Zechariah 11:2-11
New American Standard Bible
4This is what the Lord my God says: 'Pasture the flock doomed to slaughter.
5Those who buy them slaughter them and go unpunished, and each of those who sell them says, ‘Blessed be the Lord, for I have become rich!’ And their own shepherds have no compassion for them.
6For I will no longer have compassion for the inhabitants of the land,' declares the Lord; 'but behold, I will let the people fall, each into another’s power and into the power of his king; and they will crush the land, and I will not rescue them from their power.'
7So I pastured the flock doomed to slaughter, therefore also the afflicted of the flock. And I took for myself two staffs: the one I called Favor, and the other I called Union; so I pastured the flock.
8Then I did away with the three shepherds in one month, for my soul was impatient with them, and their soul also was tired of me.
9Then I said, 'I will not pasture you. What is to die, let it die, and what is to perish, let it perish; and let those who are left eat one another’s flesh.'
10And I took my staff Favor and cut it in pieces, to break my covenant which I had made with all the peoples.
11So it was broken on that day, and so the afflicted of the flock who were watching me realized that it was the word of the Lord.
King James Version
3There is a voice of the howling of the shepherds; for their glory is spoiled: a voice of the roaring of young lions; for the pride of Jordan is spoiled.
4Thus saith the Lord my God; Feed the flock of the slaughter;
5Whose possessors slay them, and hold themselves not guilty: and they that sell them say, Blessed be the Lord; for I am rich: and their own shepherds pity them not.
6For I will no more pity the inhabitants of the land, saith the Lord: but, lo, I will deliver the men every one into his neighbour's hand, and into the hand of his king: and they shall smite the land, and out of their hand I will not deliver them.
7And I will feed the flock of slaughter, even you, O poor of the flock. And I took unto me two staves; the one I called Beauty, and the other I called Bands; and I fed the flock.
8Three shepherds also I cut off in one month; and my soul lothed them, and their soul also abhorred me.
9Then said I, I will not feed you: that that dieth, let it die; and that that is to be cut off, let it be cut off; and let the rest eat every one the flesh of another.
Christian Standard Bible
Chapter 11
2Wail, cypress, for the cedar has fallen; the glorious trees are destroyed! Wail, oaks of Bashan, for the stately forest has fallen! 3Listen to the wail of the shepherds, for their glory is destroyed. Listen to the roar of young lions, for the thickets of the Jordan are destroyed.
4The Lord my God says this: "Shepherd the flock intended for slaughter.
5Those who buy them slaughter them but are not punished. Those who sell them say: Blessed be the Lord because I have become rich! Even their own shepherds have no compassion for them.
6Indeed, I will no longer have compassion on the inhabitants of the land"—this is the Lord’s declaration. "Instead, I will turn everyone over to his neighbor and his king. They will devastate the land, and I will not rescue it from their hand."
7So I shepherded the flock intended for slaughter, the oppressed of the flock. I took two staffs, calling one Favor and the other Union, and I shepherded the flock.
8In one month I got rid of three shepherds. I became impatient with them, and they also detested me.
9Then I said, "I will no longer shepherd you. Let what is dying die, and let what is perishing perish; let the rest devour each other’s flesh."
10Next I took my staff called Favor and cut it in two, annulling the covenant I had made with all the peoples.
11It was annulled on that day, and so the oppressed of the flock who were watching me knew that it was the word of the Lord.
New Living Translation
Chapter 11
2Weep, you cypress trees, for all the ruined cedars; the most majestic ones have fallen. Weep, you oaks of Bashan, for the thick forests have been cut down. 3Listen to the wailing of the shepherds, for their rich pastures are destroyed. Hear the young lions roaring, for their thickets in the Jordan Valley are ruined.
4This is what the Lord my God says: 'Go and care for the flock that is intended for slaughter.
5The buyers slaughter their sheep without remorse. The sellers say, ‘Praise the Lord! Now I’m rich!’ Even the shepherds have no compassion for them.
6Likewise, I will no longer have pity on the people of the land,' says the Lord. 'I will let them fall into each other’s hands and into the hands of their king. They will turn the land into a wilderness, and I will not rescue them.'
English Standard Version
Chapter 11
2Wail, O cypress, for the cedar has fallen, for the glorious trees are ruined! Wail, oaks of Bashan, for the thick forest has been felled! 3The sound of the wail of the shepherds, for their glory is ruined! The sound of the roar of the lions, for the thicket of the Jordan is ruined! 4Thus said the Lord my God: "Become shepherd of the flock doomed to slaughter. 5Those who buy them slaughter them and go unpunished, and those who sell them say, ‘Blessed be the Lord, I have become rich,’ and their own shepherds have no pity on them. 6For I will no longer have pity on the inhabitants of this land, declares the Lord. Behold, I will cause each of them to fall into the hand of his neighbor, and each into the hand of his king, and they shall crush the land, and I will deliver none from their hand."
7So I became the shepherd of the flock doomed to be slaughtered by the sheep traders. And I took two staffs, one I named Favor, the other I named Union. And I tended the sheep.
8In one month I destroyed the three shepherds. But I became impatient with them, and they also detested me.
9So I said, "I will not be your shepherd. What is to die, let it die. What is to be destroyed, let it be destroyed. And let those who are left devour the flesh of one another."
10And I took my staff Favor, and I broke it, annulling the covenant that I had made with all the peoples.
11So it was annulled on that day, and the sheep traders, who were watching me, knew that it was the word of the Lord.
New International Version
Chapter 11
2Wail, you juniper, for the cedar has fallen; the stately trees are ruined! Wail, oaks of Bashan; the dense forest has been cut down! 3Listen to the wail of the shepherds; their rich pastures are destroyed! Listen to the roar of the lions; the lush thicket of the Jordan is ruined!
4This is what the Lord my God says: "Shepherd the flock marked for slaughter.
5Their buyers slaughter them and go unpunished. Those who sell them say, ‘Praise the Lord, I am rich!’ Their own shepherds do not spare them.
6For I will no longer have pity on the people of the land," declares the Lord. "I will give everyone into the hands of their neighbors and their king. They will devastate the land, and I will not rescue anyone from their hands."
New King James Version
Chapter 11
2Wail, O cypress, for the cedar has fallen, Because the mighty trees are ruined. Wail, O oaks of Bashan, For the thick forest has come down. 3 There is the sound of wailing shepherds! For their glory is in ruins. There is the sound of roaring lions! For the pride of the Jordan is in ruins.
4Thus says the Lord my God, “Feed the flock for slaughter,
5whose owners slaughter them and feel no guilt; those who sell them say, ‘Blessed be the Lord, for I am rich’; and their shepherds do not pity them.
6For I will no longer pity the inhabitants of the land,” says the Lord. “But indeed I will give everyone into his neighbor’s hand and into the hand of his king. They shall attack the land, and I will not deliver them from their hand.”
7So I fed the flock for slaughter, in particular the poor of the flock. I took for myself two staffs: the one I called Beauty, and the other I called Bonds; and I fed the flock.
8I dismissed the three shepherds in one month. My soul loathed them, and their soul also abhorred me.
9Then I said, “I will not feed you. Let what is dying die, and what is perishing perish. Let those that are left eat each other’s flesh.”
10And I took my staff, Beauty, and cut it in two, that I might break the covenant which I had made with all the peoples.
11So it was broken on that day. Thus the poor of the flock, who were watching me, knew that it was the word of the Lord.
