[1] Open your doors, Lebanon, that the fire may devour your cedars. [2]
Wail, fir-tree, for the cedar is fallen, because the goodly ones are
destroyed: wail, you oaks of Bashan, for the strong forest is come down.
[3] A voice of the wailing of the shepherds! for their glory is destroyed:
a voice of the roaring of young lions! for the pride of the Jordan is laid
waste. [4] Thus said Yahweh my God: Feed the flock of slaughter; [5] whose
possessors kill them, and hold themselves not guilty; and those who sell
them say, Blessed be Yahweh, for I am rich; and their own shepherds don`t
pity them. [6] For I will no more pity the inhabitants of the land, says
Yahweh; but, behold, I will deliver the men everyone into his neighbor`s
hand, and into the hand of his king; and they shall strike the land, and
out of their hand I will not deliver them. [7] So I fed the flock of
slaughter, most assuredly the poor of the flock. I took to me two poles;
the one I called Beauty, and the other I called Bands; and I fed the flock.
[8] I cut off the three shepherds in one month; for my soul was weary of
them, and their soul also loathed me. [9] Then I said, I will not feed you:
that which dies, let it die; and that which is to be cut off, let it be cut
off; and let those who are left eat everyone the flesh of another. [10] I
took my staff Beauty, and cut it apart, that I might break my covenant
which I had made with all the peoples. [11] It was broken in that day; and
thus the poor of the flock that gave heed to me knew that it was the word
of Yahweh. [12] I said to them, If you think good, give me my hire; and if
not, forbear. So they weighed for my hire thirty [pieces] of silver. [13]
Yahweh said to me, Cast it to the potter, the goodly price that I was
prized at by them. I took the thirty [pieces] of silver, and cast them to
the potter, in the house of Yahweh. [14] Then I cut apart my other staff,
even Bands, that I might break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.
[15] Yahweh said to me, Take to you yet again the instruments of a foolish
shepherd. [16] For, behold, I will raise up a shepherd in the land, who
will not visit those who are cut off, neither will seek those who are
scattered, nor heal that which is broken, nor feed that which is sound; but
he will eat the flesh of the fat [sheep], and will tear their hoofs in
pieces. [17] Woe to the worthless shepherd who leaves the flock! the sword
shall be on his arm, and on his right eye: his arm shall be clean dried up,
and his right eye shall be utterly darkened.
