The Babylonian Exile

For they come vnto thee, as the people vseth to come: and my people sit before thee, and heare thy wordes, but they will not doe them: for with their mouthes they make iestes, and their heart goeth after their couetousnesse.

And loe, thou art vnto them, as a iesting song of one that hath a pleasant voyce, and can sing well: for they heare thy woordes, but they doe them not.

And when this commeth to passe (for loe, it will come) then shall they know, that a Prophet hath bene among them.

And the word of the Lord came vnto me, saying,

Sonne of man, prophesie against the shepherdes of Israel, prophesie and say vnto them, Thus saieth the Lord God vnto the shepherds, Wo be vnto the shepherds of Israel, that feede them selues: should not the shepherds feede the flockes?

Yee eate the fat, and yee clothe you with the wooll: yee kill them that are fed, but ye feede not the sheepe.

The weake haue ye not strengthened: the sicke haue ye not healed, neither haue ye bounde vp the broken, nor brought againe that which was driuen away, neither haue yee sought that which was lost, but with crueltie, and with rigour haue yee ruled them.

And they were scattered without a shepherde: and when they were dispersed, they were deuoured of all the beastes of the fielde.

My sheepe wandred through all the mountaines, and vpon euery hie hill: yea, my flocke was scattered through al the earth, and none did seeke or search after them.

Therefore ye shepherds, heare the woorde of the Lord.

As I liue, sayeth the Lord God, surely because my flocke was spoyled, and my sheepe were deuoured of all the beasts of the fielde, hauing no shepherde, neither did my shepherdes seeke my sheepe, but the shepherdes fedde them selues, and fedde not my sheepe,

Therefore, heare ye the word of the Lord, O ye shepherds.

Thus saieth the Lord God, Behold, I come against the shepherds, and will require my sheepe at their hands, and cause them to cease from feeding the sheepe: neither shall the shepherds feede them selues any more: for I wil deliuer my sheepe from their mouthes, and they shall no more deuoure them.

For thus sayeth the Lord God, Beholde, I will search my sheepe, and seeke them out.

As a shepherd searcheth out his flocke, when he hath bene among his sheepe that are scattered, so wil I seeke out my sheepe and wil deliuer them out of all places, where they haue beene scattered in the cloudie and darke day,

And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countreis, and will bring them to their owne lande, and feede them vpon the mountaines of Israel, by the riuers, and in all the inhabited places of the countrey.

I will feede them in a good pasture, and vpon the hie mountaines of Israel shall their folde be: there shall they lie in a good folde and in fat pasture shall they feede vpon the mountaines of Israel.

I will feede my sheepe, and bring them to their rest, sayth the Lord God.

I will seeke that which was lost, and bring againe that which was driue away, and will binde vp that which was broken, and will strengthen the weake but I wil destroy the fat and the strong, and I will feede them with iudgement.

Also you my sheepe, Thus saieth the Lord God, behold, I iudge betweene sheepe, and sheepe, betweene the rammes and the goates.

Seemeth it a small thing vnto you to haue eaten vp the good pasture, but yee must treade downe with your feete the residue of your pasture? and to haue drunke of the deepe waters, but yee must trouble the residue with your feete?

And my sheepe eate that which yee haue troden with your feete, and drinke that which ye haue troubled with your feete.

Therefore thus sayth the Lord God vnto them, behold, I, euen I wil iudge betweene the fat sheepe and the leane sheepe.

Because ye haue thrust with side and with shoulder, and pusht al the weake with your hornes, till ye haue scattered them abroade,

Therefore wil I helpe my sheepe, and they shall no more be spoyled, and I wil iudge betweene sheepe and sheepe.