Zechariah 11

Zechariah 11

1Open your doors , Lebanon ,

that the fire may devour your cedars.

2Wail , cypress tree , for the cedar has fallen ,

because the stately ones are destroyed .

Wail , you oaks of Bashan ,

for the strong forest has come down .

3A voice of the wailing of the shepherds !

For their glory is destroyed —a voice of the roaring of young lions !

For the pride of the Jordan is ruined .

4The LORD my God says : “Feed the flock of slaughter .

5Their buyers slaughter them and go unpunished . Those who sell them say, ‘Blessed be the LORD , for I am rich ;’ and their own shepherds don’t pity them .

6For I will no more pity the inhabitants of the land,” says the LORD ; “but , behold , I will deliver every one of the men into his neighbour ’s hand and into the hand of his king . They will strike the land, and out of their hand I will not deliver them .”

7So I fed the flock to be slaughtered, especially the oppressed of the flock . I took for myself two staffs . The one I called “Favour” and the other I called “Union”, and I fed the flock .

8I cut off the three shepherds in one month ; for my soul was weary of them , and their soul also loathed me .

9Then I said, “I will not feed you . That which dies , let it die ; and that which is to be cut off , let it be cut off ; and let those who are left eat each other’s flesh .”

10I took my staff Favour and cut it apart, that I might break my covenant that I had made with all the peoples .

11It was broken in that day ; and thus the poor of the flock that listened to me knew that it was the LORD ’s word .

12I said to them, “If you think it best , give me my wages ; and if not , keep them.” So they weighed for my wages thirty pieces of silver .

13The LORD said to me , “Throw it to the potter —the handsome price that I was valued at by them !” I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them to the potter in the LORD ’s house .

14Then I cut apart my other staff , Union, that I might break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel .

15The LORD said to me , “Take for yourself yet again the equipment of a foolish shepherd .

16For , behold , I will raise up a shepherd in the land who will not visit those who are cut off , neither will seek those who are scattered , nor heal that which is broken , nor feed that which is sound; but he will eat the meat of the fat sheep , and will tear their hoofs in pieces .

17Woe to the worthless shepherd who leaves the flock ! The sword will strike his arm and his right eye . His arm will be completely withered , and his right eye will be totally blinded!”

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