And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:

Et factum est verbum Domini ad me, dicens:

Word came to me from the Lord:

Son of man, prophesy concerning the shepherds of Israel: prophesy, and say to the shepherds: Thus saith the Lord God: Woe to the shepherds of Israel, that fed themselves: should not the flocks be fed by the shepherds?

Fili hominis, propheta de pastoribus Israël: propheta, et dices pastoribus: Hæc dicit Dominus Deus: Væ pastoribus Israël, qui pascebant semetipsos! nonne greges a pastoribus pascuntur?

Now, son of man, prophesy doom to the rulers of Israel, the shepherds of my flock. This be thy message from the Lord God: Out upon Israel’s shepherds, that had a flock to feed, and fed none but themselves;

You ate the milk, and you clothed yourselves with the wool, and you killed that which was fat: but my flock you did not feed.

Lac comedebatis, et lanis operiebamini, et quod crassum erat occidebatis: gregem autem meum non pascebatis.

the milk drank, the wool wore, the fat lambs slaughtered, but pastured these sheep of mine never at all!

The weak you have not strengthened, and that which was sick you have not healed, that which was broken you have not bound up, and that which was driven away you have not brought again, neither have you sought that which was lost: but you ruled over them with rigour, and with a high hand.

Quod infirmum fuit non consolidastis, et quod ægrotum non sanastis: quod confractum est non alligastis, et quod abjectum est non reduxistis, et quod perierat non quæsistis: sed cum austeritate imperabatis eis, et cum potentia.

The wasted frame went unnourished, the sick unhealed; nor bound they the broken limb, nor brought strayed sheep home, nor lost sheep found; force and constraint were all the governance they knew.

And my sheep were scattered, because there was no shepherd: and they became the prey of all the beasts of the field, and were scattered.

Et dispersæ sunt oves meæ, eo quod non esset pastor: et factæ sunt in devorationem omnium bestiarum agri, et dispersæ sunt.

So my sheep fell a-wandering, that shepherd had none; every wild beast fell a-preying on them, and they scattered far and wide.

My sheep have wandered in every mountain, and in every high hill: and my flocks were scattered upon the face of the earth, and there was none that sought them, there was none, I say, that sought them.

Erraverunt greges mei in cunctis montibus, et in universo colle excelso: et super omnem faciem terræ dispersi sunt greges mei, et non erat qui requireret: non erat, inquam, qui requireret.

All over the mountains they strayed, all over the high hills were scattered, this flock of mine, and no search was made for them, no search at all.

Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord:

Propterea, pastores, audite verbum Domini.

This doom, then, the Lord pronounces on yonder shepherds:

As I live, saith the Lord God, forasmuch as my flocks have been made a spoil, and my sheep are become a prey to all the beasts of the field, because there was no shepherd: for my shepherds did not seek after my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my flocks:

Vivo ego, dicit Dominus Deus, quia pro eo quod facti sunt greges mei in rapinam, et oves meæ in devorationem omnium bestiarum agri, eo quod non esset pastor: neque enim quæsierunt pastores mei gregem meum, sed pascebant pastores semetipsos, et greges meos non pascebant:

As I am a living God, I will have a reckoning for sheep of mine carried off, sheep of mine the wild beasts have preyed on, while they went all untended, with shepherds that would not go in search of them, shepherds that no flock would feed, but themselves only.

Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord:

propterea, pastores, audite verbum Domini.

A word, shepherds, for your hearing,

Thus saith the Lord God: Behold I myself come upon the shepherds, I will require my flock at their hand, and I will cause them to cease from feeding the flock any more, neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more: and I will deliver my flock from their mouth, and it shall no more be meat for them.

Hæc dicit Dominus Deus: Ecce ego ipse super pastores: requiram gregem meum de manu eorum, et cessare faciam eos, ut ultra non pascant gregem, nec pascant amplius pastores semetipsos: et liberabo gregem meum de ore eorum, et non erit ultra eis in escam.

a message from the Lord God: Out upon yonder shepherds! I will hold them answerable for the flock entrusted to them, and they shall have charge of it no more, feed themselves out of its revenues no more. From their greedy power I will rescue it; no longer shall it be their prey.

For thus saith the Lord God: Behold I myself will seek my sheep, and will visit them.

Quia hæc dicit Dominus Deus: Ecce ego ipse requiram oves meas, et visitabo eas.

This is what the Lord God says: I mean to go looking for this flock of mine, search it out for myself.

As the shepherd visiteth his flock in the day when he shall be in the midst of his sheep that were scattered, so will I visit my sheep, and will deliver them out of all the places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.

Sicut visitat pastor gregem suum, in die quando fuerit in medio ovium suarum dissipatarum, sic visitabo oves meas, et liberabo eas de omnibus locis in quibus dispersæ fuerant in die nubis et caliginis.

As a shepherd, when he finds his flock scattered all about him, goes looking for his sheep, so will I go looking for these sheep of mine, rescue them from all the nooks into which they have strayed when the dark mist fell upon them.

And I will bring them out from the peoples, and will gather them out of the countries, and will bring them to their own land: and I will feed them in the mountains of Israel, by the rivers, and in all the habitations of the land.

Et educam eas de populis, et congregabo eas de terris, et inducam eas in terram suam, et pascam eas in montibus Israël, in rivis, et in cunctis sedibus terræ.

Rescued from every kingdom, recovered from every land, I will bring them back to their own country; they shall have pasture on the hill-sides of Israel, by its watercourses, in the resting-places of their home.

I will feed them in the most fruitful pastures, and their pastures shall be in the high mountains of Israel: there shall they rest on the green grass, and be fed in fat pastures upon the mountains of Israel.

In pascuis uberrimis pascam eas, et in montibus excelsis Israël erunt pascua earum: ibi requiescent in herbis virentibus, et in pascuis pinguibus pascentur super montes Israël.

Yes, I will lead them out into fair pastures, the high mountains of Israel shall be their feeding-ground, the mountains of Israel, with soft grass for them to rest on, rich feed for them to graze.

I will feed my sheep: and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord God.

Ego pascam oves meas, et ego eas accubare faciam, dicit Dominus Deus.

Food and rest, says the Lord God, both these I will give to my flock.

I will seek that which was lost: and that which was driven away, I will bring again: and I will bind up that which was broken, and I will strengthen that which was weak, and that which was fat and strong I will preserve: and I will feed them in judgment.

Quod perierat requiram, et quod abjectum erat reducam, et quod confractum fuerat alligabo, et quod infirmum fuerat consolidabo, et quod pingue et forte custodiam: et pascam illas in judicio.

The lost sheep I will find, the strayed sheep I will bring home again; bind up the broken limb, nourish the wasted frame, keep the well-fed and the sturdy free from harm; they shall have a true shepherd at last.

And as for you, O my flocks, thus saith the Lord God: Behold I judge between cattle and cattle, of rams and of he goats.

Vos autem, greges mei, hæc dicit Dominus Deus: Ecce ego judico inter pecus et pecus, arietum et hircorum.

And what of you, my flock? I mean to do justice, the Lord God says, among the beasts themselves, give redress against the rams and the buck-goats.

Was it not enough for you to feed upon good pastures? but you must also tread down with your feet the residue of your pastures: and when you drank the clearest water, you troubled the rest with your feet.

Nonne satis vobis erat pascua bona depasci? insuper et reliquias pascuarum vestrarum conculcastis pedibus vestris: et cum purissimam aquam biberetis, reliquam pedibus vestris turbabatis:

What, was it not enough to have stripped the pasture-lands with your grazing, drunk all that was purest out of the stream, but you must trample and foul all that was left?

And my sheep were fed with that which you had trodden with your feet: and they drank what your feet had troubled.

et oves meæ his quæ conculcata pedibus vestris fuerant, pascebantur: et quæ pedes vestri turbaverant, hæc bibebant.

None but trampled fields must my sheep graze, none but fouled waters drink?

Therefore thus saith the Lord God to you: Behold, I myself will judge between the fat cattle and the lean.

Propterea hæc dicit Dominus Deus ad vos: Ecce ego ipse judico inter pecus pingue et macilentum:

This is what the Lord God says: I mean to see justice done between fat beast and lean.

Because you thrusted with sides and shoulders, and struck all the weak cattle with your horns, till they were scattered abroad:

pro eo quod lateribus et humeris impingebatis, et cornibus vestris ventilabatis omnia infirma pecora, donec dispergerentur foras,

Thrust back with side and shoulder, gored with the horn, all the weaker of them have been driven away;

I will save my flock, and it shall be no more a spoil, and I will judge between cattle and cattle.

salvabo gregem meum, et non erit ultra in rapinam, et judicabo inter pecus et pecus.

but now I mean to protect this flock of mine against your greed, give beast redress against its fellow.…

And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David: he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd.

Et suscitabo super eas pastorem unum qui pascat eas, servum meum David: ipse pascet eas, et ipse erit eis in pastorem.

They shall have a single shepherd to tend all of them now; who should tend them but my servant David? He shall be their shepherd,

And I the Lord will be their God: and my servant David the prince in the midst of them: I the Lord have spoken it.

Ego autem Dominus ero eis in Deum, et servus meus David princeps in medio eorum: ego Dominus locutus sum.

and I, the Lord, will be their God, now that he rules them on earth; such is my divine promise to them.

And I will make a covenant of peace with them, and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land: and they that dwell in the wilderness shall sleep secure in the forests.

Et faciam cum eis pactum pacis, et cessare faciam bestias pessimas de terra: et qui habitant in deserto, securi dormient in saltibus.

Such a covenant I will make as shall grant them security; beasts of prey there shall be none, safe resting, now, in the desert, safe sleeping in the woods;

And I will make them a blessing round about my hill: and I will send down the rain in its season, there shall be showers of blessing.

Et ponam eos in circuitu collis mei benedictionem, et deducam imbrem in tempore suo: pluviæ benedictionis erunt.

on my hill-sides they shall dwell, a blessed people in a blessed home, rain in its season fall on them, and blessings all the while.

And the tree of the field shall yield its fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase, and they shall be in their land without fear: and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall have broken the bonds of their yoke, and shall have delivered them out of the hand of those that rule over them.

Et dabit lignum agri fructum suum, et terra dabit germen suum, et erunt in terra sua absque timore: et scient quia ego Dominus, cum contrivero catenas jugi eorum, et eruero eos de manu imperantium sibi.

Wild trees their fruit, the earth its crops shall afford; undisturbed they shall dwell on their own lands, acknowledging my power at last, my power that severed strap of yoke, rescued them from the tyrant’s hand.

And they shall be no more for a spoil to the nations, neither shall the beasts of the earth devour them: but they shall dwell securely without any terror.

Et non erunt ultra in rapinam in gentibus, neque bestiæ terræ devorabunt eos: sed habitabunt confidenter absque ullo terrore.

Forgotten, the enemies that despoiled, the wild beasts that preyed on them; they will live sheltered from all alarms.

And I will raise up for them a bud of renown: and they shall be no more consumed with famine in the land, neither shall they bear any more the reproach of the Gentiles.

Et suscitabo eis germen nominatum, et non erunt ultra imminuti fame in terra, neque portabunt ultra opprobrium gentium.

Once more their renown shall burgeon; never again the land starve with drought, never the alien’s taunts be heard.

And they shall know that I the Lord their God am with them, and that they are my people the house of Israel: saith the Lord God.

Et scient quia ego Dominus Deus eorum cum eis, et ipsi populus meus domus Israël, ait Dominus Deus.

None shall doubt that I, the Lord their God, am at their side, and they are my own people, the race of Israel, the Lord God says.

And you my flocks, the flocks of my pasture are men: and I am the Lord your God, saith the Lord God.

Vos autem, greges mei, greges pascuæ meæ, homines estis: et ego Dominus Deus vester, dicit Dominus Deus.

Flock of mine, the Lord God says, flock of my pasturing, you are but men, yet I, the Lord, am your God.