Study Desk

The word of the Lord came to me:

"Son of man, speak to your people and tell them: Suppose I bring the sword against a land, and the people of that land select a man from among them, appointing him as their watchman,

and he sees the sword coming against the land and blows his trumpet^(a) to warn the people.

Then, if anyone hears the sound of the trumpet but ignores the warning,^(b) and the sword comes and takes him away, his blood will be on his own head.

Since he heard the sound of the trumpet but ignored the warning, his blood is on his own hands.^[a] If he had taken warning, he would have saved his life.

However, if the watchman sees the sword coming but doesn't blow the trumpet, so that the people aren't warned, and the sword comes and takes away their lives, then they have been taken away because of their iniquity, but I will hold the watchman accountable for their blood.

"As for you, son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel.^(c) When you hear a word from My mouth, give them a warning from Me.

If I say to the wicked, ‘Wicked one, you will surely die,'^(d) but you do not speak out to warn him about his way, that wicked person will die for his iniquity, yet I will hold you responsible for his blood.

But if you warn a wicked person to turn from his way and he doesn't turn from it, he will die for his iniquity, but you will have saved your life.

"Now as for you, son of man, say to the house of Israel: You have said this, ‘Our transgressions and our sins are heavy on us, and we are wasting away because of them!^(e) How then can we survive?'^(f)

Tell them: As I live"—the declaration of the Lord God —"I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked person should turn from his way and live.^(g) Repent, repent of your evil ways! Why will you die, house of Israel?

"Now, son of man, say to your people: The righteousness of the righteous person will not save him on the day of his transgression; neither will the wickedness of the wicked person cause him to stumble on the day he turns from his wickedness. The righteous person won't be able to survive by his righteousness on the day he sins.

When I tell the righteous person that he will surely live, but he trusts in his righteousness and commits iniquity, then none of his righteousness will be remembered, and he will die because of the iniquity he has committed.^(h)

"So when I tell the wicked person, ‘You will surely die,' but he repents of his sin and does what is just and right—

he returns collateral, makes restitution for what he has stolen, and walks in the statutes of life⁽ⁱ⁾ without practicing iniquity—he will certainly live; he will not die.

None of the sins he committed will be held against him. He has done what is just and right; he will certainly live.^(j)

"But your people say, ‘The Lord's way isn't fair,'^(k) even though it is their own way that isn't fair.

When a righteous person turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, he will die on account of this.

But if a wicked person turns from his wickedness and does what is just and right, he will live because of this.

Yet you say, ‘The Lord's way isn't fair.' I will judge each of you according to his ways, house of Israel."

In the twelfth year of our exile, in the tenth month, on the fifth day of the month, a fugitive from Jerusalem came to me and reported, "The city has been taken!"

Now the hand of the Lord had been on me the evening before the fugitive arrived, and He opened my mouth before the man came to me in the morning. So my mouth was opened and I was no longer mute.^(l)

Then the word of the Lord came to me:

"Son of man, those who live in the^[b] ruins in the land of Israel are saying, ‘Abraham was only one person,^(m) yet he received possession of the land.⁽ⁿ⁾ But we are many; the land has been given to us as a possession.'^(o)

Therefore say to them: This is what the Lord God says: You eat meat with blood in it,^(p) raise your eyes to your idols, and shed blood. Should you then receive possession of the land?

You have relied on your swords, you have committed detestable acts, and each of you has defiled his neighbor's wife. Should you then receive possession of the land?^(q)

"Tell them this: This is what the Lord God says: As surely as I live, those who are in the ruins will fall by the sword, those in the open field I have given to wild animals to be devoured, and those in the strongholds and caves will die by plague.^(r)

I will make the land a desolate waste,^(s) and its proud strength will come to an end.^(t) The mountains of Israel^(u) will become desolate, with no one passing through.

They will know that I am Yahweh when I make the land a desolate waste because of all the detestable acts they have committed.

"Now, son of man, your people are talking about you near the city walls and in the doorways of their houses. One person speaks to another, each saying to his brother, ‘Come and hear what the message is that comes from the Lord !'

So My people come to you in crowds,^[c] sit in front of you, and hear your words, but they don't obey them. Although they express love with their mouths, their hearts pursue dishonest profit.

Yes, to them you are like a singer of love songs who has a beautiful voice and plays skillfully on an instrument. They hear your words, but they don't obey them.

Yet when it comes^(v)—and it will definitely come—then they will know that a prophet has been among them."

The word of the Lord came to me:

"Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy, and say to them: This is what the Lord God says to the shepherds: Woe to the shepherds of Israel, who have been feeding themselves!^(a) Shouldn't the shepherds feed their flock?

You eat the fat, wear the wool, and butcher the fattened animals, but you do not tend the flock.^(b)

You have not strengthened the weak, healed the sick, bandaged the injured, brought back the strays, or sought the lost.^(c) Instead, you have ruled them with violence and cruelty.

They were scattered for lack of a shepherd;^(d) they became food for all the wild animals^(e) when they were scattered.

My flock went astray on all the mountains and every high hill.^(f) They were scattered over the whole face of the earth, and there was no one searching or seeking for them.

"Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord .

As I live"—the declaration of the Lord God —"because My flock has become prey and food for every wild animal since they lack a shepherd, for My shepherds do not search for My flock, and because the shepherds feed themselves rather than My flock,

therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord !

"This is what the Lord God says: Look, I am against the shepherds.^(g) I will demand My flock from them^[a] and prevent them from shepherding the flock. The shepherds will no longer feed themselves, for I will rescue My flock from their mouths so that they will not be food for them.

"For this is what the Lord God says: See, I Myself will search for My flock and look for them.

As a shepherd looks for his sheep on the day he is among his scattered flock, so I will look for My flock. I will rescue them from all the places where they have been scattered^(h) on a cloudy and dark day.

I will bring them out from the peoples, gather them from the countries, and bring them into their own land. I will shepherd them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines, and in all the inhabited places of the land.

I will tend them with good pasture, and their grazing place will be on Israel's lofty mountains. There they will lie down in a good grazing place; they will feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel.

I will tend My flock and let them lie down."⁽ⁱ⁾ This is the declaration of the Lord God .

"I will seek the lost,^(j) bring back the strays, bandage the injured,^(k) and strengthen the weak, but I will destroy^[b] the fat and the strong. I will shepherd them with justice.

"The Lord God says to you, My flock: I am going to judge between one sheep and another, between the rams and male goats.^(l)

Isn't it enough for you to feed on the good pasture? Must you also trample the rest of the pasture with your feet? Or isn't it enough that you drink the clear water? Must you also muddy the rest with your feet?

Yet My flock has to feed on what your feet have trampled, and drink what your feet have muddied.

"Therefore, this is what the Lord God says to them: See, I Myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep.

Since you have pushed with flank and shoulder and butted all the weak ones with your horns until you scattered them all over,

I will save My flock, and they will no longer be prey for you. I will judge between one sheep and another.

I will appoint over them a single shepherd, My servant David, and he will shepherd them. He will tend them himself and will be their shepherd.^(m)

I, Yahweh, will be their God, and My servant David⁽ⁿ⁾ will be a prince among them. I, Yahweh, have spoken.

"I will make a covenant of peace^(o) with them and eliminate dangerous animals^(p) in the land, so that they may live securely^(q) in the wilderness and sleep in the forest.

I will make them and the area around My hill^(r) a blessing: I will send down showers in their season^(s)—showers^[c] of blessing.

The trees of the field will give their fruit, and the land will yield its produce; My flock will be secure in their land. They will know that I am Yahweh when I break the bars of their yoke and rescue them from the hands of those who enslave them.^(t)

They will no longer be prey for the nations, and the wild animals of the land will not consume them. They will live securely, and no one will frighten them.

I will establish for them a place renowned for its agriculture,^[d] and they will no longer be victims of famine in the land. They will no longer endure the insults of the nations.^(u)

Then they will know that I, Yahweh their God, am with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are My people."^(v) This is the declaration of the Lord God .

"You are My flock, the human flock of My pasture, and I am your God." This is the declaration of the Lord God .^(w)