Ezekiel 34 Cross References - ISV

¹ Israel’s False ShepherdsA message came from the LORD for me, and it had this to say: ² “Son of Man, prophesy against Israel’s shepherds. Tell those shepherds, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says:
“Woe to you shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves and not the sheep. Shouldn’t shepherds feed the sheep? ³ You’re eating the best parts, clothing yourselves with the wool, and slaughtering the home-grown sheep without having fed the sheep! ⁴ You haven’t strengthened the weak, treated the sick, set broken bones, regathered the scattered, or looked for the lost. Instead, you’ve dominated them with brutal force and ruthlessness.
⁵ “Since they have no shepherd, they have been scattered around and have become prey for all sorts of wild animals. How scattered they are! ⁶ My sheep have gone wandering on all of the mountains, on all of the hills, and throughout every high place in the whole world, with no one to look for them or go out in search of them.
⁷ “Therefore listen to what the LORD says, you shepherds: ⁸ ‘As certainly as I’m alive and living, my sheep have truly become victims, food for all of the wild animals because there are no shepherds. My shepherds did not go searching for my flock. Instead, the shepherds fed themselves, and my flock they would not feed!’
⁹ “Therefore, you shepherds, listen to what the LORD says: ¹⁰ ‘This is what the Lord GOD says: “Watch out, I’m coming after you shepherds! I’m going to demand my sheep back from them and fire them as shepherds. The shepherds won’t be shepherds anymore when I snatch my flock right out of their mouths so they can’t be eaten by them anymore.”’”
¹¹ The Coming True Shepherd“This is what the LORD says: ‘Watch me! I’m going to search for my flock. I’ll watch over them myself. ¹² Just as a shepherd looks after his flock during the day time while he is with them, so also I’m going to watch over my sheep, delivering them from every place where they’ve been scattered during the times of gloom and doom. ¹³ I’m going to bring them out from foreign nations and from foreign lands. Then I’ll bring them to their own land and feed them in Israel—on the mountains, in their valleys, and in all of their settlements throughout the land. ¹⁴ I’ll feed them in excellent pastures, and even the very heights of Israel’s mountains will serve as verdant pastures for them in which they’ll rest and feed—yes, even on the fertile mountains of Israel! ¹⁵ I will feed my sheep and give them rest,’ declares the Lord GOD. ¹⁶ ‘I’m going to seek both the lost as well as the scattered, and bring them both back so their broken bones can be set and the sick can be healed. But in righteousness I’ll exterminate the fat and the stiff-necked.’”
¹⁷ God’s Message to His Sheep“Now as for you, my flock, this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Watch out! I’m going to judge between one sheep and another, and between the rams and the goats. ¹⁸ Is it such an insignificant thing to you that you’re feeding in good pastures but trampling down the other pastures with your feet? Or that as you’re drinking from the clear streams you’re muddying the rest with your feet? ¹⁹ My flock is grazing on what you’ve been treading down with your feet and they’re drinking what you’ve been making muddy with your feet!’
²⁰ “Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says to them: ‘Watch me! I’m going to judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep, ²¹ since you’ve been bumping aside all the weaker sheep with your backsides and shoulders, butting them with your horns until they’re scattered around outside. ²² That’s how I’ll save my sheep so they won’t be plundered any longer. I’m going to judge between one sheep and another.’”
²³ God’s Shepherd: His Servant David“‘Then I’ll install one shepherd for them—my servant David—and he will feed them, will be there for them, and will serve as their shepherd. ²⁴ I, the LORD, will be their God, and my servant David will rule among them as Prince.’ I, the LORD, have spoken this.
²⁵ “I’m going to enter into a covenant with them, one of peace, and I’ll eliminate wild beasts from the land so they can live securely in the wilderness and sleep in the forests. ²⁶ I’m going to make them and everything that surrounds my hill a blessing. I’ll send down the rain! At the appropriate time there will be a rainstorm of blessing! ²⁷ I’ll bring fruit to the trees in the orchards, the land will yield its produce, they will live securely on their land, and they will learn that I am the LORD, when I break the bar that has been their yoke and deliver them from the control of those who have enslaved them. ²⁸ They will no longer be plundered by the nations, and wild animals will no longer devour them. They will settle down confidently, with nothing to frighten them. ²⁹ I’m going to prepare for them the best of gardening spots. They will no longer live as victims in a land of starvation, nor will they have to bear the insults of the international community. ³⁰ That’s when they’ll learn that I, the LORD their God, am with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are my people,’ declares the Lord GOD. ³¹ ‘And as for you, my sheep, the flock that I’m pasturing, you are mankind, and I am your God,’ declares the Lord GOD.”

² Even back when Saul was our king, it was you who kept on leading Israel out to battle and bringing them back again. The LORD told you, ‘You yourself will shepherd my people Israel and serve as Commander-in-Chief over Israel.’”

⁷¹ He brought him from birthing sheep to care for Jacob, his people, Israel, his possession. ⁷² David shepherded them with a devoted heart, and led them with skillful hands.

¹¹ Like a shepherd, he tends his flock. He gathers the lambs in his arms, carries them close to his heart, and gently leads the mother sheep.”

⁸ “The priests didn’t say, ‘Where is the LORD?’ and those handling the Law didn’t know me. The rulers transgressed against me, the prophets prophesied by Baal, and they followed that which does not profit.

¹⁵ I’ll give you shepherds after my own heart, and they’ll shepherd you with knowledge and good sense.”

²¹ Because the shepherds are stupid and don’t seek the LORD, therefore, they don’t prosper, and their flock is scattered.

¹⁰ Many shepherds will destroy my vineyard. They’ll trample down my portion. They’ll turn my pleasant portion into a desolate desert.

¹ A Righteous King for God’s People“How terrible for the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture!” declares the LORD.

¹⁹ You’ve profaned me among my people for a handful of barley and a morsel of bread. You’re causing people to die who shouldn’t have to die, and you’re causing people to live who shouldn’t survive, when you deceive my people who tend to listen to lies.”

²⁴ “Son of Man, those who are living among these ruins of the land of Israel keep saying, ‘Abraham was only one man, but he was able to possess the land! As for us, we’re a multitude, and the land has been given to us as an inheritance.’

⁸ ‘As certainly as I’m alive and living, my sheep have truly become victims, food for all of the wild animals because there are no shepherds. My shepherds did not go searching for my flock. Instead, the shepherds fed themselves, and my flock they would not feed!’
⁹ “Therefore, you shepherds, listen to what the LORD says: ¹⁰ ‘This is what the Lord GOD says: “Watch out, I’m coming after you shepherds! I’m going to demand my sheep back from them and fire them as shepherds. The shepherds won’t be shepherds anymore when I snatch my flock right out of their mouths so they can’t be eaten by them anymore.”’”

¹ “He will say, ‘Listen, you leaders of Jacob, you officials of the house of Israel! You should know justice, should you not?— ² you who despise good and love evil, who tear off the skin of my people, along with the flesh from their bones. ³ You eat the flesh of my people, flaying their skin from them. You break their bones, chopping them in pieces like meat for a pot, like meat destined for a soup kettle.’

¹¹ Her leaders judge for the money, her priests teach only when they’re paid, and her prophets prophesy for cash. Even so, don’t they all rely on the LORD as they ask, ‘The LORD is among us, is he not? Nothing bad can possibly happen to us!’ ¹² “Therefore, because of you, Zion will be plowed up like a field, and Jerusalem will become heaps of rubble, and the Temple Mount like a forest high place.”

³ Its national officials are roaring lions; its judges are like wolves of the night that don’t leave the bones for the morning. ⁴ Its prophets are arrogant and treacherous. Its priests have contaminated the sanctuary. They give perverse interpretations of the Law.

¹⁷ “Woe to the worthless shepherd, who deserts the flock! May the sword strike his arm and his right eye. May his arm wither and his right eye be completely blind.”

⁴⁸ “But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master has been delayed,’ ⁴⁹ and begins to beat his fellow servants and eat and drink with the drunks, ⁵⁰ that servant’s master will come on a day when he doesn’t expect him and at an hour that he doesn’t know. ⁵¹ Then his master will punish him severely and assign him a place with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

⁴² The Lord said, “Who, then, is the faithful and careful servant manager whom his master will put in charge of giving all his other servants their share of food at the right time? ⁴³ How blessed is that servant whom his master finds doing this when he comes! ⁴⁴ I tell you with certainty, he will put him in charge of all his property. ⁴⁵ But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is taking a long time to come back,’ and begins to beat the other servants and to eat, drink, and get drunk, ⁴⁶ the master of that servant will come on a day when he doesn’t expect him and at an hour that he doesn’t know. Then his master will punish him severely and assign him a place with unfaithful people.

⁴⁶ “Beware of the scribes! They like to walk around in long robes and love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. ⁴⁷ They devour widows’ houses and say long prayers to cover it up. They will receive greater condemnation!”

¹ The Illustration of the Sheepfold “Truly, I tell all of you emphatically, the person who doesn’t enter the sheepfold through the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a bandit. ² The one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.

¹¹ “I’m the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. ¹² The hired worker, who isn’t the shepherd and doesn’t own the sheep, sees the wolf coming, deserts the sheep, and runs away. So the wolf snatches them and scatters them,

¹⁵ Jesus Speaks with PeterWhen they had finished breakfast, Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?”
Peter told him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus told him, “Feed my lambs.”
¹⁶ Then he asked him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
Peter told him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus told him, “Take care of my sheep.” ¹⁷ He asked him a third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was deeply hurt that he had asked him a third time, “Do you love me?” So he told him, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you!”
Jesus told him, “Feed my sheep.

²⁶ I therefore declare to you today that I’m not responsible for the blood of any of you,

²⁹ I know that when I’m gone, savage wolves will come among you and not spare the flock.

¹⁸ because such people are not serving the Messiah our Lord, but their own desires. By their smooth talk and flattering words they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting.

² Be shepherds of God’s flock that is among you, watching over it, not because you must but because you want to, and not greedily but eagerly, as God desires. ³ Do not lord it over the people entrusted to you, but be examples to the flock. ⁴ Then, when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the victor’s crown of glory that will never fade away.

³ In their greed they will exploit you with deceptive words. The ancient verdict against them is still in force, and their destruction is not delayed.

¹³ Two wicked men came in, sat down in front of them, and testified against Naboth in public, “Naboth cursed God and the king!” So they took him outside the city and stoned him to death.
¹⁴ Afterwards, they sent a message to Jezebel that said, “Naboth has been stoned. He’s dead.”
¹⁵ When Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned to death, she told Ahab, “Get up and confiscate Naboth’s vineyard that he refused to sell you for cash. Naboth the Jezreelite isn’t alive anymore. He’s dead!” ¹⁶ So once he heard that Naboth was dead, Ahab got up, went down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, and confiscated it.

¹⁶ In addition to this, Manasseh shed lots of innocent blood—until he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another—besides his sin by which he caused Judah to sin by practicing what the LORD considered to be evil.

¹⁰ “Listen to what the LORD says, you rulers of Sodom, and pay attention to the teaching of our God, you people of Gomorrah!

¹⁵ When you spread out your hands in prayer, I’ll hide my eyes from you. Even though you pray repeatedly, I won’t listen. Your hands are full of blood, your fingers drenched with iniquity.”

¹¹ Meanwhile, the dogs have a mighty appetite— they can never get enough. And as for them, they are the shepherds who lack understanding; they have all turned to their own way, each one to his gain, each and every one. ¹² “‘Come!’ they say, ‘let’s have some wine, and let’s fill ourselves with strong drink! Then, tomorrow will be like today, or even much better!’”

³⁰ “I’ve punished your children with no results, they have accepted no discipline. Your sword has devoured your prophets like a destroying lion.”

¹⁷ But your eyes and heart are on nothing but your dishonest gain, shedding the blood of innocent people, and practicing oppression and extortion.”

¹³ Due to the sins committed by her prophets, and the iniquities of her priests who shed in her midst, the blood of the righteous,

³ She raised one cub in particular, teaching that fierce lion to become a hunter-prowler— to eat human beings.

⁶ He prowled around among the lions, became a strong, young lion, and learned to become a hunter-prowler— to eat human beings.

²⁵ There’s a conspiracy of prophets within her, and like a roaring lion tearing its prey, they’ve devoured people, and confiscated treasures, and taken precious things. They’ve added to the population of widows within her. ²⁶ Her priests have violated my Law and profaned my sacred things. They didn’t differentiate between what’s sacred and what’s common. They didn’t instruct others to discern clean from unclean things. They refused to keep my Sabbaths.
“‘I’m constantly being profaned among them. ²⁷ Her princes within her are like wolves tearing their prey apart. They shed blood, destroying souls, and make unjust gain.
²⁸ “‘Her prophets whitewashed all of these things through false visions and lying divinations. They kept on saying, “This is what the Lord GOD says…”, when the LORD has not spoken.

²⁵ So tell them, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says: “You keep eating flesh along with its blood, you keep looking to your idols, and you keep shedding blood, and you’re going to take possession of the land? ²⁶ You keep trusting in your weapons, you continue to commit loathsome deeds, men keep defiling their neighbors’ wives, and you’re going to take possession of the land?’

³ Its national officials are roaring lions; its judges are like wolves of the night that don’t leave the bones for the morning.

⁵ Their buyers slaughter them without being punished, continuing to sell them as they say, ‘Bless the LORD!’ and, ‘I’m rich!’ Meanwhile, their shepherds show them no compassion.

¹⁶ for I am now raising up a shepherd in the land who will neither search for the lost, nor care for the young, nor fix the broken, nor sustain the healthy. Instead, he will devour the meat of the best of the sheep, tearing off their hoofs.”

¹³ The Egyptians ruthlessly forced the Israelis to serve them, ¹⁴ making their lives bitter through hard labor with mortar, bricks, and all kinds of outdoor labor. They ruthlessly imposed all this work on them.

¹⁰ His watchmen are blind; they are all without knowledge. They are all dumb dogs— they cannot bark. They keep on dreaming and lying around, and they’re lovers of sleep!

²² Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? So why is there no healing for my people?

¹³ An Oracle against Jehoiakim“How terrible for him who builds his house without righteousness, and its upper rooms without justice, who makes his neighbor work for nothing, and does not pay him his wage.

¹⁶ ‘I’m going to seek both the lost as well as the scattered, and bring them both back so their broken bones can be set and the sick can be healed. But in righteousness I’ll exterminate the fat and the stiff-necked.’”

¹⁵ God’s Curse on the Worthless ShepherdThe LORD told me, “Pick up the tools of a worthless shepherd again, ¹⁶ for I am now raising up a shepherd in the land who will neither search for the lost, nor care for the young, nor fix the broken, nor sustain the healthy. Instead, he will devour the meat of the best of the sheep, tearing off their hoofs.”

³⁶ When he saw the crowds, he was deeply moved with compassion for them, because they were troubled and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

⁶ Instead, go to the lost sheep of the nation of Israel.

¹² The Parable about the Faithful Shepherd
“What do you think? If a man has 100 sheep and one of them strays, he leaves the 99 in the hills and goes to look for the one that has strayed, doesn’t he? ¹³ If he finds it, I tell all of you with certainty that he rejoices over it more than over the 99 that haven’t strayed.

³⁵ But the farmers took his servants and beat one, killed another, and attacked another with stones.

⁴⁹ and begins to beat his fellow servants and eat and drink with the drunks,

⁴ “Suppose one of you has 100 sheep and loses one of them. He leaves the 99 in the wilderness and looks for the one that is lost until he finds it, doesn’t he? ⁵ When he finds it, he puts it on his shoulders and rejoices. ⁶ Then he goes home, calls his friends and neighbors together, and says to them, ‘Rejoice with me, because I’ve found my lost sheep!’

²⁴ It is not that we are trying to rule over your faith, but rather to work with you for your joy, because you have been standing firm in the faith.

¹² Live as God’s PeopleTherefore, strengthen your tired arms and your weak knees,

¹ Advice for Rich PeopleNow listen, you rich people! Cry and moan over the miseries that are overtaking you. ² Your riches are rotten, your clothes have been eaten by moths, ³ your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be used as evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have stored up treasures in these last days. ⁴ Look! The wages that you kept back from the workers who harvested your fields are shouting out against you, and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of the Heavenly Armies. ⁵ You have lived in luxury and pleasure on earth. You have fattened yourselves for the day of slaughter. ⁶ You have condemned and murdered the one who is righteous, even though he did not rebel against you.

² Be shepherds of God’s flock that is among you, watching over it, not because you must but because you want to, and not greedily but eagerly, as God desires. ³ Do not lord it over the people entrusted to you, but be examples to the flock.

¹⁴ It deceives those living on earth with the signs that it is allowed to do on behalf of the first beast, telling them to make an image for the beast who was wounded by a sword and yet lived. ¹⁵ The second beast was allowed to impart life to the image of the first beast so that the image of the beast could talk and order the execution of those who would not worship the image of the beast. ¹⁶ The second beast forces all people—important and unimportant, rich and poor, free and slaves—to be marked on their right hands or on their foreheads, ¹⁷ so that no one may buy or sell unless he has the mark, which is the beast’s name or the number of its name.

⁵ On her forehead was written a secret name:
BABYLON THE GREAT,
THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES
AND DETESTABLE THINGS OF THE EARTH ⁶ I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints and the blood of the witnesses to Jesus. I was very surprised when I saw her.

¹⁷ who will go in and out before them, and who will lead them out and bring them in so that the LORD’S community won’t be like a flock without a shepherd.”

¹⁷ So Micaiah replied: “I saw all of Israel scattered on the mountains like sheep without a shepherd. And the LORD told me, ‘These have no master, so let them each return to his own home in peace.’”

¹⁶ And so Micaiah replied: I saw all of Israel scattered on the mountains like sheep without a shepherd. And the LORD told me, ‘These have no master, so let them each return to his own home in peace.’”

⁹ “All you wild animals, come and devour— even all of you wild animals.

⁹ Is my inheritance like a speckled bird of prey to me? Are the other birds of prey all around her coming against her? Go, gather all the wild animals and bring them to devour it. ¹⁰ Many shepherds will destroy my vineyard. They’ll trample down my portion. They’ll turn my pleasant portion into a desolate desert. ¹¹ They’ll make it into a desolate place, and, desolate, it will cry out in mourning to me. The whole land will be desolate because no one takes it to heart. ¹² On all the barren heights in the desert destroyers will come. Indeed, a sword of the LORD will devour from one end of the land to the other. There will be no peace for any person.

² Therefore, this is what the LORD God of Israel says about the shepherds who are shepherding my people, “You have scattered my flock and driven them away. You haven’t taken care of them, and now I’m about to take care of you because of your evil deeds,” declares the LORD.

⁶ My people have become lost sheep. Their shepherds have led them astray, turning them toward the mountains. They go from mountain to hill. They have forgotten their resting place. ⁷ All who find them devour them, but their enemies say, ‘We’re not guilty, because they have sinned against the LORD, the habitation of righteousness, the LORD, the hope of their ancestors.’

¹⁷ Hope for Israel“Israel is a scattered flock, driven out by lions. The first to devour him was the king of Assyria, and then afterward King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon gnawed his bones.

²¹ False Reliance on Abraham’s HeritageOn the fifth day of the tenth month of the twelfth year of our captivity, a fugitive who had escaped from Jerusalem came and informed me, “The city has been destroyed.”

²⁸ Then I’ll turn the land into a desolate ruin and her arrogant strength will come to an abrupt end. The mountains of Israel will become so desolate that no one will be able to travel over them.”

⁶ My sheep have gone wandering on all of the mountains, on all of the hills, and throughout every high place in the whole world, with no one to look for them or go out in search of them.

⁸ ‘As certainly as I’m alive and living, my sheep have truly become victims, food for all of the wild animals because there are no shepherds. My shepherds did not go searching for my flock. Instead, the shepherds fed themselves, and my flock they would not feed!’

²⁸ They will no longer be plundered by the nations, and wild animals will no longer devour them. They will settle down confidently, with nothing to frighten them.

² Truly the family idols talk nonsense and the diviners discern lies, describing delusional dreams. Since their comfort is vacuous, they wander off on their own like sheep, because there is no shepherd. ³ “Against the shepherds my anger rises— I am punishing the leaders also, because the LORD of the Heavenly Armies has visited his flock, the house of Judah, appointing them as his royal war horse for battle.

⁷ “Arise, sword, against my shepherd, against the mighty one who is related to me,” declares the LORD of the Heavenly Armies. “Strike the shepherd, the sheep will be scattered, and I will turn against the insignificant ones.

² The one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.

²⁹ I know that when I’m gone, savage wolves will come among you and not spare the flock. ³⁰ Indeed, some of your own men will arise and distort the truth in order to lure the disciples into following them. ³¹ So be alert! Remember that for three years, night and day, I never stopped tearfully warning each of you.

⁴ I look to my right and observe— no one is concerned about me. There is nowhere I can go for refuge, and no one cares for me.

¹ A Dialogue about Righteousness: The LORD Speaks “Wander through the streets of Jerusalem. Look and investigate; search through her squares and see whether you find anyone— even one person there—doing justice and seeking truth. Then I’ll forgive them.

¹⁶ Give glory to the LORD your God before he brings darkness, before your feet stumble on the mountains at twilight. You hope for light, but he turns it into deep darkness. He changes it into heavy gloom.

¹¹ All the Judeans who were in Moab, those with the people in Ammon, those in Edom, and those in all the other countries also heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant for Judah and that he had appointed Ahikam’s son Gedaliah, the grandson of Shaphan, over them. ¹² So all the Judeans returned from all the countries where they had been scattered. They came to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah at Mizpah, and they gathered wine and summer fruit in great abundance.

¹⁶ Fugitives will escape to the mountains like doves fleeing through the valleys, all of them moaning because of their own iniquity.

¹⁶ I have other sheep that don’t belong to this fold. I must lead these also, and they’ll listen to my voice. So there will be one flock and one shepherd.

³⁷ They were stoned to death, sawed in half, and killed with swords. They went around in sheepskins and goatskins. They were needy, oppressed, and mistreated. ³⁸ The world wasn’t worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and from caves to holes in the ground.

²⁵ You were “like sheep that kept going astray,” but now you have returned to the shepherd and overseer of your souls.

¹ A Psalm of Asaph
Asking God for Justice God takes his stand in the divine assembly; among the divine beings he renders judgment: ² “How long will you judge partially by showing favor on the wicked? Interlude ³ “Defend the poor and the fatherless. Vindicate the afflicted and the poor. ⁴ Rescue the poor and the needy, delivering them from the power of the wicked. ⁵ They neither know nor understand; they walk about in the dark while all the foundations of the earth are shaken. ⁶ “Indeed I said, ‘You are gods, and all of you are sons of the Most High. ⁷ However, as all human beings do, you will die, and like other rulers, you will fall.’

¹³ then say to them, ‘This is what the LORD says: “I’m about to make all the inhabitants of this land drunk—the kings who sit on David’s throne, the priests, the prophets, and all the residents of Jerusalem.

¹⁸ Say to the king and the queen mother, “Come take a lowly seat, because your beautiful crowns have fallen off your heads.”

² ‘Listen to this message from the LORD, king of Judah, you who sit on the throne of David—you, your officials, and your people who enter these gates. ³ This is what the LORD says: “Uphold justice and righteousness. Deliver from their oppressor those who have been robbed. Don’t mistreat or do violence to the alien, the orphan, or the widow, or shed the blood of innocent people in this place.

⁹ “Therefore, you shepherds, listen to what the LORD says:

⁸ The Message of God’s Prophet“As for me, I am truly filled with power by the Spirit of the LORD, filled with judgment and power to announce to Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin. ⁹ Please listen to this, you leaders of the house of Jacob, you officials of the house of Israel, you who hate administering justice, who pervert the very meaning of equity,

¹ God’s Third Complaint: Against His Priests—Failing to Honor HimNow this commandment is for you priests:

¹³ “How terrible it will be for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door to the kingdom from heaven in people’s faces. You don’t go in yourselves, and you don’t allow those who are trying to enter to go in.
¹⁴ “How terrible it will be for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You devour widows’ houses and say long prayers to cover it up. Therefore, you will receive greater condemnation!
¹⁵ “How terrible it will be for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to make a single convert, and when this happens you make him twice as fit for hell as you are.
¹⁶ “How terrible it will be for you, blind guides! You say, ‘Whoever swears an oath by the sanctuary is excused, but whoever swears an oath by the gold of the sanctuary must keep his oath.’ ¹⁷ You blind fools! What is more important, the gold or the sanctuary that made the gold holy? ¹⁸ Again you say, ‘Whoever swears an oath by the altar is excused, but whoever swears by the gift that is on it must keep his oath.’ ¹⁹ You blind men! Which is more important, the gift or the altar that makes the gift holy? ²⁰ Therefore, the one who swears an oath by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. ²¹ The one who swears an oath by the sanctuary swears by it and by the one who lives there. ²² And the one who swears an oath by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the one who sits on it.
²³ “How terrible it will be for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your mint, dill, and cummin, but have neglected the more important matters of the Law: justice, mercy, and faithfulness. These are the things you should have practiced, without neglecting the others. ²⁴ You blind guides! You filter out a gnat, yet swallow a camel!
²⁵ “How terrible it will be for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but on the inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. ²⁶ You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup, so that its outside may also be clean.
²⁷ “How terrible it will be for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs that look beautiful on the outside but inside are full of dead people’s bones and every kind of impurity. ²⁸ In the same way, on the outside you look righteous to people, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
²⁹ “How terrible it will be for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous. ³⁰ Then you say, ‘If we had been living in the days of our ancestors, we would have had no part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ ³¹ Therefore, you testify against yourselves that you are descendants of those who murdered the prophets. ³² Then finish what your ancestors started! ³³ You snakes, you children of serpents! How can you escape being condemned to hell?
³⁴ “That is why I am sending you prophets, wise men, and scribes. Some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will whip in your synagogues and persecute from town to town. ³⁵ As a result, you will be held accountable for all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of the righteous Abel to the blood of Berechiah’s son Zechariah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. ³⁶ I tell all of you with certainty, all these things will happen to those living today.”

³⁹ But the Lord told him, “Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but on the inside you are full of greed and evil. ⁴⁰ You fools! The one who made the outside made the inside, too, didn’t he? ⁴¹ So give what is inside to the poor, and then everything will be clean for you.
⁴² “How terrible it will be for you Pharisees! You give a tenth of your mint, spices, and every kind of herb, but you neglect justice and the love of God. These are the things you should have practiced, without neglecting the others.
⁴³ How terrible it will be for you Pharisees! You love to have the places of honor in the synagogues and to be greeted in the marketplaces.
⁴⁴ How terrible it will be for you! You are like unmarked graves—people walk on them without realizing it.”
⁴⁵ Then one of the experts in the Law told him, “Teacher, when you say these things, you insult us, too.”
⁴⁶ Jesus said, “How terrible it will be for you experts in the Law, too! You load people with burdens that are hard to carry, yet you don’t even lift a finger to ease those burdens.
⁴⁷ How terrible it will be for you! You build monuments for the prophets, and it was your ancestors who killed them! ⁴⁸ So you are witnesses and approve of the deeds of your ancestors, because they killed those for whom you are building monuments. ⁴⁹ That is why the Wisdom of God said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles. They will kill some of them and persecute others,’ ⁵⁰ so those living today will be charged with the blood of all the prophets that was shed since the foundation of the world, ⁵¹ from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who died between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it will be charged against this generation!
⁵² How terrible it will be for you experts in the Law! You have taken away the key to knowledge. You didn’t go in yourselves, and you kept out those who were trying to go in.”
⁵³ As Jesus was leaving, the scribes and the Pharisees began to oppose him fiercely, interrogating him about many things. ⁵⁴ They watched him closely in an effort to trap him in something he might say.

² “Son of Man, prophesy against Israel’s shepherds. Tell those shepherds, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says:
“Woe to you shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves and not the sheep. Shouldn’t shepherds feed the sheep? ³ You’re eating the best parts, clothing yourselves with the wool, and slaughtering the home-grown sheep without having fed the sheep!

⁵ “Since they have no shepherd, they have been scattered around and have become prey for all sorts of wild animals. How scattered they are! ⁶ My sheep have gone wandering on all of the mountains, on all of the hills, and throughout every high place in the whole world, with no one to look for them or go out in search of them.

¹⁰ ‘This is what the Lord GOD says: “Watch out, I’m coming after you shepherds! I’m going to demand my sheep back from them and fire them as shepherds. The shepherds won’t be shepherds anymore when I snatch my flock right out of their mouths so they can’t be eaten by them anymore.”’”

¹⁸ Is it such an insignificant thing to you that you’re feeding in good pastures but trampling down the other pastures with your feet? Or that as you’re drinking from the clear streams you’re muddying the rest with your feet?

³¹ ‘And as for you, my sheep, the flock that I’m pasturing, you are mankind, and I am your God,’ declares the Lord GOD.”

³³ I never desired anyone’s silver, gold, or clothes.

¹⁵ But I have not used any of these rights, and I’m not writing this so that they may be applied in my case. I would rather die than let anyone deprive me of my reason for boasting.

¹³ suffering harm as punishment for their wrongdoing. They take pleasure in wild parties in broad daylight. They are stains and blemishes, reveling in their deceitful pleasures while they eat with you.

¹² These people are stains on your love feasts. They feast with you without any sense of awe. They are shepherds who care only for themselves. They are waterless clouds blown about by the winds. They are autumn trees that are fruitless, totally dead, and uprooted.

²⁹ Why, then, do all of you show contempt for my sacrifice and offering that I’ve commanded for my dwelling? And you honor your sons more than me in order to fatten yourselves from the best of all the offerings of my people Israel.’
³⁰ “Therefore, the LORD God of Israel has declared, ‘I did, in fact, say that your family and your ancestor’s family would walk before me forever,’ but now the LORD declares, ‘Far be it from me! The one who honors me I’ll honor, and the one who despises me is to be treated with contempt. ³¹ The time is coming when I’ll cut away at your family and your ancestor’s family until there are no old men left in your family. ³² Distress will settle down to live in your household, and despite all the good that I do for Israel, there will never be an old man in your family forever, and you will never again have an old man in my house. ³³ Any of you whom I don’t eliminate from serving at my altar will grow tired from weeping, and their souls will grieve. All the increase of your family will die by violence. ³⁴ Here’s a sign for you—your two sons Hophni and Phineas will both die on the same day! ³⁵ And I’ll raise up for myself a faithful priest who will do according to what is in my heart and according to my desire. I’ll build for him an enduring house and he will walk before my anointed one forever. ³⁶ Anyone who remains in your family will come and prostrate themselves before him for a small wage or a loaf of bread and will say, “Please put me in one of the priest’s offices so I can eat a piece of bread.”’”

⁵ You prepare a table before me, even in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

¹² For he will deliver the needy when they cry out for help, and the poor when there is no deliverer. ¹³ He will have compassion on the poor and the needy, and he will save the lives of the needy. ¹⁴ He will redeem them from oppression and violence, since their lives are precious in his sight.

¹⁹ For when he looked down from his holy heights— the LORD looked over the earth from heaven— ²⁰ to listen to the groans of prisoners, to set free those condemned to death,

¹⁸ Say to the king and the queen mother, “Come take a lowly seat, because your beautiful crowns have fallen off your heads.” ¹⁹ The towns in the Negev will be closed up, and there will be no one to open them. All Judah will be taken into exile and be completely exiled. ²⁰ “Look up and see those who are coming from the north. Where is the flock that was given to you— your beautiful sheep?

¹³ “Look, I’m against you, city dwelling in the valley, rock of the plain,” declares the LORD, “those of you who say, ‘Who can come down against us and who can enter our habitations?’

⁶ At Riblah, the king of Babylon executed Zedekiah’s sons right before his eyes. He also executed all the nobles of Judah.

³¹ “Look, I’m against you, arrogant one,” declares the LORD God of the Heavenly Armies. “Indeed your day is coming, the time of your judgment.

⁹ They captured the king and brought him to the king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath, where the king of Babylon passed judgment on him. ¹⁰ The king of Babylon killed Zedekiah’s sons before his eyes, and he also killed all the Judean officials at Riblah. ¹¹ He blinded Zedekiah and bound him in bronze shackles. Then the king of Babylon took him to Babylon and put him in prison until he died.

²⁴ Executions and Deportations to BabylonThe captain of the guard arrested Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the next ranking priest, and the three guards of the gate. ²⁵ From the city he arrested one of the officers who had been in charge of the troops, seven men from the king’s personal advisors who were found in the city, the secretary of the commander of the army who mustered the people of the land, and 60 men of the people of the land who were found inside the city. ²⁶ Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard arrested them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. ²⁷ The king of Babylon struck them down and killed them at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah went into exile from the land.

¹⁸ “So when I say to a wicked person, ‘You’re about to die,’ if you don’t warn or instruct that wicked person that his behavior is wicked so he can live, that wicked person will die in his sin, but I’ll hold you responsible for his death.

²⁰ “When a righteous man abandons his righteousness to practice unrighteousness, I’ll set a stumbling block before him. He’ll die. If you don’t warn him, he’ll die in his sin and the righteous deeds that he had practiced won’t be remembered, but you’ll be held responsible for his death.

⁸ “Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Watch out! I—that’s right, even I—am against you. I’ll carry out my sentence among you right in front of the nations.

⁸ “‘Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says, “Because you’ve spoken falsehood and deceptions, I am therefore opposing you,” declares the Lord GOD.

³ Declare to Israel, ‘This is what the LORD says: “Watch out! I’m against you! I’m going to unsheathe my sword to kill both the righteous and the wicked among you.

⁶ If that sentinel notices that violence is approaching, but does not sound an alarm, then because the nation does not take warning and the sword arrives and destroys their lives because of their guilt, I’ll seek retribution for their shed blood from the one who was acting as sentinel.’”
⁷ Warning for Ezekiel“Now as for you, Son of Man, I’ve established you as a sentinel for the house of Israel. So whenever you hear a message from me, you are to warn the people from me. ⁸ If I should say to a certain wicked person, ‘You wicked man, you’re certainly about to die,’ but you don’t warn him to turn from his wicked behavior, he’ll die in his guilt, but I’ll seek retribution for his bloodshed from you.

² “Son of Man, prophesy against Israel’s shepherds. Tell those shepherds, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says:
“Woe to you shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves and not the sheep. Shouldn’t shepherds feed the sheep?

²² That’s how I’ll save my sheep so they won’t be plundered any longer. I’m going to judge between one sheep and another.’”

³ Tell them, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says: “Watch out! I’m coming to get you, Mount Seir! I’m stretching out my hand to strike you, and I’m going to turn you into a desolate wasteland.

¹³ “I am against you,” declares the LORD of the Heavenly Armies, “and I will send your chariots up in smoke. A sword will devour your young lions, I will eliminate your prey from the earth, and the voice of your messengers will no longer be heard.”

³ “Against the shepherds my anger rises— I am punishing the leaders also, because the LORD of the Heavenly Armies has visited his flock, the house of Judah, appointing them as his royal war horse for battle.

¹⁷ Continue to follow and be submissive to your leaders, since they are watching over your souls as those who will have to give a word of explanation. By doing this, you will be letting them carry out their duties joyfully, and not with grief, for that would be harmful for you.

¹² For the Lord watches the righteous, and he pays attention to their prayers. But the Lord opposes those who do wrong.”

¹⁷ “For my part, I’m about to flood the earth with water and destroy every living thing that breathes. Everything on earth will die.

²⁸ I’ll oppose you with vicious rage. Indeed, I myself will punish you seven fold on account of your sins.

³⁹ “Look now! I AM, and there is no other god besides me. I myself cause death and I sustain life; I wound severely and I also heal; from my power no one can deliver.

¹ A Davidic Psalm.
The LORD Shepherds His People The LORD is the one who is shepherding me; I lack nothing. ² He causes me to lie down in pastures of green grass; he guides me beside quiet waters. ³ He revives my life; he leads me in pathways that are righteous for the sake of his name.

¹ For the Director of Music: According to “The Lilies”. A testimony of Asaph. A psalm.
A Prayer for Jerusalem Shepherd of Israel, listen! The one who leads Joseph like a flock, the one enthroned on the cherubim, display your glory.

¹⁷⁶ I have wandered away like a lost sheep; come find your servant, for I do not forget your commands.

¹⁰ Look! The Lord GOD comes with strength, and his arm rules for him. Look! His reward is with him, and his payment accompanies him. ¹¹ Like a shepherd, he tends his flock. He gathers the lambs in his arms, carries them close to his heart, and gently leads the mother sheep.”

¹² I myself made the earth and personally created humankind upon it. My own hands stretched out the skies; I marshaled all their starry hosts.”

¹⁵ I—Yes, I!—have spoken; indeed, I’ve called and I’ve brought him, and he will make his path successful.

¹² “I—yes, I—am the one who comforts you. Who are you, that you are so afraid of humans who will die, descendants of mere men, who have been made like grass?

⁸ A Rebuke to Israel’s GuardiansThis is what the Lord GOD says, the one who gathers the outcasts of Israel: “I’ll gather still others to them besides those already gathered.

³ “I’ll gather the remnant of my flock from all the countries where I’ve driven them, and bring them back to their pasture where they’ll be fruitful and increase in numbers.

⁸ Look, I’m bringing them from the northern region, and I’ll gather them from the farthest parts of the earth. among them will be the blind and the lame, together with the pregnant woman and the woman in labor. A large group will return here.

³ Tell the mountains of Israel to listen as the Lord GOD speaks. This is what the Lord GOD has to say to the mountains, hills, streams, and the valleys: ‘Look! I’m about to bring my sword against you. I’m going to destroy your high places.

¹⁴ Therefore I will be like a lion to Ephraim, and like a young lion to the house of Judah. I—even I—will tear them to pieces, and then I will leave. I will take them away, and there will be no rescue.

¹¹ He answered them, “You have been given knowledge about the secrets of the kingdom from heaven, but it hasn’t been given to them, ¹² because to anyone who has something, more will be given, and he will have more than enough. But from the one who doesn’t have anything, even what he has will be taken away from him.

¹⁰ and the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost.”

³⁴ David told Saul, “Your servant has been a shepherd for his father. When a lion or bear came and took a lamb from the flock, ³⁵ I would go out after it, strike it down, and rescue the lamb from its mouth. Then when it rose up against me, I would grab it by its fur, strike it down, and kill it.

¹⁰ Who among you fears the LORD, obeying the voice of his servant, who among you walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the LORD, and rely upon his God.

¹⁰ Nations, listen to this message from the LORD, and declare it in the distant coastlands. Say, “The one who scattered Israel will gather him and keep him as a shepherd keeps his flock.”

³ For comes now the day— comes now the Day of the LORD, the day of clouds! The time of the gentiles is fulfilled!

¹ The Warning of God “Sound the ram’s horn in Zion! Sound an alarm on my holy mountain! Tremble, all of you inhabitants of the land, because the Day of the LORD is coming. Oh, how near it is! ² A day of doom and gloom, a day of clouds and shadows like the dawn spreads out to cover the mountains— a people strong and robust. Never has there been anything like it, neither will anything follow to compare with it, even through the lifetime of generation upon generation.”
³ Joel’s Description of the Approaching Army“A fire blazes in their presence, and behind them a conflagration rages. Before they come, the land is like the garden in Eden; after they leave, there is only a barren wasteland. Indeed, nothing escapes them.

¹⁸ The Fearful Day of the LORD“Woe to those who are craving the Day of the LORD! How is it to your benefit, this Day of the LORD? It’s a day of darkness to you, and not light. ¹⁹ It will be like a man who runs from a lion, only to encounter a bear; or who comes home, leans his hand against a wall, and a serpent bites him! ²⁰ Will not the Day of the LORD be darkness, and not light— pitch black at that, without a ray of sunshine?”

¹⁵ That day will be filled with wrath, a day of trouble and tribulation, a day of desolation and devastation, a day of doom and gloom, a day of clouds and shadows,

¹⁹ I will display wonders in the sky above and signs on the earth below: blood, fire, and clouds of smoke. ²⁰ The sun will become dark, and the moon turn to blood, before the coming of the great and glorious Day of the Lord. ²¹ Then whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’

⁴⁷ Deliver us, LORD our God, gather us from among the nations so we may praise your holy name and rejoice in praising you.

¹¹ At that time, the LORD will reach out his hand yet a second time to recover the remnant that is left of his people, from Assyria, from Lower Egypt, from Upper Egypt, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. ¹² He will raise a banner for the nations and will assemble the dispersed of Israel; he will gather the scattered people of Judah from the corners of the earth.
¹³ Israel’s Victory over Its EnemiesEphraim’s jealousy will vanish, and those who are hostile to Judah will be eliminated; Ephraim will no longer be jealous of Judah, and Judah will not be hostile to Ephraim. ¹⁴ But they will swoop down on the slopes of the Philistines to the west, and they will plunder the people to the east. They’ll lay their hands on Edom and Moab, and the Ammonites will be subject to them. ¹⁵ The LORD will totally destroy the gulf of the Sea of Egypt. He will sweep his hand over the Euphrates River with a violent wind, breaking it up into seven streams, and making a way for people to cross on foot. ¹⁶ And there will be a highway for the remnant that is left of his people out of Assyria, as there was for Israel when they came up from the land of Egypt.

⁹ I’ll bring forth descendants from Jacob, and from Judah they will inherit my mountains; my chosen people will inherit it, and my servants will live there. ¹⁰ Sharon will become a pasture for flocks, and the Valley of Achor a fold for herds, for my people who have sought me.

¹⁹ “I will put up signs among them, and from them I will send survivors to the nations—to Tarshish, Libya, and Lydia, (who draw the bow), to Tubal and Greece, to the far off coastlands that have not heard of my fame or seen my glory. Then they will proclaim my glory among the nations. ²⁰ They will bring all—yes, all!— of your kindred from all the nations to my holy mountain Jerusalem as an offering to the LORD—on horses, in chariots, in wagons, and on mules—yes, even on mules!— and on camels,” says the LORD, “just as the Israelis bring a grain offering in a clean vessel to the LORD’s house.

³ “I’ll gather the remnant of my flock from all the countries where I’ve driven them, and bring them back to their pasture where they’ll be fruitful and increase in numbers. ⁴ I’ll raise up shepherds over them, and they’ll shepherd them. My flock will no longer be afraid or terrified, and none will be missing,” declares the LORD.

⁸ but they’ll say, ‘As surely as the LORD lives who brought the descendants of the Israelis from the land of the north and from all the lands where I had driven them and brought them into the land.’ Then they’ll live in their own land.”

³ Indeed, the time will come,’ declares the LORD, ‘when I’ll restore the security of my people Israel and Judah,’ says the LORD. ‘I’ll bring them back to the land that I gave to their ancestors, and they’ll possess it.’”

¹⁸ Jacob’s Restoration“This is what the LORD says: ‘I’m going to restore the fortunes of the tents of Jacob and have compassion on his dwellings. A city will be rebuilt on its ruins and a palace will sit on its rightful place.

³⁷ I’m about to gather my people from all the lands where I’ve driven them in my anger, wrath, and great indignation. I’ll bring them back to this place and let them live in safety.

¹⁷ “Therefore you are to say, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says, “I’m going to gather you from among the nations, assembling you from the lands among which you have been dispersed. I’ll give you the land of Israel.

⁴¹ “When I will have brought you from among the people and have gathered you from the lands where you were scattered, I’ll accept you as a pleasing aroma. I’ll reveal my holiness among you, and the entire world will see it.

²⁵ This is what the Lord GOD says:
‘When I gather the house of Israel from the nations to which I’ve scattered them, I will show them my holiness before the watching world, and they will live on the land that I gave to my servant Jacob. ²⁶ They will live in safety in the land, building houses and planting vineyards. They’ll live in safety while I judge everyone who maligns them among those who surround them. At that time they’ll learn that I am the LORD their God.’”

¹⁸ Is it such an insignificant thing to you that you’re feeding in good pastures but trampling down the other pastures with your feet? Or that as you’re drinking from the clear streams you’re muddying the rest with your feet? ¹⁹ My flock is grazing on what you’ve been treading down with your feet and they’re drinking what you’ve been making muddy with your feet!’
²⁰ “Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says to them: ‘Watch me! I’m going to judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep, ²¹ since you’ve been bumping aside all the weaker sheep with your backsides and shoulders, butting them with your horns until they’re scattered around outside. ²² That’s how I’ll save my sheep so they won’t be plundered any longer. I’m going to judge between one sheep and another.’”
²³ God’s Shepherd: His Servant David“‘Then I’ll install one shepherd for them—my servant David—and he will feed them, will be there for them, and will serve as their shepherd. ²⁴ I, the LORD, will be their God, and my servant David will rule among them as Prince.’ I, the LORD, have spoken this.
²⁵ “I’m going to enter into a covenant with them, one of peace, and I’ll eliminate wild beasts from the land so they can live securely in the wilderness and sleep in the forests.

²⁴ I’m going to remove you from the nations, gather you from all of the territories, and bring you all back to your own land.

²¹ Then tell them, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says: “Watch me take the Israelis out of the nations where they’ve gone and return them from every direction. I’m going to bring them back into their own land. ²² I’m going to make them a united people in the land, on the mountains of Israel, and I’ll set a single king to rule over them. They’ll never again be two separate people. They’ll never again be divided into two kingdoms.

⁸ “‘“Many days from now—in the latter years—you will be summoned to a land that has been restored from violence. You will be gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel, which formerly had been a continuous waste, but which will be populated with people who have been brought back from the nations. All of them will be living there securely.

²⁷ When I bring them back from the nations and gather them together from the lands that belong to their enemies, I will demonstrate my holiness through them right in front of the eyes of the world,

¹⁴ I will surely restore my people Israel; they will rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them. They will plant vineyards and drink the wine from them. They will plant gardens and eat the fruit from them.

¹⁴ Use your rod to shepherd your people, the flock that belongs to you, that lives alone in the forest of Carmel. Let them find pasture in Bashan and Gilead, as they did long ago. ¹⁵ As I did when you came out of the land of Egypt, I will show you awesome things.

¹⁹ “Watch how I deal with everyone who oppresses you! At that time I will rescue the one who is lame, and I will draw to me the one who has been driven away. I will honor them with praise and with a good reputation in every land where they have been put to shame. ²⁰ At that time I will gather you; at that time I will bring you home. Indeed, I will give you a good reputation, making you praiseworthy among all of the people of the world, when I restore your prosperity before your eyes,” says the LORD.

¹ A Davidic Psalm.
The LORD Shepherds His People The LORD is the one who is shepherding me; I lack nothing. ² He causes me to lie down in pastures of green grass; he guides me beside quiet waters.

⁸ You have not delivered me into the hand of the enemy, but you have set my feet in a sturdy place. ⁹ Be gracious to me, LORD, for I am in distress. My eyes have been consumed by my grief along with my soul and my body. ¹⁰ My life is consumed by sorrow, my years with groaning. My strength has faltered because of my iniquity; my bones have been consumed.

⁶ Celebration of the Righteous“On this mountain, the LORD of the Heavenly Armies will prepare for all peoples a banquet of rich food, a banquet of well-aged wines— rich food full of marrow, and refined wines of the finest vintage

²³ He will also provide rain for your seed that you sow in the ground, and the food that comes from the ground will be rich and abundant. At that time, your cattle will graze in broad meadows, ²⁴ and oxen and donkeys that work the ground will eat seasoned fodder that workers will winnow with shovels and forks.

¹² They’ll come and cry out with joy on the heights of Zion. They’ll be radiant over the LORD’s goodness, over the grain, the new wine, the fresh oil, and over the young of the flocks and herds. Their lives will be like a well-watered garden. They’ll never again grow faint. ¹³ The virgins will rejoice with dancing, together with young men and old men. For I’ll turn their mourning into joy, and I’ll comfort them and give them gladness instead of sorrow. ¹⁴ I’ll give the priests abundant provisions, and my people will be satisfied with my goodness,” declares the LORD.

²⁵ I’ll provide abundance for those who are weary, and fill all who are faint.”

¹² “This is what the LORD of the Heavenly Armies says: ‘In this place that is now a ruin without people or animals, and in all its towns there will again be pasture for shepherds resting their flocks. ¹³ In the towns of the hill country, in the towns of the Shephelah, in the towns of the Negev, in the territory of Benjamin, in the areas around Jerusalem, and in the towns of Judah flocks will again pass under the hands of the one who counts them,’ says the LORD.”

²⁷ I’ll bring fruit to the trees in the orchards, the land will yield its produce, they will live securely on their land, and they will learn that I am the LORD, when I break the bar that has been their yoke and deliver them from the control of those who have enslaved them.

²⁹ In addition, I’ll deliver you from everything that makes you unclean. I’ll call out to the grain you plant, ordering it to produce abundant yields, and I will never bring famine in your direction. ³⁰ I’ll increase the yields of your fruit trees and crops so that you’ll never again experience the disgrace of famine that occurs in other nations.

⁹ I’m the gate. If anyone enters through me, he will be saved. He’ll come in and go out and find pasture.

¹⁶ They will never be hungry or thirsty again. Neither the sun nor its heat will ever beat down on them,

⁷ Tell me, you whom I love, where do you graze your flock? Where do you make your flock lie down at noon? Why should I be considered a veiled woman beside the flocks of your companions?
⁸ The LoverIf you don’t know, most beautiful of women, go out after the flock and graze your young goats beside the shepherd’s tents.

⁶ A Transformed Ecology“The wolf will live with the lamb; the leopard will lie down with the young goat. The calf and the lion will graze together, and a little child will lead them. ⁷ The cow and the bear will graze, and their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox.

¹⁰ For the fortified city stands desolate, a settlement abandoned and forsaken like the desert; calves graze there, and there they lie down and strip bare its branches.

²³ God’s Shepherd: His Servant David“‘Then I’ll install one shepherd for them—my servant David—and he will feed them, will be there for them, and will serve as their shepherd.

¹⁸ I will make a covenant with them at that time, a covenant with the wild animals of the field, with the birds of the air, and with the creatures of the ground. I will banish the battle bow, the sword, and war from the earth. I will cause my people to lie down where it is safe.

¹³ The survivors of Israel will not practice lawlessness nor tell lies, nor will a deceitful message be found in their mouths, because they will eat and rest, with no one to cause fear.”
Israel’s Future Joys

¹⁵ Jesus Speaks with PeterWhen they had finished breakfast, Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?”
Peter told him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus told him, “Feed my lambs.”

¹⁵ Israel’s RebellionJacob dined until satisfied; Jeshurun grew fat and kicked. He grew fat, coarse, and gross, so that he abandoned the God who made him and spurned the Rock that was his salvation.

¹⁷ Then the lambs will graze in their pasture; fatlings and foreigners will eat among the waste places of the rich.”

¹⁶ Therefore, the Lord GOD of the Heavenly Armies will send a wasting disease among Assyria’s sturdy warriors, and under its glory a conflagration will be kindled, like a blazing bonfire.

²⁶ “I’ll make those who mistreat you eat their own flesh, and they will get drunk on their own blood, as with new wine. “Then all mankind will know that I am the LORD your Savior and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.”

¹ Good News of Deliverance “The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed and to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives, and release from darkness for the prisoners; ² to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor, the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; ³ to provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, a mantle of praise instead of a spirit of despair.” “Then people will call them “Oaks of Righteousness”, “The Planting of the LORD”, in order to display his splendor.

¹⁵ Therefore, this is what the LORD of the Heavenly Armies, the God of Israel, says: “Look, I’ll make these people eat wormwood and drink poisoned water.

²⁴ LORD, correct me, but with justice, not with anger. Otherwise, you’ll bring me to nothing.

¹⁵ Therefore, this is what the LORD God of the Heavenly Armies says about the prophets, “I’m about to make them eat wormwood and drink poisoned water, because godlessness has spread from the prophets of Jerusalem throughout the land.”

¹¹ “Though you rejoice, though you exult, you plunderers of my inheritance, though you skip around like a heifer in the grass and neigh like stallions,

⁴ You haven’t strengthened the weak, treated the sick, set broken bones, regathered the scattered, or looked for the lost. Instead, you’ve dominated them with brutal force and ruthlessness.

¹¹ The Coming True Shepherd“This is what the LORD says: ‘Watch me! I’m going to search for my flock. I’ll watch over them myself.

¹⁸ You’ll eat the flesh of mighty men and drink the blood of the world’s princes, drinking the blood of these rams, lambs, goats, bulls, all of them fattened as if they’re from Bashan, fit for slaughter!

¹ Judgment on the Women of Israel “Listen to this message, you fat cows from Bashan, who live on the Samaritan mountains, who oppress the poor, who rob the needy, and who constantly ask your husbands for one more drink!” ² The Lord GOD has taken a sacred oath: “The day is coming when they will take you away on fishhooks, every last one of you on fishhooks. ³ Each of you will go out through the breaches of the walls straight to Mt. Hermon,” declares the LORD.

⁶ “At that time,” declares the LORD, “I will assemble the lame; and I will gather those whom I have scattered, along with those whom I have afflicted. ⁷ I will transform the lame into survivors, and those who were scattered into a strong nation; and the LORD will reign over them in Mount Zion, now and forever.”

¹⁴ Use your rod to shepherd your people, the flock that belongs to you, that lives alone in the forest of Carmel. Let them find pasture in Bashan and Gilead, as they did long ago.

²⁴ But he replied, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the nation of Israel.”

¹⁰ “See to it that you do not despise one of these little ones, because I tell you, their angels in heaven always have access to my Father in heaven. ¹¹ For the Son of Man came to save the lost.”
¹² The Parable about the Faithful Shepherd
“What do you think? If a man has 100 sheep and one of them strays, he leaves the 99 in the hills and goes to look for the one that has strayed, doesn’t he? ¹³ If he finds it, I tell all of you with certainty that he rejoices over it more than over the 99 that haven’t strayed. ¹⁴ In the same way, it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost.”

¹⁷ When Jesus heard that, he told them, “Healthy people don’t need a physician, but sick ones do. I did not come to call righteous people, but sinners.”

³¹ But Jesus answered them, “Healthy people don’t need a physician, but sick people do. ³² I have not come to call righteous people, but sinners, to repentance.”

⁴ “Suppose one of you has 100 sheep and loses one of them. He leaves the 99 in the wilderness and looks for the one that is lost until he finds it, doesn’t he? ⁵ When he finds it, he puts it on his shoulders and rejoices. ⁶ Then he goes home, calls his friends and neighbors together, and says to them, ‘Rejoice with me, because I’ve found my lost sheep!’ ⁷ In the same way, I tell you that there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous people who don’t need to repent.”

³⁷ “I’ll cause you to pass under the rod until I will have brought you into the bond of the covenant. ³⁸ I’ll eliminate the rebels among you, along with those who are transgressing against me. I’ll bring them out of the land where you’ve lived, but they won’t be able to enter the land of Israel. Then you’ll know that I am the LORD.”

²⁰ “Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says to them: ‘Watch me! I’m going to judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep, ²¹ since you’ve been bumping aside all the weaker sheep with your backsides and shoulders, butting them with your horns until they’re scattered around outside. ²² That’s how I’ll save my sheep so they won’t be plundered any longer. I’m going to judge between one sheep and another.’”

³² All the nations will be assembled in front of him, and he will cull them out, one from another, like a shepherd separates sheep from goats. ³³ He will put the sheep on his right but the goats on his left.

¹⁵ In response, Leah asked her, “Wasn’t it enough that you’ve taken away my husband? Now you also want to take my son’s mandrakes!”
But Rachel replied, “Okay, let’s let Jacob sleep with you tonight in exchange for your son’s mandrakes.”

⁹ Is it such an insignificant thing to you that the God of Israel has separated you from the Israelis to draw you to himself, appointing you to do the work of the tent of the LORD and to stand before the community to minister to them?

¹³ Is it such an insignificant thing that you brought us out of a land flowing with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness? Now you’re trying to make yourself be a prince and rule over us, aren’t you?

¹⁹ And this is still a small thing to you, Lord GOD—you also have spoken about the future of your servant’s house, and this is the charter for mankind, O Lord GOD!

¹³ In reply, the LORD announced, “Please listen, you household of David. Is it such a minor thing for you to try the patience of men? Must you also try the patience of my God?

²⁰ “Then you took your sons and daughters whom you bore for me and sacrificed them for your idols to eat. As though your prostitutions were an insignificant thing,

⁴⁷ It wasn’t just that you lived like they did and committed their detestable practices, but in just a little while your behavior led you to become more corrupt than they were!”

² “Son of Man, start singing this lamentation about Pharaoh, king of Egypt. Tell him, ‘You may have called yourself a lion among nations, but you’re a monster at sea. You thrash about in your rivers, muddy the water with your feet, and relieve yourself in the rivers.’

² They covet fields and seize them; they covet houses, and grab them, too. They harass the valiant man, along with his household, an individual and his estate.

⁶ does not have to honor his father.’ Because of your tradition, then, you have disregarded the authority of God’s word. ⁷ You hypocrites! How well did Isaiah prophesy of you when he said, ⁸ ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. ⁹ Their worship of me is empty, because they teach human rules as doctrines.’”

¹³ “How terrible it will be for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door to the kingdom from heaven in people’s faces. You don’t go in yourselves, and you don’t allow those who are trying to enter to go in.

⁵² How terrible it will be for you experts in the Law! You have taken away the key to knowledge. You didn’t go in yourselves, and you kept out those who were trying to go in.”

¹² Many bulls have surrounded me; the vicious bulls of Bashan have encircled me. ¹³ Their mouths are opened wide toward me, like roaring and attacking lions. ¹⁴ I am poured out like water; all my bones are out of joint. My heart is like wax, melting within me. ¹⁵ My strength is dried up like broken pottery; my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth, and you have brought me down to the dust of death. ¹⁶ For dogs have surrounded me; a gang of those who practice of evil has encircled me. They gouged my hands and my feet.

¹⁷ God’s Message to His Sheep“Now as for you, my flock, this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Watch out! I’m going to judge between one sheep and another, and between the rams and the goats.

³¹ The Judgment of the Nations“When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels are with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. ³² All the nations will be assembled in front of him, and he will cull them out, one from another, like a shepherd separates sheep from goats. ³³ He will put the sheep on his right but the goats on his left.
³⁴ “Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who have been blessed by my Father! Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world, ³⁵ because I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger, and you welcomed me. ³⁶ I was naked, and you clothed me. I was sick, and you took care of me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’
³⁷ “Then the righteous will say to him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and give you something to eat, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ When did we see you as a stranger and welcome you, or see you naked and clothe you? ³⁹ When did we see you sick or in prison, and visit you?’
⁴⁰ The king will answer them, ‘I tell all of you with certainty, since you did it for one of the least important of these brothers of mine, you did it for me.’
⁴¹ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Get away from me, you who are accursed, into the eternal fire that has been prepared for the devil and his angels! ⁴² Here’s why: I was hungry, and you gave me nothing to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me nothing to drink. ⁴³ I was a stranger, and you didn’t welcome me. I was naked, and you didn’t clothe me. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’
⁴⁴ “Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or as a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and didn’t help you?’
⁴⁵ Then he will say to them, ‘I tell all of you with certainty, since you didn’t do it for one of the least important of these, you didn’t do it for me.’ ⁴⁶ These people will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life.”

¹⁷ May the firstborn of his bull be honorable to him, and may his horns be those of a wild ox. With them may he push people all together, to the ends of the earth. These are the myriads of Ephraim and the thousands of Manasseh.”

³ You’re eating the best parts, clothing yourselves with the wool, and slaughtering the home-grown sheep without having fed the sheep! ⁴ You haven’t strengthened the weak, treated the sick, set broken bones, regathered the scattered, or looked for the lost. Instead, you’ve dominated them with brutal force and ruthlessness.
⁵ “Since they have no shepherd, they have been scattered around and have become prey for all sorts of wild animals. How scattered they are!

³ “Then I turned my head to look, and to my surprise, a two-horned ram was standing beside the canal. The two horns grew long, the first one growing longer than the second, with the longer one springing up last. ⁴ I watched the ram charging westward, northward, and southward. No animal could stand before him, nor was there anyone who could deliver from his control. He did as he pleased and exalted himself.
⁵ “As I watched and wondered, a male goat was coming from the west over the surface of the entire earth without touching the ground. The goat had a distinctive horn between its eyes. ⁶ It approached the ram with the two horns that I had observed while standing beside the canal, and charged at him, out of control with rage. ⁷ I saw it approach the ram, overflowing with fury at him, and run into him with the full force of its strength. The goat shattered the ram’s two horns, and the ram could not oppose it. So the goat threw him to the ground and trampled him. No one could rescue the ram from its control. ⁸ Then the goat grew extremely great, but when it was strong, its great horn was shattered. In its place, four distinctive horns grew out in all directions.”
⁹ The Insignificant Horn“A somewhat insignificant horn emerged from one of them. It moved rapidly against the south, against the east, and against the Glory. ¹⁰ Then it moved against the Heavenly Army. It persuaded some of the Heavenly Army to fall to the earth, along with some of the stars, and it trampled them.

¹⁶ for I am now raising up a shepherd in the land who will neither search for the lost, nor care for the young, nor fix the broken, nor sustain the healthy. Instead, he will devour the meat of the best of the sheep, tearing off their hoofs.” ¹⁷ “Woe to the worthless shepherd, who deserts the flock! May the sword strike his arm and his right eye. May his arm wither and his right eye be completely blind.”

¹⁴ But the synagogue leader, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, told the crowd, “There are six days when work is to be done. So come on those days to be healed, and not on the Sabbath day.”
¹⁵ The Lord replied to him, “You hypocrites! Doesn’t each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or donkey and lead it out of its stall to give it some water? ¹⁶ Shouldn’t this woman, a descendant of Abraham whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free from this bondage on the Sabbath day?”

² Therefore, this is what the LORD God of Israel says about the shepherds who are shepherding my people, “You have scattered my flock and driven them away. You haven’t taken care of them, and now I’m about to take care of you because of your evil deeds,” declares the LORD. ³ “I’ll gather the remnant of my flock from all the countries where I’ve driven them, and bring them back to their pasture where they’ll be fruitful and increase in numbers.

⁷ So I became shepherd of the flock marked for slaughter, paying attention to the oppressed of the flock. I took two staffs—naming one “Pleasant” and the other one “Union”—and then I pastured the flock. ⁸ In a single month I got rid of three shepherds because I grew tired of them, and they despised me. ⁹ So I said, “I will no longer be your shepherd. Let those who are about to die perish, and let what is about to be destroyed be destroyed. As for the survivors, let them devour each other.”

¹¹ Sayings from the wise are like cattle prods and well fastened nails; this masterful collection was given by one shepherd.

¹ The Reign of the Davidic King “A shoot will come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch will bear fruit from his roots.

³ Pay attention to me, come to me; and listen, so that you may live; then I’ll make an everlasting covenant with you, as promised by my faithful, sure love for David. ⁴ “Look! I have made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander of the peoples.

⁴ I’ll raise up shepherds over them, and they’ll shepherd them. My flock will no longer be afraid or terrified, and none will be missing,” declares the LORD. ⁵ “The time is coming,” declares the LORD, “when I’ll raise up a righteous branch for David. He will be a king who rules wisely, and he will administer justice and righteousness in the land. ⁶ In his time Judah will be delivered and Israel will dwell in safety. This is the name by which he will be known: ‘The LORD Our Righteousness.’

⁹ Rather, they will serve the LORD their God and David their king, whom I will raise up for them.

²⁴ David’s Rule as King“‘“My servant King David will be there for them, and one shepherd will be appointed for them. They will live according to my decrees, keep my regulations, and practice them. ²⁵ They will live in the land that I gave to my servant Jacob and on which your ancestors lived. They will live in that land, along with their children and grandchildren, forever. David my servant will be their everlasting leader.

⁵ Afterward, the people of Israel will return and seek the LORD their God and David their king. They will come in awe to the LORD and to his goodness in the last days.

² The Ruler from Bethlehem“As for you, Bethlehem of Ephrathah, even though you remain least among the clans of Judah, nevertheless, the one who rules in Israel for me will emerge from you. His existence has been from antiquity, even from eternity. ³ Therefore that ruler will abandon them until the woman in labor gives birth. Then the rest of his countrymen will return to the Israelis.” ⁴ “Then he will take his stand, shepherding by means of the strength of the LORD, by the power of the name of the LORD his God. And they will be firmly established; indeed, from then on he will become great— to the ends of the earth. ⁵ And he will be our peace.”
God’s Judgment on Assyria “When the Assyrian invades our land, trampling through our palaces, we will raise up seven shepherds against him, even eight significant men.

¹¹ “I’m the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

²⁰ Now may the God of peace, who by the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, the Great Shepherd of the sheep,

⁴ Then, when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the victor’s crown of glory that will never fade away.

¹⁶ “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give this testimony to you for the churches. I am the root and descendent of David, the bright morning star.”

⁴⁵ I’ll live among the Israelis, and I’ll be their God. ⁴⁶ They shall know that I am the LORD their God who brought them out of Egypt so that I may live among them. I am the LORD your God.”

¹³ Joshua is Visited by the LORDNow it happened that while Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and much to his amazement, he saw a man standing in front of him, holding a drawn sword in his hand! Joshua approached him and asked him, “Are you one of us, or are you with our enemies?”
¹⁴ “Neither,” he answered. “I have come as commander of the LORD’s Army.”
Joshua immediately fell on his face to the earth and worshipped, saying to him, “Lord, what do you have for your servant by way of command?”
¹⁵ The commander of the LORD’s Army replied to Joshua, “Remove your sandals from your feet, because the place where you’re standing is holy.” So Joshua did so.

⁶ “I have set my king on Zion, my holy mountain.”

⁶ For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government will be upon his shoulder, and his name is called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. ⁷ Of the growth of his government and peace there will be no end. He will rule over his kingdom, sitting on the throne of David, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from this time onward and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of the Heavenly Armies will accomplish this.

² When you pass through the waters, I’ll be with you; and through the rivers, they won’t sweep over you. when you walk through fire you won’t be scorched, and the flame won’t set you ablaze. ³ “I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Redeemer. And I’ve given Egypt as your ransom, Cush and the people of Seba in exchange for you.

¹ “At that time,” declares the LORD, “I’ll be the God of all the families of Israel, and they will be my people.”

³³ “Rather, this is the covenant that I’ll make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the LORD. “I’ll put my Law within them and will write it on their hearts. I’ll be their God and they will be my people.

³⁸ They’ll be my people, and I’ll be their God.

¹⁵ In those days and at that time I’ll cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David, and he will uphold justice and righteousness in the land. ¹⁶ At that time Judah will be delivered and Jerusalem will dwell in safety. And this is the name people will call it, “The LORD is Our Righteousness.”’ ¹⁷ For this is what the LORD says: ‘David will never be without a man sitting on the throne of the house of Israel,

³⁰ That’s when they’ll learn that I, the LORD their God, am with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are my people,’ declares the Lord GOD. ³¹ ‘And as for you, my sheep, the flock that I’m pasturing, you are mankind, and I am your God,’ declares the Lord GOD.”

²⁸ You’ll live in the land that I gave to your ancestors, you’ll be my people, and I will be your God.

²³ They will never again defile themselves with their idols, with other loathsome things, or with any of their sins. Instead, I will deliver them from all of the places where they have sinned, and then I’ll cleanse them. They will be my people and I will be their God.”’”

²⁷ I will pitch my tent among them and will be their God. They will be my people,

²² The house of Israel will learn that I am the LORD their God from that day forward!

² The Ruler from Bethlehem“As for you, Bethlehem of Ephrathah, even though you remain least among the clans of Judah, nevertheless, the one who rules in Israel for me will emerge from you. His existence has been from antiquity, even from eternity.

⁹ And I will bring that surviving third through, testing them as if through fire, purifying them like silver, assaying them like gold. They will call on my name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘This is my people,’ and they will say, ‘The LORD is my God.’”

¹⁸ Then Jesus approached them and told them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

³¹ Listen! You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you are to name him Jesus. ³² He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. ³³ He will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will never end.”

³¹ God has exalted to his right hand this very man as our Leader and Savior in order to extend repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel.

²⁵ For he must rule until God puts all the Messiah’s enemies under his feet.

²¹ He is far above every ruler, authority, power, dominion, and every name that can be named, not only in the present age, but also in the one to come. ²² God has put everything under the Messiah’s feet and has made him the head of everything for the good of the church,

⁹ Now lifted up by God to heaven, a name above all others given, this matchless name possessing. ¹⁰ And so, when Jesus’ name is called, the knees of everyone should fall, wherever they’re residing. ¹¹ Then every tongue in one accord, will say that Jesus the Messiah is Lord, while God the Father praising.

⁹ But we do see someone who was made a little lower than the angels. He is Jesus, who is crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might experience death for everyone.
¹⁰ It was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through suffering as part of his plan to glorify many children,

¹³ He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is called the Word of God. ¹⁴ The armies of heaven, wearing fine linen, white and pure, follow him on white horses. ¹⁵ A sharp sword comes out of his mouth to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod and tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. ¹⁶ On his robe that covers his thigh he has a name written:
KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS

³ I heard a loud voice from the throne say, “See, the tent of God is among humans! He will make his home with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them, and he will be their God.

⁶ I’ll give peace in the land so that you’ll lie down without fear. I’ll remove wild beasts from the land, and not even war will come to your land.

²² You’ll laugh at destruction and famine; and you need not fear the beasts of the earth.

⁸ I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, LORD, enable me to live securely.

⁶ A Transformed Ecology“The wolf will live with the lamb; the leopard will lie down with the young goat. The calf and the lion will graze together, and a little child will lead them. ⁷ The cow and the bear will graze, and their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. ⁸ The nursing child will play over the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child will put his hand on vipers’ dens. ⁹ They will neither harm nor destroy on my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.”

⁹ No lions will be there— no— nor will any ferocious beasts get up on it, and they will not be found there. “But the redeemed will walk there,

³ Pay attention to me, come to me; and listen, so that you may live; then I’ll make an everlasting covenant with you, as promised by my faithful, sure love for David.

⁶ In his time Judah will be delivered and Israel will dwell in safety. This is the name by which he will be known: ‘The LORD Our Righteousness.’

³¹ The New Covenant“Look, days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I’ll make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. ³² It won’t be like the covenant I made with their ancestors on the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. They broke my covenant, although I was a husband to them,” declares the LORD. ³³ “Rather, this is the covenant that I’ll make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the LORD. “I’ll put my Law within them and will write it on their hearts. I’ll be their God and they will be my people.

¹⁶ At that time Judah will be delivered and Jerusalem will dwell in safety. And this is the name people will call it, “The LORD is Our Righteousness.”’

²⁶ I’ll make a secure covenant with them, one that will last forever. I will establish them, make them increase in population, and will place my sanctuary in their midst forever.

¹⁸ I will make a covenant with them at that time, a covenant with the wild animals of the field, with the birds of the air, and with the creatures of the ground. I will banish the battle bow, the sword, and war from the earth. I will cause my people to lie down where it is safe. ¹⁹ I will make you my wife forever— I will make you my wife in a way that is righteous, in a manner that is just, by a love that is gracious, and by a motive that is mercy. ²⁰ I will make you my wife because of my faithfulness, and you will know the LORD. ²¹ “It will come about at that time that I will respond,” declares the LORD, “I will respond to the heavens, and they will respond to the earth. ²² The earth will respond with grain, new wine, and oil, and they will respond to Jezreel. ²³ I will plant my people in the land for myself. I will show mercy on her who has received no mercy I will say to those who are not my people, ‘You are my people!’ and they will say, ‘You are my God.’”

¹³ Yes, he will indeed rebuild the Temple of the LORD, and he will exalt its majesty by sitting and ruling on his throne. He will serve as priest on his throne, and no contention will exist between them.

² I’ll make a great nation of your descendants, I’ll bless you, and I’ll make your reputation great, so that you will be a blessing.

⁴ then I’ll send your rain in its season so that the land will yield its produce and the trees of the field will yield their fruit.

¹³ Delights of a Bountiful Land“If you carefully observe the commands that I’m giving you today, to love the LORD your God and serve him with all your heart and soul, ¹⁴ then he will send rain on the land in its season—the early and latter rains—then you’ll gather grain, new wine, and oil. ¹⁵ He will provide grass on the fields for your livestock, and you’ll eat and be satisfied.

¹² “The LORD will open his rich treasury, the heavens, to release rain upon your land in season and bless everything you undertake so that you’ll lend to many nations but won’t borrow.

⁹ God, you poured out abundant rain on your inheritance. When Israel was weary, you sustained her.

¹⁶ You mountains of many peaks, why do you watch with envy the mountain in which God has chosen to dwell? Indeed, the LORD will live there forever.

¹⁴ “This is my resting place forever. Here I will live, because I desire to do so. ¹⁵ I will bless its provisions abundantly; I will satiate its poor with food. ¹⁶ I will clothe its priests with salvation and its godly ones will shout for joy.

³ It is like the dew of Hermon falling on Zion’s mountains. For there the LORD commanded his blessing— life everlasting.

² “It will come about in the last days that the mountain that is the LORD’s Temple will be established as the highest of mountains, and will be raised above the hills; all the nations will stream to it. ³ Many groups of people will come, commenting, “Come! Let’s go up to the Temple of the God of Jacob, that they may teach us his ways. Then let’s walk in his paths.”
The Rule of God from Jerusalem “Instruction will proceed from Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. ⁴ He will judge between the nations, and will render verdicts for the benefit of many. “They will beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nations will not raise swords against nations, and they will not learn warfare anymore.

²⁴ At that time, Israel will be in a triple alliance with Egypt and Assyria; they will be a blessing in the midst of the earth.

¹⁵ until the Spirit from on high is poured upon us, and the desert becomes a fertile field, and the fertile field seems like a forest.”

²⁰ How happy you will be, sowing your seed beside every stream, and letting your cattle and donkeys range freely!”

³ For I’ll pour water upon thirsty ground and streams on parched land. So will I pour my Spirit upon your offspring, and my blessing upon your descendants.

⁷ these I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer. Their burnt-offerings and their sacrifices will rise up to be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for everyone.”

⁴⁰ For on my holy mountain, on Israel’s high mountains,” declares the Lord GOD, “the whole of Israel’s house—all of it—will serve me there in the land. I’ll accept them there. And there I’ll demand your offerings, the first fruits of your portions of all your sacred things.

¹ The Future Reign of God “But in the last days it will come about that the Temple Mount of the LORD will be firmly set as the leading mountain. It will be exalted above its surrounding hills, and people will stream toward it. ² Many nations will approach and say, ‘Come, let’s go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the Temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us about his ways, and we will walk according to his directions.’ “Indeed, the Law will proceed from Zion, and the message of the LORD from Jerusalem.

¹³ Furthermore, house of Judah and house of Israel, even though you used to be a curse among the nations, now I will surely save you, and you will be a blessing. Stop being afraid. Instead, grow stronger.’”

²³ “This is what the LORD of the Heavenly Armies says: ‘In the future, ten men speaking all the languages of the nations will grab hold of one Jewish person by the hem of his garment and say, “Let us go up to Jerusalem with you, because we heard that God is with you.”’”

¹⁰ “Bring the entire tithe into the storehouse that there may be food in my house. So put me to the test in this right now,” says the LORD of the Heavenly Armies, “and see if I won’t throw open the windows of heaven for you and pour out on you blessing without measure.

¹³ I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt so that you will no longer be their slaves, since I’ve broken their oppressive yoke upon you to make you walk upright.”

¹² The LORD will also provide what is good, and our land will yield its produce.

¹² The righteous will flourish like palm trees; they will grow like a cedar in Lebanon. ¹³ Planted in the LORD’s Temple, they will flourish in the courtyard of our God. ¹⁴ They will still bear fruit even in old age; they will be luxuriant and green.

² The Future Glory of Jerusalem“At that time, the LORD’s branch will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of the survivors of Israel and Judah.

⁴ Now as to the yoke that has been his burden, and the bar laid on his shoulder— the rod of his oppressor— you have broken it as on the day of Midiam.

²⁷ At that time, his burden will depart from your shoulder and his yoke from your neck. Indeed, the yoke will be broken, because you’ve become obese.”

² Many nations will take them and bring them to their land and their own place. The house of Israel will put those nations to conscripted labor in the LORD’s land. They will take captive those who were their captors, and will rule continually over those who oppressed them.
³ At the time, when the LORD gives you rest from your suffering, turmoil, and the cruel bondage which they forced you to serve,

¹ The Future of Israel’s Land “The desert and the dry land will rejoice; the desert will celebrate and blossom. Like crocuses, ² it will burst into bloom, and rejoice with gladness and shouts of joy. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon. They will see the glory of the LORD, the splendor of our God.

² Shake yourself from the dust and arise, and sit on your throne, O Jerusalem! Loosen the bonds from your neck, O captive daughter of Zion.
³ For this is what the LORD says: “You were sold for nothing, and you’ll be redeemed without money.”

³ to provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, a mantle of praise instead of a spirit of despair.” “Then people will call them “Oaks of Righteousness”, “The Planting of the LORD”, in order to display his splendor.

²⁰ “For long ago I broke your yoke and tore off your bonds, But you said, ‘I won’t serve you!’ Instead, on every high hill and under every green tree, you bend down to commit fornication.

¹⁴ Indeed many nations and great kings will make slaves even of them, and I’ll repay them according to their deeds, according to what they have done.’”

⁷ All the nations will serve him, his son, and his grandson until his country’s time also comes, and then many nations and great kings will use him as a slave.

⁸ On that day,’ declares the LORD of the Heavenly Armies, ‘I’ll break the yoke from your neck and will tear off your restraints. Foreigners will no longer make you serve them.

²⁹ ‘Then they’ll learn that I am the LORD, when I’ve turned their land into a desolate wasteland because of all of the loathsome deeds that they’ve committed.’”

²⁸ and they will learn that I am the LORD their God, who sent them into exile and who gathered them back to their land. I will not leave any of them remaining in exile.

¹² Lining each side of the river banks, all sorts of species of fruit trees will be growing. Their leaves will never wither and their fruit will never fail. They will bear fruit every month, because the water that nourishes them will be flowing from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food and their leaves will contain substances that promote healing.”

⁵ I am the vine, you are the branches. The one who abides in me while I abide in him produces much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. ⁶ Unless a person abides in me, he is thrown away like a pruned branch and dries up. People gather such branches, throw them into a fire, and they are burned up.
⁷ “If you abide in me and my words abide in you, you can ask for anything you want, and you’ll receive it. ⁸ This is how my Father is glorified, when you produce a lot of fruit and so prove to be my disciples.

¹⁰ ‘My servant Jacob, don’t be afraid,’ declares the LORD, ‘and Israel, don’t be dismayed. For I’ll deliver you from a distant place and your descendants from the land of their captivity. Jacob will return. He will be undisturbed and secure, and no one will cause him to fear.

²⁷ Israel will be Delivered“As for you, my servant Jacob, don’t be afraid, and Israel, don’t be dismayed. For I’ll deliver you from a distant place, and your descendants from the land of their captivity. Jacob will return. He will be undisturbed and secure, and no one will cause him to fear.

²⁵ “I’m going to enter into a covenant with them, one of peace, and I’ll eliminate wild beasts from the land so they can live securely in the wilderness and sleep in the forests.

²⁹ I’m going to prepare for them the best of gardening spots. They will no longer live as victims in a land of starvation, nor will they have to bear the insults of the international community.

⁴ “Therefore listen to what the Lord GOD has to say, you mountains of Israel: ‘This is what the Lord GOD says to the mountains, to the hills, to the waterways, to the valleys, to the desolate wastelands, and to the abandoned cities that have become an object of derision to the mountains that surround you:

¹⁵ ‘I won’t let you hear other people mock you, and no nation will ever make you childless again,’ declares the Lord GOD.”

²⁶ They’ll forget their shame and all of their unfaithfulness by which they behaved so unfaithfully toward me. They will live on their land in confidence, not in fear.

¹⁷ Praising the God of IsraelMay his fame be eternal— as long as the sun— may his name endure, and may they be blessed through him, and may all nations call him blessed.

⁶ For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government will be upon his shoulder, and his name is called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

¹ The Reign of the Davidic King “A shoot will come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch will bear fruit from his roots. ² The Spirit of the LORD will rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and power, the Spirit of knowledge and fear of the LORD. ³ His delight will be in the fear of the LORD. He won’t judge by what his eyes see, nor decide disputes by what his ears hear, ⁴ but with righteousness he will judge the needy, and decide with equity for earth’s poor. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and the wicked will be killed with the breath of his lips. ⁵ Righteousness will be the sash around his loins, and faithfulness the belt around his waist.”
⁶ A Transformed Ecology“The wolf will live with the lamb; the leopard will lie down with the young goat. The calf and the lion will graze together, and a little child will lead them.

⁹ saying to captives, ‘Come out!’ and to those who are in darkness, ‘Be free!’ “They will feed on all the mountains, and their pasture will be on all the barren hills. ¹⁰ They won’t hunger or thirst, nor will the desert heat or sun beat upon them; for the one who has compassion on them will drive them and guide them alongside springs of water.

² For he grew up before him like a tender plant, and like a root out of a dry ground; he had no form and he had no majesty that we should look at him, and there is no attractiveness that we should desire him.

²¹ Then your people will all be righteous; They’ll possess the land forever. They are the shoot that the LORD planted, the works of his hands, so that I might be glorified.

⁵ “The time is coming,” declares the LORD, “when I’ll raise up a righteous branch for David. He will be a king who rules wisely, and he will administer justice and righteousness in the land.

¹⁵ In those days and at that time I’ll cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David, and he will uphold justice and righteousness in the land.

²⁶ I’m going to make them and everything that surrounds my hill a blessing. I’ll send down the rain! At the appropriate time there will be a rainstorm of blessing! ²⁷ I’ll bring fruit to the trees in the orchards, the land will yield its produce, they will live securely on their land, and they will learn that I am the LORD, when I break the bar that has been their yoke and deliver them from the control of those who have enslaved them.

³ “Therefore this is what you are to prophesy: ‘Here’s what the Lord GOD says, “You’ve been turned into a desolate wasteland and crushed by everyone who surrounds you for a very, very good reason. You’ve become the property of all the other nations and you’ve become the object of gossip and whispering campaigns of the nations.”’”
⁴ “Therefore listen to what the Lord GOD has to say, you mountains of Israel: ‘This is what the Lord GOD says to the mountains, to the hills, to the waterways, to the valleys, to the desolate wastelands, and to the abandoned cities that have become an object of derision to the mountains that surround you: ⁵ “‘Because this is what the Lord GOD says: “Motivated by my burning zealousness, I have spoken against the rest of the surrounding nations, including Edom, who confiscated my land, taking possession of it with joyful enthusiasm and with animal-like malice, in order to plunder Israel’s pastures.’ ⁶ “Therefore prophesy concerning the land of Israel and speak to its mountains, hills, ravines, and valleys. Tell them, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says: “Pay attention! In my zealous anger I’m speaking because you’ve had to endure the mockery of the world’s nations.”’”

²⁹ In addition, I’ll deliver you from everything that makes you unclean. I’ll call out to the grain you plant, ordering it to produce abundant yields, and I will never bring famine in your direction.

⁸ “‘Listen, High Priest Joshua, you and those companions of yours who sit with you, for these men are a sign that I am presenting my servant, the Branch.

¹² Then tell him, ‘This is what the LORD of the Heavenly Armies says: “Here is the man whose name is The Branch. He will branch out from where he is and will rebuild the Temple of the LORD.

⁷ The LORD of the heavenly armies is with us; our refuge is the God of Jacob. Interlude

¹¹ The LORD of the heavenly armies is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Interlude

⁹ “Band together, you peoples, but be shattered! Listen, all you distant countries! Strap on your armor, but be shattered. ¹⁰ Take counsel together, but it will all be for nothing; go ahead and talk, but it will all be for nothing, for God is with us.”

¹¹ Then Israel’s house won’t wander away from me again, nor will they defile themselves again with all their transgressions. They’ll become my people and I’ll be their God,” declares the Lord GOD.

⁶² I’ll establish my covenant with you, and then you’ll know that I am the LORD.

²⁴ I, the LORD, will be their God, and my servant David will rule among them as Prince.’ I, the LORD, have spoken this.

²³ “See, a virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they will name him Immanuel,”
which means, “God with us.”

²⁰ teaching them to obey everything that I’ve commanded you. And remember, I am with you each and every day until the end of the age.”

⁵² Yet he led out his people like sheep, guiding them like a flock in the desert.

⁷ For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture and the flock in his care. If only you would listen to his voice today,

³ Acknowledge that the LORD is God. He made us and we belong to him; we are his people and the sheep of his pasture.

³⁸ The desolate cities will be filled with flocks of human beings, just like Jerusalem used to be filled with flocks of sheep during the times of the appointed festivals. Then they will know that I am the LORD.’”

³² Stop being afraid, little flock, because your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom.

²⁶ but you don’t believe, because you don’t belong to my sheep. ²⁷ My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. ²⁸ I give them eternal life, they’ll never be lost, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. ²⁹ What my Father has given me is more important than anything, and no one can snatch it from the Father’s hand. ³⁰ I and the Father are one.”

¹⁵ Jesus asked her, “Dear lady, why are you crying? Who are you looking for?”
Thinking he was the gardener, she told him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will take him away.”
¹⁶ Jesus told her, “Mary!”
She turned around and told him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” (which means “Teacher”).
¹⁷ Jesus told her, “Don’t hold on to me, because I haven’t yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I’m ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”

²⁸ Pay attention to yourselves and to the entire flock over which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers to be shepherds of God’s church, which he acquired with his own blood.