¹⁶ “May the Lord, the God who gives breath to all,^[a](A) appoint a man over the community ¹⁷ who will go out before them and come back in before them,^(B) and who will bring them out and bring them in, so that the Lord’s community won’t be like sheep without a shepherd.”^(C)

⁵ They were scattered for lack of a shepherd;^(A) they became food for all the wild animals^(B) when they were scattered. ⁶ My flock went astray on all the mountains and every high hill.^(C) My flock was scattered over the whole face of the earth, and there was no one searching or seeking for them.

⁷ “‘Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord. ⁸ As I live—this is the declaration of the Lord God—because my flock, lacking a shepherd, has become prey and food for every wild animal, and because my shepherds do not search for my flock, and because the shepherds feed themselves rather than my flock,

³⁶ When he saw the crowds, he felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dejected,^(A) like sheep without a shepherd.^(B)

³⁴ When he went ashore, he saw a large crowd and had compassion^(A) on them, because they were like sheep^(B) without a shepherd. Then he began to teach them many things.