the First Week of Advent
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King James Version (1611 Edition)
Zechariah 11
1 Open thy doores, O Lebanon, that the fire may deuoure thy cedars. 2 Howle firre tree, for the cedar is fallen; because all the mighty are spoiled; howle O yee okes of Bashan, for the forrest of the vintage is come downe. 3 There is a voyce of the howling of the shepheards; for their glory is spoiled: a voyce of the roaring of young lyons; for the pride of Iordan is spoiled.
4 Thus saith the Lord my God; Feede the flocke of the slaughter; 5 Whose possessours slay them, and hold themselues not guiltie: and they that sell the say, Blessed be the Lord; for I am rich: and their owne shepheards pitie them not. 6 For I will no more pitie the inhabitants of the land, saith the Lord: but loe, I will deliuer the men euery one into his neighbours hand, and into the hand of his King, and they shall smite the land, and out of their hand I will not deliuer them. 7 And I will feede the flocke of slaughter, euen you, O poore of the flock: and I tooke vnto me two staues; the one I called Beautie, and the other I called Bandes, and I fed the flocke. 8 Three shepheards also I cut off in one moneth, and my soule loathed them, and their soule also abhorred mee. 9 Then said I, I will not feede you: that that dieth, let it die: and that that is to be cut off, let it be cut off, and let the rest eate, euery one the flesh of another. 10 And I tooke my staffe, euen Beautie, and cut it asunder, that I might breake my couenant which I had made with all the people. 11 And it was broken in that day: and so the poore of the flocke that waited vpon me, knew that it was the word of the Lord. 12 And I said vnto them, If yee thinke good, giue me my price: and if not, forbeare: so they weighed for my price thirtie pieces of siluer. 13 And the Lord said vnto mee, Cast it vnto the potter: a goodly price, that I was prised at of them. And I tooke the thirtie pieces of siluer, and cast them to the potter in the house of the Lord. 14 Then I cut asunder mine other staffe, euen Bands, that I might break the brotherhood betweene Iudah and Israel.
15 And the Lord said vnto me, Take vnto thee yet the instruments of a foolish shepheard. 16 For loe, I wil raise vp a shepherd in the land, which shall not visit those that bee cut off, neither shall seeke the yong one, nor heale that that is broken, nor feed that that standeth still: but he shal eate the flesh of the fat, and teare their clawes in pieces. 17 Woe to the idoll shepheard that leaueth the flocke: the sword shall be vpon his arme, and vpon his right eye: his arme shall be cleane dryed vp, and his right eye shall be vtterly darkened.