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Easy-to-Read Version

Zechariah 11:8

I fired the three shepherds all in one month. I got angry at the sheep, and they began to hate me.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Staves (Long Poles);   Scofield Reference Index - Parables;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Shepherds;  

Dictionaries:

- Fausset Bible Dictionary - Zechariah, the Book of;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Zechariah, Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Apocalyptic Literature;   Ekron;   Micah, Book of;   Prophecy, Prophets;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Psychology;   Zechariah, Book of;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Church Fathers;   Midrashim, Smaller;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
In one month I got rid of three shepherds. I became impatient with them, and they also detested me.
Hebrew Names Version
I cut off the three shepherds in one month; for my soul was weary of them, and their soul also loathed me.
King James Version (1611)
Three shepheards also I cut off in one moneth, and my soule loathed them, and their soule also abhorred mee.
King James Version
Three shepherds also I cut off in one month; and my soul lothed them, and their soul also abhorred me.
English Standard Version
In one month I destroyed the three shepherds. But I became impatient with them, and they also detested me.
New American Standard Bible
Then 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.
New Century Version
In one month I got rid of three shepherds. The flock did not pay attention to me, and I got impatient with them.
Amplified Bible
Then I eliminated the three [incompetent, unfit] shepherds [the civil rulers, the priests, and the prophets] in one month, for I was impatient with them, and they also were tired of me and despised me.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Three shepherdes also I cut off in one moneth, and my soule lothed them, and their soule abhorred me.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then I annihilated the three shepherds in one month, for my soul was impatient with them, and their soul also was weary of me.
Legacy Standard Bible
Then I annihilated the three shepherds in one month, for my soul was impatient with them, and their soul also was weary of me.
Berean Standard Bible
And in one month I dismissed three shepherds. My soul grew impatient with the flock, and their souls also detested me.
Contemporary English Version
In less than a month, I became impatient with three shepherds who didn't like me, and I got rid of them.
Complete Jewish Bible
"In a single month I got rid of three shepherds, because I grew impatient with them; and besides, they detested me.
Darby Translation
And I destroyed three shepherds in one month; and my soul was vexed with them, and their soul also loathed me.
George Lamsa Translation
Three shepherds I did away with in one month; and my soul was wearied of them, and their soul also howled against me.
Good News Translation
I lost patience with three other shepherds, who hated me, and I got rid of them all in a single month.
Lexham English Bible
And I got rid of three shepherds in one month, for I grew impatient with them, and they also became tired of me.
Literal Translation
I also cut off three shepherds in one month. And My soul loathed them, and their soul also detested Me.
American Standard Version
And I cut off the three shepherds in one month; for my soul was weary of them, and their soul also loathed me.
Bible in Basic English
And in one month I put an end to the three keepers of the flock; for my soul was tired of them, and their souls were disgusted with me.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And I cut off the three shepherds in one month; 'for My soul became impatient of them, and their soul also loathed Me.'
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Three shepheardes I put out of office in one moneth, for I might not away with them: neither had they any delight in me.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And I will cut off three shepherds in one month; and my soul shall grieve over them, for their souls cried out against me.
English Revised Version
And I cut off the three shepherds in one month; for my soul was weary of them, and their soul also loathed me.
World English Bible
I cut off the three shepherds in one month; for my soul was weary of them, and their soul also loathed me.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And Y kittide doun thre scheepherdis in o monethe, and my soule is drawun togidere in hem; for also the soule of hem variede in me.
Update Bible Version
And I cut off the three shepherds in one month; for my soul was weary of them, and their soul also loathed me.
Webster's Bible Translation
Three shepherds also I cut off in one month; and my soul lothed them, and their soul also abhorred me.
New English Translation
Next I eradicated the three shepherds in one month, for I ran out of patience with them and, indeed, they detested me as well.
New King James Version
I dismissed the three shepherds in one month. My soul loathed them, and their soul also abhorred me.
New Living Translation
I got rid of their three evil shepherds in a single month. But I became impatient with these sheep, and they hated me, too.
New Life Bible
I destroyed the three shepherds in one month. I was angry with them, and they hated me.
New Revised Standard
In one month I disposed of the three shepherds, for I had become impatient with them, and they also detested me.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And I sent off three shepherds, in one month, - for impatient was my soul with them, moreover also, their soul, felt a loathing against me.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And I cut off three shepherds in one month, and my soul was straitened in their regard: for their soul also varied in my regard.
Revised Standard Version
In one month I destroyed the three shepherds. But I became impatient with them, and they also detested me.
Young's Literal Translation
And I cut off the three shepherds in one month, and my soul is grieved with them, and also their soul hath abhorred me.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Thre shepherdes destroyed I in one moneth, for I might not awaye wt them, nether had they eny delyte in me.

Contextual Overview

4 The Lord my God says, "Care for the sheep that have been raised to be killed. 5 Buyers kill their sheep and are not punished. Those who sell the sheep say, ‘Praise the Lord , I am rich!' The shepherds don't feel sorry for their sheep. 6 And I don't feel sorry for the people who live in this country." This is what the Lord said: "Look, I will let everyone be under the control of their neighbor and king. I will let them destroy the country—I will not stop them!" 7 So I took care of the sheep that had been raised to be killed—those poor sheep. I found two sticks. I called one stick Favor, and I called the other stick Union. Then I began caring for the sheep. 8 I fired the three shepherds all in one month. I got angry at the sheep, and they began to hate me. 9 Then I said, "I quit! I will not take care of you! I will let those who want to die, die. I will let those who want to be destroyed, be destroyed, and those who are left will destroy each other." 10 Then I took the stick named Favor, and I broke it. I did this to show that God's agreement with his people was broken. 11 So that day the agreement was finished, and those poor sheep watching me knew that this message was from the Lord . 12 Then I said, "If you want to pay me, pay me. If not, don't!" So they paid me 30 pieces of silver. 13 Then the Lord told me, "So that's how much they think I'm worth. Throw that large amount of money into the Temple treasury." So I took the 30 pieces of silver and threw them into the treasury at the Lord 's Temple.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

in: Hosea 5:7, Matthew 23:34-36, Matthew 24:50, Matthew 24:51

and my: Leviticus 26:11, Leviticus 26:30, Leviticus 26:44, Deuteronomy 32:19, Psalms 5:5, Psalms 78:9, Psalms 106:40, Jeremiah 12:8, Jeremiah 14:21, Hosea 9:15, Hebrews 10:38

loathed them: Heb. was straitened for them, Isaiah 49:7, Luke 12:50, Luke 19:14, John 7:7, John 15:18, John 15:23-25

Reciprocal: Leviticus 20:23 - therefore Leviticus 26:43 - their soul 1 Samuel 13:4 - was had in abomination 1 Kings 11:25 - abhorred 1 Kings 22:8 - but I hate him Job 30:10 - abhor me Psalms 11:5 - wicked Psalms 78:59 - greatly Psalms 88:8 - made Psalms 89:38 - and Proverbs 13:5 - is Proverbs 29:27 - General Isaiah 1:14 - I am weary Isaiah 53:3 - despised Jeremiah 6:8 - lest Jeremiah 7:29 - for Jeremiah 14:19 - hath Jeremiah 22:22 - thy pastors Ezekiel 14:5 - estranged Ezekiel 16:45 - that loatheth Ezekiel 23:18 - then Hosea 4:5 - and the prophet Hosea 4:6 - I will also reject Amos 6:8 - I abhor Zephaniah 2:1 - O nation Zechariah 11:3 - a voice Matthew 21:41 - He will Matthew 24:21 - General Matthew 27:22 - What Matthew 27:41 - General Mark 8:13 - General Luke 12:51 - General Luke 23:2 - they Luke 23:23 - General Luke 24:44 - in the prophets John 10:2 - the shepherd John 17:14 - the world Acts 4:27 - the people Revelation 3:16 - I will spue thee out

Cross-References

Genesis 10:25
Eber was the father of two sons. One son was named Peleg. He was given this name because the earth was divided during his life. The other son was named Joktan.
Genesis 10:32
This is the list of the families from Noah's sons. They are arranged according to their nations. From these families came all the people who spread across the earth after the flood.
Genesis 11:4
Then the people said, "Let's build ourselves a city and a tower that will reach to the sky. Then we will be famous. This will keep us together so that we will not be scattered all over the earth."
Genesis 11:9
That is the place where the Lord confused the language of the whole world. That is why it is called Babel. And it was from there that the Lord caused the people to spread out to all the other places on earth.
Genesis 49:7
Their anger is so strong that it is a curse. They are too cruel when they are angry. They will not get their own land in the land of Jacob. They will be spread throughout Israel.
Deuteronomy 32:8
God Most High separated the people on earth and gave each nation its land. He set up borders for all people. He made as many nations as there are angels.
Luke 1:51
He reached out his arm and showed his power. He scattered those who are proud and think great things about themselves.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Three shepherds also I cut off in one month,.... Not Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, as is suggested in the Talmud e; nor David, Adonijah, and Joab, who died in the space of a month; nor the three kings, Jehoash, Jehoiakim, and Zedekiah, who died by the hand of their enemies in a very little time; which is the sense of some, as Abendana observes; nor the three last prophets, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, according to Aben Ezra; nor the three Maccabees, Judas, Jonathan, and Simon, as Abarbinel; rather the three sects among the Jews, the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Essenes, instead of which last some put the Herodians; and others the Scribes; though some are of opinion that the three sanhedrim or courts of judicature among the Jews are designed; but it seems best of all to interpret them of the three orders of magistrates among them, princes, prophets, and priests; and the "cutting" them "off" may denote the cessation of civil government, the sealing up of vision and prophecy, and the putting an end to sacrifice; which is much better than to interpret them of the three Roman emperors who succeeded Nero; that is, Galba, Otho, and Vitellius, who were put to death by their own subjects, within the space of a year and some days f; and which is a term of time that can not well be thought to be expressed by a month; which either signifies in general a small space of time; or, if a certain month is meant, either it designs the month Nisan, in which Christ suffered, when of right sacrifice should have ceased, as well as then prophecy was sealed up, and there was no more of it among the Jews, nor any civil government in their hands: or else the month Ab, in which the city of Jerusalem was burnt; and so an end was put in fact to all the above offices there. It may be that a month of years is intended, as in Revelation 11:2 and so Abarbinel here interprets it; though he applies it to the times of the Maccabees; but it may respect the thirty years, or thereabout, which were between the death of Christ and the destruction of Jerusalem, within which compass of time the above events were actually and manifestly fulfilled:

and my soul loathed them; because they did not perform the duties of their office; the civil magistrate did not govern according to the laws of God; the prophets did not teach sound doctrine; and the priests did not do their service aright, nor teach the people the use and end of sacrifices, and in them direct to the Messiah, as they should have done: wherefore Christ expressed his dislike of them by words in his ministry, particularly in Matthew chapter twenty three, Matthew 23:1 and by deeds, causing vengeance to come upon them to the entire removal of them: or, "my soul was shortened", or "contracted in them", or "towards them" g; his affections were lessened towards them; he loathed their ways and works, which were not good; and he rejected and cast them off as his people, and wrote a "loammi" on them; took away his Gospel from them, and abolished their civil and church state:

and their soul also abhorred me; which is the reason of the former; and so the Targum paraphrases it,

"and my Word cast them away, because their soul abhorred my worship;''

all ranks and orders of men among the Jews had Christ in abhorrence; they abhorred his person, his name, his miracles, his doctrines, his ordinances, and his people; this they did because of his mean appearance; and because of his inveighing against their traditions, superstitions, and immoralities; and this appeared by their contemptuous rejection of him as the Messiah; by their crucifixion of him; and by persecuting his disciples and followers.

e T. Bab. Taanith, fol. 9. 1. f Calmet's Dictionary, in the word "Shepherds". g ותקצר נפשי בהם "et abbreviata est anima mea in eis", Montanus, Cocceius, Burkius; "coarctata est", Calvin; "contractabatur, [vel] contrahetsese", Vatablus; "contracta est", Drusius, Grotius.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And I cut off three shepherds in one month - Jerome: “I have read in some one’s commentary, that the shepherds, cut off in the indignation of the Lord, are to be understood of priests and false prophets and kings of the Jews, who, after the passion of Christ, were all cut off in one time, of whom Jeremiah speaketh, “The priests said not, Where is the Lord? and they that handle the law knew Me not; the pastors also transgressed against Me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal, and walked after things which do not profit” Jeremiah 2:8, and again, “As the thief is ashamed when he is found, so is the house of Israel ashamed; they, their kings, their princes, and their priests and their prophets” Jeremiah 2:26; and “they said, Come, let us devise devices against Jeremiah; for the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet” Jeremiah 18:18.

Theodoret: “He speaks of the kings of the Jews, and prophets and priests; for by the three orders they were shepherded.” Cyril: “The true and good Shepherd having been already pointed out, it was right and necessary that the hirelings and false shepherds should be removed, the guides of the Jews in the law. The three shepherds were, I deem, those who exercised the legal priesthood, and those appointed judges of the people, and the interpreters of Scripture, that is, the lawyers. For these too fed Israel. Those who had the glory of the priesthood were of the tribe of Levi only; and of them Malachi says, “The priest’s lips shall keep knowledge, and they shall seek the law at his mouth” Malachi 2:7. But those who received authority to judge were also selected, yet were appointed out of every tribe. In like way the lawyers, who were ever assessors to the judges, and adduced the words of the law in proof of every matter.

But we shall find that our Lord Jesus Christ Himself expressly pronounced woe on the Pharisees and scribes and lawyers. For He said, “Woe unto you scribes and Pharisees” Luke 11:44. And when one of the lawyers hereupon answered Him saying, “Master, so saying Thou reproachest us also,” He said, “Woe unto you also, ye lawyers! for ye lade men with burdens grievous to be borne, and ye yourselves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers” Luke 11:45-46. These “three Shepherds” then, priests and judges and lawyers o, who remained in their own orders and places, until the coming of Christ, were very justly taken away “in one month.” For since “they killed the Prince of life” Acts 3:15, thereby also are they mown down, and that in the month of the first fruits, in which Emmanuel endured to be slain for us. They remained indeed administering Israel, even after the Saviour’s Cross, through the long-suffering and compassion of Almighty God calling them to repentance; but, in the sentence passed by God, they were taken away, at that time, when they delivered to the Cross the Saviour and Redeemer of all. They were taken away then in one mouth;” Nisan. a.d. 33. The three offices, King, Divine Teacher, Priest, were to be united in Christ: they might have been held under Him: those who rejected them in Him, forfeited them themselves. These then He made to disappear, effaced them from the earth.

And My soul was straightened - For them o. It is used of the divine grief at the misery of His people. “And their soul abhorred Me, nauseated Me” o. Kimchi: “When it is said, “Their soul also abhorreth Me,” the meaning is, ‘My soul did not loathe them first, but their soul first despised Me, therefore My Soul abhorred them.’” The soul which drives away God’s good Spirit, comes at last to loathe Him and the thought and mention of Him.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Zechariah 11:8. Three shepherds also I cut off in one month — Taking this literally, some think the three shepherds mean the three Maccabees, Judas, Jonathan, and Simon; others, the three wicked high priests, Jason, Alcimus, and Menelaus; others, the three last princes of the Asmonean race, Alexander, Hyrcanus, and Antigonus.

Perhaps three orders may be intended:

1. The priesthood.

2. The dictatorship, including the Scribes, Pharisees, &c.

3. The magistracy, the great sanhedrin, and the smaller councils.

These were all annihilated by the Roman conquest.


 
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