Ezekiel 33:23-34:12

New King James Version

The Cause of Judah’s Ruin

²³ Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying: ²⁴ “Son of man, ^(A)they who inhabit those ^(B)ruins in the land of Israel are saying, ^(C)‘Abraham was only one, and he inherited the land. ^(D)But we are many; the land has been given to us as a ^(E)possession.’

²⁵ “Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: ^(F)“You eat meat with blood, you ^(G)lift up your eyes toward your idols, and ^(H)shed blood. Should you then possess the ^(I)land? ²⁶ You rely on your sword, you commit abominations, and you ^(J)defile one another’s wives. Should you then possess the land?” ’

²⁷ “Say thus to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “As I live, surely ^(K)those who are in the ruins shall fall by the sword, and the one who is in the open field ^(L)I will give to the beasts to be devoured, and those who are in the strongholds and ^(M)caves shall die of the pestilence. ^28 (N)For I will make the land most desolate, ^[a]her ^(O)arrogant strength shall cease, and ^(P)the mountains of Israel shall be so desolate that no one will pass through. ²⁹ Then they shall know that I am the Lord, when I have made the land most desolate because of all their abominations which they have committed.” ’

Hearing and Not Doing

³⁰ “As for you, son of man, the children of your people are talking about you beside the walls and in the doors of the houses; and they ^(Q)speak to one another, everyone saying to his brother, ‘Please come and hear what the word is that comes from the Lord.’ ³¹ So ^(R)they come to you as people do, they ^(S)sit before you as My people, and they ^(T)hear your words, but they do not do them; ^(U)for with their mouth they show much love, but ^(V)their hearts pursue their own gain. ³² Indeed you are to them as a very lovely song of one who has a pleasant voice and can play well on an instrument; for they hear your words, but they do ^(W)not do them. ^33 (X)And when this comes to pass—surely it will come—then ^(Y)they will know that a prophet has been among them.”

Irresponsible Shepherds

34 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: ^(Z)“Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks? ^3 (AA)You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool; you ^(AB)slaughter the fatlings, but you do not feed the flock. ^4 (AC)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 ^(AD)sought what was lost; but with ^(AE)force and ^[b]cruelty you have ruled them. ^5 (AF)So they were ^(AG)scattered because there was no shepherd; ^(AH)and they became food for all the beasts of the field when they were scattered. ⁶ My sheep ^(AI)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 ^(AJ)became food for every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, nor did My shepherds search for My flock, ^(AK)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 ^(AL)against the shepherds, and ^(AM)I will require My flock at their hand; I will cause them to cease feeding the sheep, and the shepherds shall ^(AN)feed themselves no more; for I will ^(AO)deliver My flock from their mouths, that they may no longer be food for them.”

God, the True Shepherd

¹¹ ‘For thus says the Lord God: “Indeed I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out. ¹² As a ^(AP)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 ^(AQ)a cloudy and dark day.