Zech 11
1
Open your doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may devour your cedars.
2
Wail, O fir-tree, for the cedar is fallen, because the goodly ones are destroyed:
wail, O you oaks of Bashan, for the strong forest is come down.
3
A 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 laid waste.
4
Thus said YHWH my God: Feed the flock of slaughter;
5
whose possessors slay them, and hold themselves not guilty; and they that sell them
say, Blessed be YHWH, for I am rich; and their own shepherds pity them not.
6
For I will no more pity the inhabitants of the land, says YHWH; but, behold, I will
deliver the men every one into his neighbor`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.
7
So I fed the flock of slaughter, truly the poor of the flock. And I took to me two
staffs; the one I called Beauty, and the other I called Bands; and I fed the flock.
8
And I cut off the three shepherds in one month; for my soul was weary of them, and
their soul also loathed me.
9
Then said I, 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 them that are left eat every one the flesh
of another.
10
And I took my staff Beauty, and cut it asunder, that I might break my covenant which
I had made with all the peoples.
11
And it was broken in that day; and thus the poor of the flock that gave heed to me
knew that it was the word of YHWH.
12
And I said to them, If you think good, give me my hire; and if not, forbear. So they
weighed for my hire thirty [pieces] of silver.
13
And YHWH said to me, Cast it to the potter, the goodly price that I was prized at
by them. And I took the thirty [pieces] of silver, and cast them to the potter, in
the house of YHWH.
14
Then I cut asunder mine other staff, even Bands, that I might break the brotherhood
between Judah and Israel.
15
And YHWH said to me, Take to you yet again the instruments of a foolish shepherd.
16
For, behold, I will raise up a shepherd in the land, who will not visit those that
are cut off, neither will seek those that are scattered, nor heal that which is broken,
nor feed that which is sound; but he will eat the flesh of the fat [sheep], and will
tear their hoofs in pieces.
17
Woe to the worthless shepherd that leaves the flock! the sword shall be upon his arm,
and upon his right eye: his arm shall be clean dried up, and his right eye shall be
utterly darkened.