The Two Shepherds

⁴ This is what the Lord my God says: “·Feed [Shepherd] the flock that are ·about to be killed [set aside for slaughter]. ⁵ Their buyers ·kill [slaughter] them and ·are not punished [are not held liable; or feel no remorse]. Those who sell them say, ‘·Praise [Blessed be] the Lord, I am rich.’ Even the shepherds don’t ·feel sorry for [have compassion on; or spare] their sheep. ⁶ I don’t ·feel sorry [have compassion] anymore for the ·people [inhabitants] of this country,” says the Lord. “I will let everyone ·be under the power [^Lfall into the hand] of his neighbor and king. They will ·bring trouble to [devastate] the country, and I will not save anyone from ·them [^Ltheir hand].”

⁷ So I ·fed [shepherded] the flock ·about to be killed [marked for slaughter], particularly the ·weakest [oppressed] ones. Then I took two ·sticks [staffs]; I called one ·Pleasant [or Favor] and the other Union, and I ·fed [shepherded] the flock. ⁸ In one month I got rid of three shepherds. The flock ·did not pay attention to [or detested; loathed] me, and I ·got impatient [grew weary] with them. ⁹ I said, “I will no longer ·take care of you like a shepherd [shepherd you]. Let those that are dying die, and let those that are ·to be destroyed be destroyed [perishing perish]. Let those that are left eat ·each other [^Lthe flesh of his neighbor].”

¹⁰ Then I broke the ·stick [staff] named ·Pleasant [or Favor] to ·break [revoke] the ·agreement [covenant; treaty] God made with all the ·nations [peoples]. ¹¹ That day it was ·broken [revoked]. The ·weak [oppressed] ones in the flock who were watching me knew this ·message was from [^Lwas the word of] the Lord.

¹² Then I said, “If ·you want [it seems right to you; ^Lit is good in your eyes] to pay me, pay me. If not, ·then don’t [keep it].” So they ·paid [weighed out to] me thirty pieces of silver [Ex. 21:32; Matt. 26:15].

¹³ The Lord said to me, “Throw the money to the potter.” ·That is how little they thought I was worth […this magnificent price at which they valued me”; ^Csarcastic, since the sum was about the cost of a slave]. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them to the potter in the ·Temple [^Lhouse] of the Lord [Matt. 27:9, 10].

¹⁴ Then I broke the second ·stick [staff], named Union, to break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.

¹⁵ Then the Lord said to me, “·Get the things used by a foolish shepherd again, ¹⁶ because [^Llook; ^Tbehold] I am going to ·get [raise up] a new shepherd for the country. He will not care for the ·dying sheep [lost; perishing], or look for the young ones, or heal the injured ones, or feed the healthy. But he will ·eat [devour the flesh of] the ·best [fat] sheep and tear off their hoofs.