1
Open thy doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may devour thy cedars.
2
Howl, fir tree; for the cedar is fallen; because the mighty[a] are spoiled: howl, O ye oaks of Bashan; for the forest of the vintage* is come down.
3
There is a voice of the howling of the shepherds; for their glory is spoiled: a voice of the roaring of young lions; for the pride of Jordan is spoiled.
4
Thus saith the LORD my God;Feed the flock of the slaughter;
5
Whose possessorsslay them, and hold themselves not guilty: and they that sell them say, Blessed be the LORD; for I am rich: and their own shepherdspity them not.
6
For I will no more pity the inhabitants of the land,saith the LORD: but, lo, I will deliver[b] the men every one into his neighbour'shand, and into the hand of his king: and they shall smite the land, and out of their hand I will not deliver them.
7
And I will feed the flock of slaughter, even you, O poor of the flock. And I took unto me twostaves; the one I calledBeauty, and the other I calledBands; and I fed the flock.
8
Threeshepherds also I cut off in onemonth; and my soullothed[c] them, and their soul also abhorred me.
9
Then said I, I will not feed you: that that dieth, let it die; and that that is to be cut off, let it be cut off; and let the resteat every one the flesh of another.[d]
10
And I took my staff, even Beauty, and cut it asunder, that I might break my covenant which I had made with all the people.
11
And it was broken in that day: and so the poor of the flock that waited upon me knew that it was the word of the LORD.
12
And I said unto them, If ye thinkgood,give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my pricethirty pieces of silver.
13
And the LORDsaid unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodlyprice that I was prised at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the LORD.
14
Then I cut asunder mine otherstaff, even Bands,[e] that I might break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.
15
And the LORDsaid unto me, Take unto thee yet the instruments of a foolishshepherd.
16
For, lo, I will raise up a shepherd in the land, which shall not visit those that be cut off,[f] neither shall seek the young one, nor heal that that is broken, nor feed that that standeth still: but he shall eat the flesh of the fat, and tear their claws in pieces.
17
Woe to the idolshepherd that leaveth the flock! the sword shall be upon his arm, and upon his righteye: his arm shall be clean dried up, and his righteye shall be utterlydarkened.