1 The word of the LORD came to me:
2 "Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say to them, even to the shepherds, Thus says the Lord GOD: Ho, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep?
3 You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fatlings; but you do not feed the sheep.
4 The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the crippled 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.
5 So they were scattered, because there was no shepherd; and 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, with none to search or seek for them.
7 "Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD:
8 As I live, says the Lord GOD, 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;
9 therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD:
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.
11 "For thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep, and will seek them out.
12 As a shepherd seeks out his flock when some of his sheep have been scattered abroad, so will I seek out my sheep; and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness.
13 And I will bring them out from the peoples, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land; and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the fountains, and in all the inhabited places of the country.
14 I will feed them with good pasture, and upon the mountain heights of Israel shall be their pasture; there they shall lie down in good grazing land, and on fat pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel.
15 I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will make them lie down, says the Lord GOD.
16 I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the crippled, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will watch over; I will feed them in justice.
17 "As for you, my flock, thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I judge between sheep and sheep, rams and he-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 clear water, that you must foul the rest with your feet?
19 And must my sheep eat what you have trodden with your feet, and drink what you have fouled 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 thrust at all the weak with your horns, till you have scattered them abroad,
22 I will save my flock, they shall no longer be a prey; and I will judge between sheep and sheep.
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.
24 And I, the LORD, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them; I, the LORD, have spoken.
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.
26 And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will send down the showers in their season; they shall be showers of blessing.
27 And the trees of the field shall yield their fruit, and the earth shall yield its increase, and they shall be secure in their land; and they shall know that I am the LORD, when I break the bars of their yoke, and deliver them from the hand of those who enslaved them.
28 They shall no more be a prey to the nations, nor shall the beasts of the land devour them; they shall dwell securely, and none shall make them afraid.
29 And I will provide for them prosperous plantations so that they shall no more be consumed with hunger in the land, and no longer suffer the reproach of the nations.
30 And they shall know that I, the LORD their God, am with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are my people, says the Lord GOD.
31 And you are my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, and I am your God, says the Lord GOD."
Versículos relacionados com Ezekiel, 34:
Ezekiel 34 talks about the religious leadership of Israel and its neglect of the people, leading to the oppression and helplessness of the sheep, which represent the people of God. The chapter denounces the shepherds who benefit at the expense of the people and calls for a new leader who takes care of the flock with justice and love. Below are five verses related to the topics covered in Ezekiel 34:
Isaiah 56:11: "They are greedy dogs, who never have sufficient; they are pastors who understand nothing. They all turn to their own way, each for their greed, each in turn." The verse denounces the greed and neglect of religious leaders who do not take care of the people, as well as Ezekiel 34.
Zechariah 11:4-5: "Thus saith the Lord my God: cease the sheep destined for the slaughterhouse, whose buyers kill them and are not considered guilty; and those who sell them say, Blessed be the Lord, because I am enriching! pastors themselves have no mercy on them. " The verse shows the cruelty of religious leaders who exploit the people for their own benefit, as described in Ezekiel 34.
Jeremiah 23:1-2: "Woe to the shepherds who destroy and disperse the flock of my pastures! Declares the Lord. So, thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, against the shepherds who take care of my people: You have scattered mine flock, and expelled him, and did not visit him. Behold, I will visit you the evil of your actions, declares the Lord. " The verse also denounces the neglect of religious leaders and announces divine justice over them.
John 10:11: "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives his life through the sheep." The verse presents Jesus as the example of leader who cares for the people with love and justice, as opposed to the negligent leaders described in Ezekiel 34.
Hebrews 13:17: "I obey your leaders, and submit to them, for they sail for your soul as one who will be accountable, that they may do it with joy and not moaning, because that would not be useful for you." The verse encourages obedience to religious leaders who take care of the people with responsibility and love, as should be the role of pastors described in Ezekiel 34.
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