Ezekiel 34
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 34[a]
The Shepherds of Israel.[b] 1 This word of the Lord came to me: 2 Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and say to them: Thus says the Lord God: Woe to you shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and say to them: Thus says the Lord God: Woe to the shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves. Should not shepherds rather feed their flock?
3 You have fed on their milk, you have clothed yourselves with their wool, and you have slaughtered the fatlings, but you have not fed the sheep. 4 You have not strengthened the weak, you have not healed the sick, and you have not bandaged those who were injured. Nor have you bothered to bring back those who strayed or searched for the lost. On the contrary, you have ruled them with cruelty and harshness.
5 Therefore, they were scattered for lack of a shepherd, and thus they became the prey of all the wild beasts. 6 My sheep were scattered, wandering aimlessly over all the mountains and on every high hill. My flock has been scattered over the entire world, with no one to inquire about them or search for them.
7 Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: 8 As I live, says the Lord God, because my sheep are without a shepherd and thus have been ravaged and have become food for all the wild animals, and because my shepherds have not gone forth in search of my sheep, but have fed themselves and not been concerned about feeding my sheep, 9 therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord.
10 Thus says the Lord God: I intend to punish the shepherds. I will remove the sheep from their charge and not allow them to feed the flock. As a result, the shepherds will no longer be able to feed themselves. I will rescue my sheep from their mouths so that they will no longer use them for their food.
11 [c]For thus says the Lord God: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. 12 As a shepherd goes forth in search of his flocks when they are scattered from him in every direction, so I will go forth in search of my sheep. I will retrieve them from all the places to which they have been scattered on a day of clouds and darkness.
13 I will bring them back from among the peoples and gather them from foreign lands, I will lead them back to their own land and pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines, and in all the inhabited areas of the country. 14 I will feed them in fertile pastures, and the mountain heights of Israel will be their grazing grounds. There they will lie down on good grazing land and feed in rich pastures on the mountains of Israel.
15 I, myself, will pasture my sheep, and I, myself, will give them rest, says the Lord God. 16 I will search for those who are lost; I will bring back those who have strayed away. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the fat and the strong, I will destroy. I will shepherd my flock with justice.
17 Judgment of the Sheep.[d]As for you, my flock, the Lord God says this: I will judge between one sheep and another, between rams and goats. 18 Is it not sufficient for you to graze on the best pasture land? Must you also trample with your feet on the rest of the pastures? Is it not enough for you to drink clear water? Must you also foul the rest with your feet? 19 As a result, my sheep must graze on what you have trampled underfoot and drink what you have befouled with your feet.
20 Therefore, thus says the Lord God to them: I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. 21 Because you have shoved with flank and shoulder and butted all the weak sheep with your horns until you have scattered them in every direction, 22 I will save my flock, and they will never again be treated unfairly. I will judge between one sheep and another.
23 [e]I will raise up one shepherd, my servant David, to care for them. He shall feed them and be their shepherd. 24 I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David will be a prince in their midst. I, the Lord, have spoken.
25 I will make a covenant of peace with them and rid the land of wild animals so that they may live in the desert and sleep in the woods free from danger. 26 I will make them and the region surrounding my hill a blessing, and I will send them rain in due season that will be showers of blessing.
27 The trees of the field shall bear their fruit, and the soil will yield its crops. My people will be secure on their own soil and they will know that I am the Lord when I break the bars of their yoke and rescue them from the power of those who enslaved them.
28 They will no longer be plundered by the nations or devoured by the wild animals of the land. They will live in safety, and no one ever again will terrify them. 29 I will make their land bring forth abundant crops so that they will never again be the victims of famine or have to suffer the insults of the nations.
30 Thus, they will be assured that I, the Lord, their God, am with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are my people, says the Lord God. 31 You are my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, and I am your God, says the Lord God.
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 34:1 Ezekiel takes over from Jeremiah (Ezek 23) the theme of the shepherd and the flock, but he develops other aspects of it. He censures the kings and other leaders of Israel, showing them that in the end the destiny of the people is in the hands of God.
- Ezekiel 34:1 The image of the shepherd was a traditional one for kings in the ancient East. The prophets frequently use it, speaking of unworthy leaders as wicked shepherds (Jer 2:8; 10:21; Zec 11:4-17).
- Ezekiel 34:11 The true shepherd of Israel is the Lord (Gen 49:24; Ps 80:1). Since there are no real leaders, he himself will restore his people (see Pss 23; 77:20; Isa 40:11; Jer 23:3). Jesus will use the image of the shepherd looking for the lost sheep, in order to show how great is God’s concern for lost human beings (Mt 18:12; Lk 15:4) and will describe himself as the only Good Shepherd (Jn 10).
- Ezekiel 34:17 God’s visitation of his flock will be first and foremost for judgment, for separating the good and the bad. He will establish the social justice often proclaimed in Ezekiel’s preaching (see Ezek 18:5-9, 12-13; 33:14f; 45:9-12). When the only true shepherd comes, the leaders will take their place in the flock and will be judged according to their injustice. We may think here of the judgment scene that Jesus will one day describe (Mt 25:1-46).
- Ezekiel 34:23 In the midst of ruin, Ezekiel foretells an age of fidelity, peace, and prosperity. A new shepherd will be in charge, a true successor to David, who was portrayed as the ideal king in the service of his people (see 1 Sam 16:19; 2 Sam 7:7; Ps 78:70-72).
