord God, your sister Sodom and her daughters have not done as you and your daughters have done.
  16. Cross References
    Ezekiel 34:22
    I will rescue my flock; they shall no longer be a prey. And I will judge between sheep and sheep.
  17. Cross References
    Ezekiel 13:8
    Therefore thus says the Lord God : "Because you have uttered falsehood and seen lying visions, therefore behold, I am against you, declares the Lord God.
  18. Cross References
    Hebrews 13:17
    Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.
    Ezekiel 3:18
    If 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, in order to save his life, that wicked person shall die for his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand.
  19. Cross References
    Zechariah 11:8
    In one month I destroyed the three shepherds. But I became impatient with them, and they also detested me.
  20. Cross References
    Ezekiel 34:2
    Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy, and say to them, even to the shepherds, Thus says the Lord God : Ah, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep?
    Ezekiel 34:8
    As I live, declares the Lord God, surely because my sheep have become a prey, and my sheep have become food for all the wild beasts, since there was no shepherd, and because my shepherds have not searched for my sheep, but the shepherds have fed themselves, and have not fed my sheep.
  21. Cross References
    Ezekiel 13:21
    Your veils also I will tear off and deliver my people out of your hand, and they shall be no more in your hand as prey, and you shall know that I am the Lord.
  22. Cross References
    Luke 19:10
    For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.
    John 10:11
    I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
  23. Cross References
    Micah 4:6 - 7
    In that day, declares the Lord, I will assemble the lame and gather those who have been driven away and those whom I have afflicted.
  24. Cross References
    Ezekiel 30:3
    For the day is near, the day of the Lord is near; it will be a day of clouds, a time of doom for the nations.
  25. Cross References
    Joel 2:2
    A day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness! Like blackness there is spread upon the mountains a great and powerful people; their like has never been before, nor will be again after them through the years of all generations.
    Zephaniah 1:15
    A day of wrath is that day, a day of distress and anguish, a day of ruin and devastation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness.
  26. Cross References
    Ezekiel 11:17
    Therefore say, 'Thus says the Lord God : I will gather you from the peoples and assemble you out of the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.
  27. Cross References
    Ezekiel 6:2
    Son of man, set your face toward the mountains of Israel, and prophesy against them.
  28. Cross References
    Psalms 23:2
    He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.
    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.
  29. Cross References
    Isaiah 32:18
    My people will abide in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places.
    Jeremiah 33:12
    Thus says the Lord of hosts: In this place that is waste, without man or beast, and in all of its cities, there shall again be habitations of shepherds resting their flocks.
  30. Cross References
    Ezekiel 34:23
    And I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd.
    Isaiah 40:11
    He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.
  31. Cross References
    Ezekiel 34:14
    I will feed them with good pasture, and on the mountain heights of Israel shall be their grazing land. There they shall lie down in good grazing land, and on rich pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel.
  32. Cross References
    Ezekiel 34:4
    The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the injured you have not bound up, the strayed you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought, and with force and harshness you have ruled them.
  33. Cross References
    Micah 4:6
    In that day, declares the Lord, I will assemble the lame and gather those who have been driven away and those whom I have afflicted.
  34. Cross References
    Ezekiel 34:20
    Therefore, thus says the Lord God to them: Behold, I, I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep.
    Isaiah 10:16
    Therefore the Lord God of hosts will send wasting sickness among his stout warriors, and under his glory a burning will be kindled, like the burning of 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, that we may drink!'
  35. Cross References
    Ezekiel 34:20
    Therefore, thus says the Lord God to them: Behold, I, I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep.
    Ezekiel 34:22
    I will rescue my flock; they shall no longer be a prey. And I will judge between sheep and sheep.
    Ezekiel 20:38
    I will purge out the rebels from among you, and those who transgress against me. I will bring them out of the land where they sojourn, but they shall not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord.
    Matthew 25:32 - 33
    Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
  36. Cross References
    Zechariah 10:3
    My anger is hot against the shepherds, and I will punish the leaders; for the Lord of hosts cares for his flock, the house of Judah, and will make them like his majestic steed in battle.
  37. Cross References
    Ezekiel 32:14
    Then I will make their waters clear, and cause their rivers to run like oil, declares the Lord God.
  38. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 33:17
    A firstborn bull - he has majesty, and his horns are the horns of a wild ox; with them he shall gore the peoples, all of them, to the ends of the earth; they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh.
    Daniel 8:4
    I saw the ram charging westward and northward and southward. No beast could stand before him, and there was no one who could rescue from his power. He did as he pleased and became great.
  39. Cross References
    Ezekiel 34:4
    The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the injured you have not bound up, the strayed you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought, and with force and harshness you have ruled them.
  40. Cross References
    Ezekiel 34:8
    As I live, declares the Lord God, surely because my sheep have become a prey, and my sheep have become food for all the wild beasts, since there was no shepherd, and because my shepherds have not searched for my sheep, but the shepherds have fed themselves, and have not fed my sheep.
  41. Cross References
    Ezekiel 37:22
    And I will make them one nation in the land, on...
    Ezekiel 37:24
    My servant David shall be king over them, and t...
    Jeremiah 23:4 - 5
    I will set shepherds over them who will care fo...
    Micah 5:4
    And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in th...
    Micah 7:14
    Shepherd your people with your staff, the flock...
    Ezekiel 34:15
    I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and ...
    John 10:11
    I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays ...
    John 10:16
    And I have other sheep that are not of this fol...
  42. Cross References
    Ezekiel 37:24 - 25
    My servant David shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd. They shall walk in my rules and be careful to obey my statutes.
    2 Samuel 5:2
    In times past, when Saul was king over us, it was you who led out and brought in Israel. And the Lord said to you, 'You shall be shepherd of my people Israel, and you shall be prince over Israel.'
    Psalms 78:71 - 72
    From following the nursing ewes he brought him to shepherd Jacob his people, Israel his inheritance.
  43. Cross References
    Ezekiel 37:27
    My dwelling place shall be with them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
    Exodus 29:45
    I will dwell among the people of Israel and will be their God.
    Leviticus 26:12
    And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people.
  44. Cross References
    Ezekiel 17:24
    And all the trees of the field shall know that I am the Lord ; I bring low the high tree, and make high the low tree, dry up the green tree, and make the dry tree flourish. I am the Lord ; I have spoken, and I will do it.
  45. Cross References
    Ezekiel 37:26
    I will make a covenant of peace with them. It shall be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will set them in their land and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in their midst forevermore.
    Isaiah 54:10
    For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed," says the Lord, who has compassion on you.
  46. Cross References
    Leviticus 26:6
    I will give peace in the land, and you shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid. And I will remove harmful beasts from the land, and the sword shall not go through your land.
    Hosea 2:18
    And I will make for them a covenant on that day with the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the creeping things of the ground. And I will abolish the bow, the sword, and war from the land, and I will make you lie down in safety.
    Isaiah 35:9
    No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it; they shall not be found there, but the redeemed shall walk there.
    Isaiah 11:6 - 9
    The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them.
  47. Cross References
    Ezekiel 38:8
    After many days you will be mustered. In the latter years you will go against the land that is restored from war, the land whose people were gathered from many peoples upon the mountains of Israel, which had been a continual waste. Its people were brought out from the peoples and now dwell securely, all of them.
    Ezekiel 38:14
    Therefore, son of man, prophesy, and say to Gog, Thus says the Lord God : On that day when my people Israel are dwelling securely, will you not know it?
    Ezekiel 39:26
    They shall forget their shame and all the treachery they have practiced against me, when they dwell securely in their land with none to make them afraid.
  48. Cross References
    Genesis 12:2
    And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.
    Isaiah 19:24
    In that day Israel will be the third with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth.
    Zechariah 8:13
    And as you have been a byword of cursing among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so will I save you, and you shall be a blessing. Fear not, but let your hands be strong.
  49. Cross References
    Leviticus 26:4
    Then I will give you your rains in their season, and the land shall yield its increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.
    Ezekiel 22:24
    Son of man, say to her, You are a land that is not cleansed or rained upon in the day of indignation.
  50. Cross References
    Malachi 3:10
    Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.
  51. Cross References
    Ezekiel 36:30
    I will make the fruit of the tree and the increase of the field abundant, that you may never again suffer the disgrace of famine among the nations.
    Leviticus 26:4
    Then I will give you your rains in their season, and the land shall yield its increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.
  52. Cross References
    Ezekiel 34:25
    I will make with them a covenant of peace and banish wild beasts from the land, so that they may dwell securely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods.
  53. Cross References
    Ezekiel 6:7
    And the slain shall fall in your midst, and you shall know that I am the Lord.
  54. Cross References
    Jeremiah 30:8
    And it shall come to pass in that day, declares the Lord of hosts, that I will break his yoke from off your neck, and I will burst your bonds, and foreigners shall no more make a servant of him.
  55. Cross References
    Jeremiah 30:8
    And it shall come to pass in that day, declares the Lord of hosts, that I will break his yoke from off your neck, and I will burst your bonds, and foreigners shall no more make a servant of him.
  56. Cross References
    Ezekiel 34:22
    I will rescue my flock; they shall no longer be a prey. And I will judge between sheep and sheep.
  57. Cross References
    Ezekiel 34:25
    I will make with them a covenant of peace and banish wild beasts from the land, so that they may dwell securely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods.
  58. Cross References
    Ezekiel 34:25
    I will make with them a covenant of peace and banish wild beasts from the land, so that they may dwell securely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods.
  59. Cross References
    Isaiah 60:21
    Your people shall all be righteous; they shall possess the land forever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I might be glorified.
    Isaiah 61:3
    To grant to those who mourn in Zion - to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.
  60. Cross References
    Ezekiel 36:29
    And I will deliver you from all your uncleannesses. And I will summon the grain and make it abundant and lay no famine upon you.
  61. Cross References
    Ezekiel 32:24
    Elam is there, and all her multitude around her grave; all of them slain, fallen by the sword, who went down uncircumcised into the world below, who spread their terror in the land of the living; and they bear their shame with those who go down to the pit.
  62. Cross References
    Ezekiel 34:24
    And I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them. I am the Lord ; I have spoken.
  63. Cross References
    Psalms 74:1
    O God, why do you cast us off forever? Why does your anger smoke against the sheep of your pasture?
    Psalms 100:3
    Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
    John 10:16
    And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.
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