< Jezekiel 34 >

1 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
And the word of the Lord was maad to me,
2 Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say to the shepherds, Thus saith the Lord God; O shepherds of Israel, do shepherds feed themselves? do not the shepherds feed the sheep?
and he seide, Sone of man, profesie thou of the schepherdis of Israel, profesie thou; and thou schalt seie to the schepherdis, The Lord God seith these thingis, Wo to the schepherdis of Israel, that fedden hym silf; whether flockis ben not fed of schepherdis?
3 Behold, ye feed on the milk, and clothe yourselves with the wool, and slay the fat: but ye feed not my sheep.
Ye eeten mylk, and weren hilid with wollis, and ye killiden that that was fat; but ye fedden not my floc.
4 The weak one ye have not strengthened, and the sick ye have not cherished, and the bruised ye have not bound up, and the stray one ye have not turned back, and the lost ye have not sought; and the strong ye have wearied with labour.
Ye maden not sad that that was vnstidfast, and ye maden not hool that that was sijk; ye bounden not that that was brokun, and ye brouyten not ayen that that was cast awei, and ye souyten not that that perischide; but ye comaundiden to hem with sturnenesse, and with power.
5 And my sheep were scattered, because there were no shepherds: and they became meat to all the wild beasts of the field.
And my scheep weren scaterid, for no sheepherde was; and thei weren maad in to deuouryng of alle beestis of the feeld, and thei weren scaterid.
6 And my sheep were scattered on every mountain, and on every high hill: yea, they were scattered on the face of the earth, and there was none to seek them out, nor to bring them back.
My flockis erriden in alle mounteyns, and in ech hiy hil, and my flockis weren scaterid on al the face of erthe, and noon was that souyte.
7 Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord.
Therfor, scheepherdis, here ye the word of the Lord;
8 [As] I live, saith the Lord God, surely because my sheep became a prey, and my sheep became meat to all the wild beasts of the field, because there were no shepherds, and the shepherds sought not out my sheep, and the shepherds fed themselves, but fed not my sheep.
Y lyue, seith the Lord God, for whi for that that my flockis ben maad in to raueyn, and my scheep in to deuouryng of alle beestis of the feeld, for that that no scheepherde was, for the scheepherdis souyten not my floc, but the scheepherdis fedden hem silf, and fedden not my flockis; therfor,
9 For this cause, O shepherds,
scheepherdis, here ye the word of the Lord,
10 thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require my sheep at their hands, and will turn them back that they shall not feed my sheep, and the shepherds shall no longer feed them; and I will deliver my sheep out of their mouth, and they shall no longer be meat for them.
The Lord God seith these thingis, Lo! Y my silf am ouer scheepherdis; Y schal seke my floc of the hond of hem, and Y schal make hem to ceesse, that thei fede no more my flok, and that the scheepherdis feede no more hem silf. And Y schal delyuere my floc fro the mouth of hem, and it schal no more be in to mete to hem.
11 For thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I will seek out my sheep, and will visit them.
For the Lord God seith these thingis, Lo! Y my silf schal seke my scheep, and Y schal visite hem.
12 As the shepherd seeks his flock, in the day when there is darkness and cloud, in the midst of the sheep that are separated: so will I seek out my sheep, and will bring them back from every place where they were scattered in the day of cloud and darkness.
As a scheepherde visitith his floc, in the dai whanne he is in the myddis of hise scheep `that ben scaterid, so Y schal visite my scheep; and Y schal delyuere hem fro alle places in whiche thei weren scaterid, in the dai of cloude, and of derknesse.
13 And I will bring them out from the Gentiles, and will gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land, and will feed them upon the mountains of Israel, and in the valleys, and in every inhabited place of the land.
And Y schal leede hem out of puplis, and Y schal gadere hem fro londis, and Y schal brynge hem in to her lond, and Y schal feede hem in the hillis of Israel, in ryueris, and in alle seetis of erthe.
14 I will feed them in a good pasture, on a high mountain of Israel: and their folds shall be there, and they shall lie down, and there shall they rest in perfect prosperity, and they shall feed in a fat pasture on the mountains of Israel.
Y schal feede hem in moost plenteouse pasturis, and the lesewis of hem schulen be in the hiy hillis of Israel; there thei schulen reste in greene eerbis, and in fatte lesewis thei schulen be fed on the hillis of Israel.
15 I will feed my sheep, and I will cause them to rest; and they shall know that I am the Lord: thus saith the Lord God.
Y schal fede my scheep, and Y schal make hem to ligge, seith the Lord God.
16 I will seek that which is lost, and I will recover the stray one, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen the fainting, and will guard the strong, and will feed them with judgment.
I schal seke that that perischide, and Y schal brynge ayen that that was cast awei; and Y schal bynde that that was brokun, and Y schal make sad that that was sijk; and Y schal kepe that that was fat and strong; and Y schal feede hem in doom;
17 And [as for] you, ye sheep, thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I will distinguish between sheep and sheep, [between] rams and he-goats.
forsothe ye ben my flockis. The Lord God seith these thingis, Lo! Y deme bitwixe beeste and beeste, and a wethir and a buc of geet.
18 And [is it] not enough for you that ye fed on the good pasture, that ye trampled with your feet the remnant of your pasture? and [that] ye drank the standing water, [that] ye disturbed the residue with your feet?
Whether it was not enowy to you to deuoure good pasturis? Ferthermore and ye defouliden with youre feet the remenauntis of youre lesewis, and whanne ye drunken clereste watir, ye disturbliden the residue with youre feet.
19 So my sheep fed on that which ye had trampled with your feet; and they drank the water that had been disturbed by your feet.
And my scheep weren fed with tho thingis that weren defoulid with youre feet; and thei drunken these thingis, that youre feet hadden troblid.
20 Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will separate between the strong sheep and the weak sheep.
Therfor the Lord God seith these thingis to you, Lo! Y my silf deme bitwixe a fat beeste and a leene beeste.
21 Ye did thrust with your sides and shoulders, and pushed with your horns, and ye cruelly treated all the sick.
For that that ye hurliden with sidis, and schuldris, and wyndewiden with youre hornes alle sike beestis, til tho weren scaterid withoutforth, I schal saue my floc,
22 Therefore I will save my sheep, and they shall not be any more for a prey; and will judge between ram and ram.
and it schal no more be in to raueyn. And Y schal deme bitwixe beeste and beeste;
23 And I will raise up one shepherd over them, and he shall tend them, [even] my servant David, and he shall be their shepherd;
and Y schal reise on tho o sheepherde, my seruaunt Dauid, that schal fede tho; he schal fede tho, and he schal be `in to a sheepherde to hem.
24 and I the Lord will be to them a God, and David a prince in the midst of them; I the Lord have spoken it.
Forsothe Y the Lord schal be in to God to hem, and my seruaunt Dauid schal be prince in the myddis of hem; Y the Lord spak.
25 And I will make with David a covenant of peace and I will utterly destroy evil beasts from off the land; and they shall dwell in the wilderness, and sleep in the forests.
And Y schal make with hem a couenaunt of pees, and Y schal make worste beestis to ceesse fro erthe; and thei that dwellen in desert, schulen slepe sikur in forestis.
26 And I will settle them round about my mountain; and I will give you the rain, the rain of blessing.
And Y schal sette hem blessyng in the cumpas of my litle hil, and Y schal lede doun reyn in his tyme. And reynes of blessyng schulen be,
27 And the trees that are in the field shall yield their fruit, and the earth shall yield her strength, and they shall dwell in the confidence of peace on their land, and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I have broken their yoke; and I will deliver them out of the hand of those that enslaved them.
and the tre of the feeld schal yyue his fruyt, and the erthe schal yyue his seed. And thei schulen be in her lond with out drede; and thei schulen wite, that Y am the Lord, whanne Y schal al to-breke the chaynes of her yok, and schal delyuere hem fro the hond of hem that comaunden to hem.
28 And they shall no more be a spoil to the nations, and the wild beasts of the land shall no more at all devour them; and they shall dwell safely, and there shall be none to make them afraid.
And thei schulen no more be in to raueyn in to hethene men, nether the beestis of erthe schulen deuoure hem, but thei schulen dwelle tristili with outen ony drede.
29 And I will raise up for them a plant of peace, and they shall no more perish with hunger upon the land, and they shall no more bear the reproach of the nations.
And Y schal reise to hem a iust buriownyng named; and thei schulen no more be maad lesse for hunger in erthe, and thei schulen no more bere the schenschipis of hethene men.
30 And they shall know that I am the Lord their God, and they my people. O house of Israel, saith the Lord God,
And thei schulen wite, that Y am her Lord God with hem, and thei ben my puple, the hous of Israel, seith the Lord God.
31 ye are my sheep, even the sheep of my flock, and I am the Lord your God, saith the Lord God.
Forsothe ye my flockis ben men, the flockis of my lesewe; and Y am youre Lord God, seith the Lord God.

< Jezekiel 34 >