Shepherding Is a Tough Business

1. Yahweh’s word came to me, saying, 2. “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy, and tell them, even the shepherds, ‘The Lord Yahweh says: “Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Shouldn’t the shepherds feed the sheep? 3. You eat the fat. You clothe yourself with the wool. You kill the fatlings, but you don’t feed the sheep. 4. You haven’t strengthened the diseased. You haven’t healed that which was sick. You haven’t bound up that which was broken. You haven’t brought back that which was driven away. You haven’t sought that which was lost, but you have ruled over them with force and with rigor. 5. They were scattered, because there was no shepherd. They became food to all the animals of the field, and were scattered. 6. My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and on every high hill. Yes, my sheep were scattered on all the surface of the earth. There was no one who searched or sought.” 7. “ ‘Therefore, you shepherds, hear Yahweh’s word: 8. “As I live,” says the Lord Yahweh, “surely because my sheep became a prey, and my sheep became food to all the animals of the field, because there was no shepherd. My shepherds didn’t search for my sheep, but the shepherds fed themselves, and didn’t feed my sheep.” 9. Therefore, you shepherds, hear Yahweh’s word: 10. The Lord Yahweh says: “Behold, I am against the shepherds. I will require my sheep at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the sheep. The shepherds won’t feed themselves any more. I will deliver my sheep from their mouth, that they may not be food for them.” 11. “ ‘For the Lord Yahweh says: “Behold, I myself, even I, will search for my sheep, and will seek them out. 12. As a shepherd seeks out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered abroad, so I will seek out my sheep. I will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. 13. I will bring them out from the peoples, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land. I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the watercourses, and in all the inhabited places of the country. 14. I will feed them with good pasture; and their fold will be on the mountains of the height of Israel. There they will lie down in a good fold. They will feed on fat pasture on the mountains of Israel. 15. I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will cause them to lie down,” says the Lord Yahweh. 16. “I will seek that which was lost, and will bring back 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 in justice.” ’ 17. “As for you, O my flock, the Lord Yahweh says: ‘Behold, I judge between sheep and sheep, the rams and the male goats. 18. Does it seem a small thing to you to have fed on the good pasture, but you must tread down with your feet the residue of your pasture? And to have drunk of the clear waters, but must you foul the residue with your feet? 19. As for my sheep, they eat that which you have trodden with your feet, and they drink that which you have fouled with your feet.’ 20. “Therefore the Lord Yahweh says to them: ‘Behold, I, even I, will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. 21. Because you thrust with side and with shoulder, and push all the diseased with your horns, until you have scattered them abroad; 22. therefore I will save my flock, and they will no more be a prey. I will judge between sheep and sheep. 23. I will set up one shepherd over them, and he will feed them, even my servant David. He will feed them, and he will be their shepherd. 24. I, Yahweh, will be their God, and my servant David prince among them. I, Yahweh, have spoken it. 25. “ ‘I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause evil animals to cease out of the land. They will dwell securely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods. 26. I will make them and the places around my hill a blessing. I will cause the shower to come down in its season. There will be showers of blessing. 27. The tree of the field will yield its fruit, and the earth will yield its increase, and they will be secure in their land. Then they will know that I am Yahweh, when I have broken the bars of their yoke, and have delivered them out of the hand of those who made slaves of them. 28. They will no more be a prey to the nations, neither will the animals of the earth devour them; but they will dwell securely, and no one will make them afraid. 29. I will raise up to them a plantation for renown, and they will no more be consumed with famine in the land, and not bear the shame of the nations any more. 30. They will know that I, Yahweh, their God am with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are my people, says the Lord Yahweh. 31. You my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, are men, and I am your God,’ says the Lord Yahweh.”

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1. Moreover Yahweh’s word came to me, saying, 2. “Son of man, set your face against Mount Seir, and prophesy against it, 3. and tell it, ‘The Lord Yahweh says: “Behold, I am against you, Mount Seir, and I will stretch out my hand against you. I will make you a desolation and an astonishment. 4. I will lay your cities waste, and you will be desolate. Then you will know that I am Yahweh. 5. “ ‘ “Because you have had a perpetual hostility, and have given over the children of Israel to the power of the sword in the time of their calamity, in the time of the iniquity of the end; 6. therefore, as I live,” says the Lord Yahweh, “I will prepare you for blood, and blood will pursue you. Since you have not hated blood, therefore blood will pursue you. 7. Thus I will make Mount Seir an astonishment and a desolation. I will cut off from it him who passes through and him who returns. 8. I will fill its mountains with its slain. The slain with the sword will fall in your hills and in your valleys and in all your watercourses. 9. I will make you a perpetual desolation, and your cities will not be inhabited. Then you will know that I am Yahweh. 10. “ ‘ “Because you have said, ‘These two nations and these two countries will be mine, and we will possess it;’ whereas Yahweh was there: 11. therefore, as I live,” says the Lord Yahweh, “I will do according to your anger, and according to your envy which you have shown out of your hatred against them; and I will make myself known among them when I judge you. 12. You will know that I, Yahweh, have heard all your insults which you have spoken against the mountains of Israel, saying, ‘They have been laid desolate. They have been given us to devour.’ 13. You have magnified yourselves against me with your mouth, and have multiplied your words against me. I have heard it.” 14. The Lord Yahweh says: “When the whole earth rejoices, I will make you desolate. 15. As you rejoiced over the inheritance of the house of Israel because it was desolate, so I will do to you. You will be desolate, Mount Seir, and all Edom, even all of it. Then they will know that I am Yahweh.’ ”

1. One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke with me, saying, “Come here. I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who sits on many waters, 2. with whom the kings of the earth committed sexual immorality. Those who dwell in the earth were made drunken with the wine of her sexual immorality.” 3. He carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness. I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet-colored beast, full of blasphemous names, having seven heads and ten horns. 4. The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of the sexual immorality of the earth. 5. And on her forehead a name was written, “MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF THE PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.” 6. I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. When I saw her, I wondered with great amazement. 7. The angel said to me, “Why do you wonder? I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns. 8. The beast that you saw was, and is not; and is about to come up out of the abyss and to go into destruction. Those who dwell on the earth and whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel when they see that the beast was, and is not, and shall be present. 9. Here is the mind that has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits. 10. They are seven kings. Five have fallen, the one is, the other has not yet come. When he comes, he must continue a little while. 11. The beast that was, and is not, is himself also an eighth, and is of the seven; and he goes to destruction. 12. The ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority as kings with the beast for one hour. 13. These have one mind, and they give their power and authority to the beast. 14. These will war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings, and those who are with him are called chosen and faithful.” 15. He said to me, “The waters which you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and languages. 16. The ten horns which you saw, and the beast, these will hate the prostitute, will make her desolate, will strip her naked, will eat her flesh, and will burn her utterly with fire. 17. For God has put in their hearts to do what he has in mind, to be of one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God should be accomplished. 18. The woman whom you saw is the great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth.”

16. Do you know the workings of the clouds, the wondrous works of him who is perfect in knowledge? 17. You whose clothing is warm, when the earth is still by reason of the south wind? 18. Can you, with him, spread out the sky, which is strong as a cast metal mirror? 19. Teach us what we will tell him, for we can’t make our case by reason of darkness. 20. Will it be told him that I would speak? Or should a man wish that he were swallowed up? 21. Now men don’t see the light which is bright in the skies, but the wind passes, and clears them. 22. Out of the north comes golden splendor. With God is awesome majesty. 23. We can’t reach the Almighty. He is exalted in power. In justice and great righteousness, he will not oppress. 24. Therefore men revere him. He doesn’t regard any who are wise of heart.”