زَكَريَّا 11

١ 1 اِفْتَحْ أَبْوَابَكَ يَا لُبْنَانُ، فَتَأْكُلَ ٱلنَّارُ أَرْزَكَ.

[You people of] [APO] Lebanon [should] open your gates, [because you will not be able to stop] fire from burning your cedar [trees]!

٢ 2 وَلْوِلْ يَا سَرْوُ، لِأَنَّ ٱلْأَرْزَ سَقَطَ، لِأَنَّ ٱلْأَعِزَّاءَ قَدْ خَرِبُوا. وَلْوِلْ يَا بَلُّوطَ بَاشَانَ، لِأَنَّ ٱلْوَعْرَ ٱلْمَنِيعَ قَدْ هَبَطَ.

Your cypress/pine [trees] [APO] should [also] wail because the cedar [trees] have been cut down. Those glorious/great trees have been destroyed. The oak trees in the Bashan [region] should also wail, because the other trees in the forest have been cut down.

٣ 3 صَوْتُ وَلْوَلَةِ ٱلرُّعَاةِ، لِأَنَّ فَخْرَهُمْ خَرِبَ. صَوْتُ زَمْجَرَةِ ٱلْأَشْبَالِ، لِأَنَّ كِبْرِيَاءَ ٱلْأُرْدُنِّ خَرِبَتْ.

And listen to the shepherds crying because the fertile pastures have been ruined. Listen to the lions roar; they roar because the delightful forest [where they live] near the Jordan [River] has been ruined.

٤ 4 هَكَذَا قَالَ ٱلرَّبُّ إِلَهِي: «ٱرْعَ غَنَمَ ٱلذَّبْحِ

This is what Yahweh my God said [to me]: “[I want you to] become a shepherd for a flock [of sheep that are about] to be slaughtered.

٥ 5 ٱلَّذِينَ يَذْبَحُهُمْ مَالِكُوهُمْ وَلَا يَأْثَمُونَ، وَبَائِعُوهُمْ يَقُولُونَ: مُبَارَكٌ ٱلرَّبُّ! قَدِ ٱسْتَغْنَيْتُ. وَرُعَاتُهُمْ لَا يُشْفِقُونَ عَلَيْهِمْ.

The people who are going to buy the sheep will kill the sheep, and they will not be punished. Those who are selling the sheep say, ‘[I] praise Yahweh, [because] I will become rich!’ Even the shepherds do not feel sorry for the sheep.

٦ 6 لِأَنِّي لَا أُشْفِقُ بَعْدُ عَلَى سُكَّانِ ٱلْأَرْضِ، يَقُولُ ٱلرَّبُّ، بَلْ هَأَنَذَا مُسَلِّمٌ ٱلْإِنْسَانَ، كُلَّ رَجُلٍ لِيَدِ قَرِيبِهِ وَلِيَدِ مَلِكِهِ، فَيَضْرِبُونَ ٱلْأَرْضَ وَلَا أُنْقِذُ مِنْ يَدِهِمْ».

And similarly, I no longer feel sorry for the people of this country. I am going to allow many of them [HYP] to be captured by other people or by their king. Those who capture them will ruin this country, and I will not rescue any [of the people].”

٧ 7 فَرَعَيْتُ غَنَمَ ٱلذَّبْحِ. لَكِنَّهُمْ أَذَلُّ ٱلْغَنَمِ. وَأَخَذْتُ لِنَفْسِي عَصَوَيْنِ، فَسَمَّيْتُ ٱلْوَاحِدَةَ «نِعْمَةَ» وَسَمَّيْتُ ٱلْأُخْرَى «حِبَالًا» وَرَعَيْتُ ٱلْغَنَمَ.

So I became the shepherd of a flock [of sheep that were about] to be slaughtered [for their meat to be sold] to the dealers. [I took good care of the sheep, even the ones that were the weakest sheep. Then] I took two [shepherds’] /walking sticks). I named the one [staff] ‘Kindness’ and the other [staff] ‘Union’. And I took good care of the sheep.

٨ 8 وَأَبَدْتُ ٱلرُّعَاةَ ٱلثَّلَاثَةَ فِي شَهْرٍ وَاحِدٍ، وَضَاقَتْ نَفْسِي بِهِمْ، وَكَرِهَتْنِي أَيْضًا نَفْسُهُمْ.

But the three shepherds [who had been working with me] detested me, and I became impatient with them. Within one month I (dismissed/got rid of) those shepherds.

٩ 9 فَقُلْتُ: «لَا أَرْعَاكُمْ. مَنْ يَمُتْ فَلْيَمُتْ، وَمَنْ يُبَدْ فَلْيُبَدْ. وَٱلْبَقِيَّةُ فَلْيَأْكُلْ بَعْضُهَا لَحْمَ بَعْضٍ!».

So I said [to the dealers], “I will no [longer] be the shepherd. I will allow the ones that are dying to die. I will allow the ones that are getting lost to get lost. And I will not prevent those that remain from destroying each other.”

١٠ 10 فَأَخَذْتُ عَصَايَ «نِعْمَةَ» وَقَصَفْتُهَا لِأَنْقُضَ عَهْدِي ٱلَّذِي قَطَعْتُهُ مَعَ كُلِّ ٱلْأَسْبَاطِ.

Then I took the staff that I had named ‘Kindness’ and I broke it. [That showed that Yahweh] was annulling/canceling the agreement that he had made with all the people-groups.

١١ 11 فَنُقِضَ فِي ذَلِكَ ٱلْيَوْمِ. وَهَكَذَا عَلِمَ أَذَلُّ ٱلْغَنَمِ ٱلْمُنْتَظِرُونَ لِي أَنَّهَا كَلِمَةُ ٱلرَّبِّ.

So that agreement was ended immediately. And the men who bought and sold sheep who were watching me knew [by seeing what I was doing] that I was giving them a message from Yahweh.

١٢ 12 فَقُلْتُ لَهُمْ: «إِنْ حَسُنَ فِي أَعْيُنِكُمْ فَأَعْطُونِي أُجْرَتِي وَإِلَّا فَٱمْتَنِعُوا». فَوَزَنُوا أُجْرَتِي ثَلَاثِينَ مِنَ ٱلْفِضَّةِ.

I told them, “If you think it is what you should do, pay me [for taking care of the sheep]. If you do not think that is what you should do, do not pay me.” So they paid me [only] 30 pieces of silver.

١٣ 13 فَقَالَ لِي ٱلرَّبُّ: «أَلْقِهَا إِلَى ٱلْفَخَّارِيِّ، ٱلثَّمَنَ ٱلْكَرِيمَ ٱلَّذِي ثَمَّنُونِي بِهِ». فَأَخَذْتُ ٱلثَّلَاثِينَ مِنَ ٱلْفِضَّةِ وَأَلْقَيْتُهَا إِلَى ٱلْفَخَّارِيِّ فِي بَيْتِ ٱلرَّبِّ.

Then Yahweh said to me, “[That is a ridiculously small amount of money that they have paid you]! [So] throw it to the man who makes clay pots!” So I took the silver to the temple of Yahweh, and I threw it in the chest where the offerings/money is kept.

١٤ 14 ثُمَّ قَصَفْتُ عَصَايَ ٱلْأُخْرَى «حِبَالًا» لِأَنْقُضَ ٱلْإِخَاءَ بَيْنَ يَهُوذَا وَإِسْرَائِيلَ.

Then I broke my second staff, [the one that I named] ‘Union’. That [indicated that] Judah and Israel would no longer be united.

١٥ 15 فَقَالَ لِي ٱلرَّبُّ: «خُذْ لِنَفْسِكَ بَعْدُ أَدَوَاتِ رَاعٍ أَحْمَقَ،

Then Yahweh said to me, “Take again the things that a foolish shepherd uses,

١٦ 16 لِأَنِّي هَأَنَذَا مُقِيمٌ رَاعِيًا فِي ٱلْأَرْضِ لَا يَفْتَقِدُ ٱلْمُنْقَطِعِينَ، وَلَا يَطْلُبُ ٱلْمُنْسَاقَ، وَلَا يَجْبُرُ ٱلْمُنْكَسِرَ، وَلَا يُرَبِّي ٱلْقَائِمَ. وَلَكِنْ يَأْكُلُ لَحْمَ ٱلسِّمَانِ وَيَنْزِعُ أَظْلَافَهَا».

because I am going to appoint a new king for the people, [one who will not take care of my people. He will be like a foolish shepherd]: [MET] He will not take care of those who are dying, those who are very young, those who have been injured, or those who do not have enough food. Instead, he will [treat them very cruelly, like a shepherd who would] [MET] kill and eat the best sheep and tear off their hoofs.

١٧ 17 وَيْلٌ لِلرَّاعِي ٱلْبَاطِلِ ٱلتَّارِكِ ٱلْغَنَمِ! اَلسَّيْفُ عَلَى ذِرَاعِهِ وَعَلَى عَيْنِهِ ٱلْيُمْنَى. ذِرَاعُهُ تَيْبَسُ يَبْسًا، وَعَيْنُهُ ٱلْيُمْنَى تَكِلُّ كُلُولًا!

But terrible things will happen to that foolish/useless king who abandons the people [MET] over whom he rules. [His enemies] will strike his arm and his right eye with their swords. [The result will be that] he will have no strength in his arm, and his right eye will become completely blind.”