Zechariah 11:4

THE MESSAGE

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
The Lord my God says this: “Shepherd the flock intended for slaughter.

Hebrew Names Version
Thus says the LORD my God: "Feed the flock of slaughter.

King James Version (1611)
Thus saith the Lord my God; Feede the flocke of the slaughter;

King James Version
Thus saith the Lord my God; Feed the flock of the slaughter;

English Standard Version
Thus said the Lord my God: "Become shepherd of the flock doomed to slaughter.

New American Standard Bible
This is what the LORD my God says: "Pasture the flock doomed to slaughter.

New Century Version
This is what the Lord my God says: "Feed the flock that are about to be killed.

Amplified Bible
Thus says the LORD my God, "Pasture the flock doomed for slaughter,

Geneva Bible (1587)
Thus sayeth the Lorde my God, Feede the sheepe of the slaughter.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Thus says the LORD my God, "Pasture the flock doomed to slaughter.

Legacy Standard Bible
Thus says Yahweh my God, "Shepherd the flock doomed to slaughter.

Berean Standard Bible
This is what the LORD my God says: "Pasture the flock marked for slaughter,

Contemporary English Version
The Lord my God said to me: Tend those sheep doomed for slaughter!

Complete Jewish Bible
Adonai my God says this: "Shepherd the flock for slaughter.

Darby Translation
Thus saith Jehovah my God: Feed the flock of slaughter,

Easy-to-Read Version
The Lord my God says, "Care for the sheep that have been raised to be killed.

George Lamsa Translation
Thus says the LORD my God: Feed the lean flock

Good News Translation
The Lord my God said to me, "Act the part of the shepherd of a flock of sheep that are going to be butchered.

Lexham English Bible
Thus says Yahweh my God: "Shepherd the flock doomed to slaughter.

Literal Translation
For so says Jehovah my God: Feed the flock of the slaughter.

American Standard Version
Thus said Jehovah my God: Feed the flock of slaughter;

Bible in Basic English
This is what the Lord my God has said: Take care of the flock of death;

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Thus said the LORD my God: 'Feed the flock of slaughter;

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Thus saith the Lorde my God: Feede the sheepe of the slaughter,

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Thus saith the Lord Almighty, Feed the sheep of the slaughter;

English Revised Version
Thus said the LORD my God: Feed the flock of slaughter;

World English Bible
Thus says Yahweh my God: "Feed the flock of slaughter.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
My Lord God seith these thingis, Fede thou beestis of slauyter,

Update Bible Version
Thus Yahweh my God said: Feed the flock of slaughter;

Webster's Bible Translation
Thus saith the LORD my God; Feed the flock of the slaughter;

New English Translation
The Lord my God says this: "Shepherd the flock set aside for slaughter.

New King James Version
Thus says the LORD my God, "Feed the flock for slaughter,

New Living Translation
This is what the Lord my God says: "Go and care for the flock that is intended for slaughter.

New Life Bible
The Lord my God said, "Take care of the flock that is to be killed.

New Revised Standard
Thus said the Lord my God: Be a shepherd of the flock doomed to slaughter.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Thus, saith Yahweh my God, - Tend thou the flock doomed to slaughter:

Douay-Rheims Bible
Thus saith the Lord my God: Feed the flock of the slaughter,

Revised Standard Version
Thus said the LORD my God: "Become shepherd of the flock doomed to slaughter.

Young's Literal Translation
Thus said Jehovah my God: `Feed the flock of the slaughter,

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Thus sayeth the LORDE my God: Fede the shepe of ye slaughter,

Contextual Overview

⁵ class="poetry"> Open your borders to the immigrants, proud Lebanon! Your sentinel trees will burn. Weep, great pine trees! Mourn, you sister cedars! Your towering trees are cordwood. Weep Bashan oak trees! Your thick forest is now a field of stumps. Do you hear the wailing of shepherds? They've lost everything they once owned. Do you hear the outrage of the lions? The mighty jungle of the Jordan is wasted. Make room for the returning exiles! God commanded me, "Shepherd the sheep that are soon to be slaughtered. The people who buy them will butcher them for quick and easy money. What's worse, they'll get away with it. The people who sell them will say, ‘Lucky me! God's on my side; I've got it made!' They have shepherds who couldn't care less about them." ⁶ God 's Decree: "I'm washing my hands of the people of this land. From now on they're all on their own. It's dog-eat-dog, survival of the fittest, and the devil take the hindmost. Don't look for help from me." ⁷So I took over from the crass, money-grubbing owners, and shepherded the sheep marked for slaughter. I got myself two shepherd staffs. I named one Lovely and the other Harmony. Then I went to work shepherding the sheep. Within a month I got rid of the corrupt shepherds. I got tired of putting up with them—and they couldn't stand me. ⁹ And then I got tired of the sheep and said, "I've had it with you—no more shepherding from me. If you die, you die; if you're attacked, you're attacked. Whoever survives can eat what's left." ¹⁰Then I took the staff named Lovely and broke it across my knee, breaking the beautiful covenant I had made with all the peoples. In one stroke, both staff and covenant were broken. The money-hungry owners saw me do it and knew God was behind it. ¹² Then I addressed them: "Pay me what you think I'm worth." They paid me an insulting sum, counting out thirty silver coins. ¹³ God told me, "Throw it in the poor box." This stingy wage was all they thought of me and my work! So I took the thirty silver coins and threw them into the poor box in God 's Temple. ¹⁴ Then I broke the other staff, Harmony, across my knee, breaking the concord between Judah and Israel.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Lord: Zechariah 14:5, Isaiah 49:4, Isaiah 49:5, John 20:17, Ephesians 1:3

Feed: Zechariah 11:7, Isaiah 40:9-11, Ezekiel 34:23, Ezekiel 34:24, Micah 5:4, Matthew 15:24, Matthew 23:37, Luke 19:41-44, John 21:15-17, Romans 15:8

Reciprocal: Psalms 78:71 - feed Jeremiah 50:6 - their shepherds Micah 3:2 - pluck Zechariah 13:7 - my shepherd John 10:1 - the same John 10:8 - came Acts 20:28 - to feed

Cross-References

Genesis 6:4
This was back in the days (and also later) when there were giants in the land. The giants came from the union of the sons of God and the daughters of men. These were the mighty men of ancient lore, the famous ones.

Deuteronomy 9:1
Attention, Israel! This very day you are crossing the Jordan to enter the land and dispossess nations that are much bigger and stronger than you are. You're going to find huge cities with sky-high fortress-walls and gigantic people, descendants of the Anakites—you've heard all about them; you've heard the saying, "No one can stand up to an Anakite."

2 Samuel 8:13
David built a victory monument on his return from defeating the Arameans. Abishai son of Zeruiah fought and defeated the Edomites in the Salt Valley. Eighteen thousand of them were killed. David set up a puppet government in Edom, and the Edomites became subjects under David. God gave David victory wherever he marched.

Proverbs 10:7
A good and honest life is a blessed memorial; a wicked life leaves a rotten stench.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Thus saith the Lord my God,.... The Syriac version adds, "to me"; not the Prophet Zechariah, but the Messiah, who calls the Lord his God, as he was man and Mediator, John 20:17 for what follow are the words of God the Father to him, calling upon him, and giving him a commission to

Feed the flock of the slaughter; meaning the people of the Jews in general, to whom Christ was sent as a prophet, to teach and instruct them by the ministry of the word; so "feeding" is interpreted of prophesying, by the Targum and Jarchi: and these are called "the flock of slaughter", because of the cruel usage they met with from their shepherds and owners, mentioned in the next verse Zechariah 11:5; and because they were appointed and given up to ruin and destruction of God, on account of their sins and transgressions; though there was a remnant among them, a little flock, afterwards in this chapter called the poor of the flock Zechariah 11:7, who were the special care of Christ, and were fed by him in a spiritual manner; and may go by this name, because exposed to the cruelties of men, and are accounted as sheep for the slaughter, Romans 8:36 these Christ was called upon by his Father in the council of peace to take care of, which he did; and in the everlasting covenant of grace he agreed to feed them; and in the fulness of time he was sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, who were as sheep without a shepherd; and he fed them with knowledge and with understanding.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Thus saith the Lord my God, Feed the flock of the slaughter - The fulfillment of the whole prophecy shows, that the person addressed is the prophet, not in, or for himself, but (as belongs to symbolic prophecy) as representing Another, our Lord. It is addressed, in the first instance, to Zechariah. For Zechariah is bidden, “take unto thee yet the instruments of a foolish shepherd” Zechariah 11:15, in words addressed to himself, personally; “And the Lord said unto me.” But he who was to represent the foolish shepherd, had represented the True Shepherd, since it is said to him, “Take unto thee yet.” But He, the Shepherd addressed, who does the acts commanded, speaks with the authority of God. He says, “I cut off three shepherds in one month” Zechariah 11:8; “I broke My covenant which I had made with all the peoples” Zechariah 11:10; “the poor of the flock waited upon Me” Zechariah 11:11; “I cut asunder Mine other staff, Bands, that I might break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel” Zechariah 11:14. But in Zechariah’s time, no three shepherds were cut off, the covenant made by God was not broken on His part, there was no such visible distinction between those who waited on God, and those who, outwardly too, rejected Him.

Feed the flock of the slaughter - Those who were, even before the end, slain by their evil shepherds whom they followed, and who in the end would be given to the slaughter, as the Psalmist says, “we are counted as sheep for the slaughter” Psalms 44:22, because they would not hear the voice of the True Shepherd, and were not His sheep. They were already, by God’s judgment, a prey to evil shepherds; and would be so yet more hereafter. As a whole then, they were “sheep of the slaughter.” It is a last Charge given to feed them. As our Lord says, “Last of all, He sent unto them His Son, saying, They will reverence My Son” Matthew 21:37. This failing, nothing remained but that the flock would be given up, as they themselves say, “He will miserably destroy those wicked people, and will let out His vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render Him the fruits in their seasons” Matthew 21:41, that is, our Lord explains it, “The kingdom of heaven shall be taken from them, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. Yet a remnant should be saved” Matthew 21:43, for whose sake the larger flock was still to be fed: and, as our Lord, as Man, wept over Jerusalem, whose sentence He pronounced, so He still feeds those who would not turn to Him that they might be saved, and who would in the end be “a flock of slaughter,” “Death their shepherd” Psalms 49:14, since they chose death rather than Life.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Zechariah 11:4. Feed the flock of the slaughter — This people resemble a flock of sheep fattened for the shambles; feed, instruct, this people who are about to be slaughtered.