1Open thy doors, O Lebanon, and the fire shall devour thy cedars.
2Howl, fir trees: for the cedar is fallen, because all the mighty are destroyed: howl ye, O oaks of Bashan, for the defenced forest is cut down.
3There is the voice of the howling of the shepherds: for their glory is destroyed: the voice of the roaring of lion’s whelps: for the pride of Jordan is destroyed.
4Thus saith the Lord my God, Feed the sheep of the slaughter.
5They that possess them, slay them and sin not: and they that sell them, say, Blessed be the Lord: for I am rich, and their own shepherds spare them not.
6Surely I will no more spare those that dwell in the land, saith the Lord: but lo, I will deliver the men every one into his neighbor’s hand, and into the hand of his king: and they shall smite the land, and out of their hands I will not deliver them.
7For I fed the sheep of slaughter, even the poor of the flock, and I took unto me two staves: the one I called Beauty, and the other I called Bands, and I fed the sheep.
8Three shepherds also I cut off in one month, and my soul loathed them, and their soul abhorred me.
9Then said I, I will not feed you: that that dieth, let it die: and that that perisheth, let it perish: and let the remnant eat, everyone the flesh of his neighbor.
10And I took my staff, even Beauty, and brake it, that I might disannul my covenant, which I had made with all people.
11And it was broken in that day: and so the poor of the sheep that waited upon me, knew that it was the word of the Lord.
12And I said unto them, If ye think it good, give me my wages: and if no, leave off: so they weighed for my wages thirty pieces of silver.
13And the Lord said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price, that I was valued at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the Lord.
14Then brake I mine other staff: even the Bands, that I might dissolve the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.
15And the Lord said unto me, Take to thee yet the instruments of a foolish shepherd.
16For lo, I will raise up a shepherd in the land, which shall not look for the thing that is lost, nor seek the tender lambs, nor heal that that is hurt, nor feed that that standeth up, but he shall eat flesh of the fat, and tear their claws in pieces.
17O idol shepherd that leaveth the flock: the sword shall be upon his arm, and upon his right eye. His arm shall be clean dried up, and his right eye shall be utterly darkened.