Ezekiel:34-36

---

Seeker Overlay ON

* And the word of the LORD came unto me , saying , * Son of man , prophesy against the shepherds of Israel , prophesy , and say unto them , Thus saith the Lord GOD unto the shepherds ; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves ! should not the shepherds feed the flocks ? * Ye eat the fat , and ye clothe you with the wool , ye kill them that are fed : but ye feed not the flock . * The diseased have ye not strengthened , neither have ye healed that which was sick , neither have ye bound up that which was broken , neither have ye brought again that which was driven away , neither have ye sought that which was lost ; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them . * And they were scattered , because there is no shepherd : and they became meat to all the beasts of the field , when they were scattered . * My sheep wandered through all the mountains , and upon every high hill : yea , my flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth , and none did search or seek after them . * Therefore , ye shepherds , hear the word of the LORD ; * As I live , saith the Lord GOD , surely because my flock became a prey , and my flock became meat to every beast of the field , because there was no shepherd , neither did my shepherds search for my flock , but the shepherds fed themselves , and fed not my flock ; * Therefore , O ye shepherds , hear the word of the LORD ; * Thus saith the Lord GOD ; Behold , I am against the shepherds ; and I will require my flock at their hand , and cause them to cease from feeding the flock ; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more ; for I will deliver my flock from their mouth , that they may not be meat for them . * For thus saith the Lord GOD ; Behold , I , even I , will both search my sheep , and seek them out . * As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered ; so will I seek out my sheep , and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day . * And I will bring them out from the people , and gather them from the countries , and will bring them to their own land , and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers , and in all the inhabited places of the country . * I will feed them in a good pasture , and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be : there shall they lie in a good fold , and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel . * I will feed my flock , and I will cause them to lie down , saith the Lord GOD . * I will seek that which was lost , and bring again that which was driven away , and will bind up that which was broken , and will strengthen that which was sick : but I will destroy the fat and the strong ; I will feed them with judgment . * And as for you , O my flock , thus saith the Lord GOD ; Behold , I judge between cattle and cattle , between the rams and the he goats . * Seemeth it a small thing unto you to have eaten up the good pasture , but ye must tread down with your feet the residue of your pastures ? and to have drunk of the deep waters , but ye must foul the residue with your feet ? * And as for my flock , they eat that which ye have trodden with your feet ; and they drink that which ye have fouled with your feet . * Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD unto them ; Behold , I , even I , will judge between the fat cattle and between the lean cattle . * Because ye have thrust with side and with shoulder , and pushed all the diseased with your horns , till ye have scattered them abroad ; * Therefore will I save my flock , and they shall no more be a prey ; and I will judge between cattle and cattle . * 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 . * And I the LORD will be their God , and my servant David a prince among them ; I the LORD have spoken it . * And I will make with them a covenant of peace , and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land : and they shall dwell safely in the wilderness , and sleep in the woods . * And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing ; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season ; there shall be showers of blessing . * And the tree of the field shall yield her fruit , and the earth shall yield her increase , and they shall be safe in their land , and shall know that I am the LORD , when I have broken the bands of their yoke , and delivered them out of the hand of those that served themselves of them . * And they shall no more be a prey to the heathen , neither shall the beast of the land devour them ; but they shall dwell safely , and none shall make them afraid . * And I will raise up for them a plant of renown , and they shall be no more consumed with hunger in the land , neither bear the shame of the heathen any more . * Thus shall they know that I the LORD their God am with them , and that they , even the house of Israel , are my people , saith the Lord GOD . * And ye my flock , the flock of my pasture , are men , and I am your God , saith the Lord GOD . * Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me , saying , * Son of man , set thy face against mount Seir , and prophesy against it , * And say unto it , Thus saith the Lord GOD ; Behold , O mount Seir , I am against thee , and I will stretch out mine hand against thee , and I will make thee most desolate . * I will lay thy cities waste , and thou shalt be desolate , and thou shalt know that I am the LORD . * Because thou hast had a perpetual hatred , and hast shed the blood of the children of Israel by the force of the sword in the time of their calamity , in the time that their iniquity had an end : * Therefore , as I live , saith the Lord GOD , I will prepare thee unto blood , and blood shall pursue thee : sith thou hast not hated blood , even blood shall pursue thee . * Thus will I make mount Seir most desolate , and cut off from it him that passeth out and him that returneth . * And I will fill his mountains with his slain men : in thy hills , and in thy valleys , and in all thy rivers , shall they fall that are slain with the sword . * I will make thee perpetual desolations , and thy cities shall not return : and ye shall know that I am the LORD . * Because thou hast said , These two nations and these two countries shall be mine , and we will possess it ; whereas the LORD was there : * Therefore , as I live , saith the Lord GOD , I will even do according to thine anger , and according to thine envy which thou hast used out of thy hatred against them ; and I will make myself known among them , when I have judged thee . * And thou shalt know that I am the LORD , and that I have heard all thy blasphemies which thou hast spoken against the mountains of Israel , saying , They are laid desolate , they are given us to consume . * Thus with your mouth ye have boasted against me , and have multiplied your words against me : I have heard them . * Thus saith the Lord GOD ; When the whole earth rejoiceth , I will make thee desolate . * As thou didst rejoice at the inheritance of the house of Israel , because it was desolate , so will I do unto thee : thou shalt be desolate , O mount Seir , and all Idumea , even all of it : and they shall know that I am the LORD . * Also , thou son of man , prophesy unto the mountains of Israel , and say , Ye mountains of Israel , hear the word of the LORD : * Thus saith the Lord GOD ; Because the enemy hath said against you , Aha , even the ancient high places are ours in possession : * Therefore prophesy and say , Thus saith the Lord GOD ; Because they have made you desolate , and swallowed you up on every side , that ye might be a possession unto the residue of the heathen , and ye are taken up in the lips of talkers , and are an infamy of the people : * Therefore , ye mountains of Israel , hear the word of the Lord GOD ; Thus saith the Lord GOD to the mountains , and to the hills , to the rivers , and to the valleys , to the desolate wastes , and to the cities that are forsaken , which became a prey and derision to the residue of the heathen that are round about ; * Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD ; Surely in the fire of my jealousy have I spoken against the residue of the heathen , and against all Idumea , which have appointed my land into their possession with the joy of all their heart , with despiteful minds , to cast it out for a prey . * Prophesy therefore concerning the land of Israel , and say unto the mountains , and to the hills , to the rivers , and to the valleys , Thus saith the Lord GOD ; Behold , I have spoken in my jealousy and in my fury , because ye have borne the shame of the heathen : * Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD ; I have lifted up mine hand , Surely the heathen that are about you , they shall bear their shame . * But ye , O mountains of Israel , ye shall shoot forth your branches , and yield your fruit to my people of Israel ; for they are at hand to come . * For , behold , I am for you , and I will turn unto you , and ye shall be tilled and sown : * And I will multiply men upon you , all the house of Israel , even all of it : and the cities shall be inhabited , and the wastes shall be builded : * And I will multiply upon you man and beast ; and they shall increase and bring fruit : and I will settle you after your old estates , and will do better unto you than at your beginnings : and ye shall know that I am the LORD . * Yea , I will cause men to walk upon you , even my people Israel ; and they shall possess thee , and thou shalt be their inheritance , and thou shalt no more henceforth bereave them of men . * Thus saith the Lord GOD ; Because they say unto you , Thou land devourest up men , and hast bereaved thy nations ; * Therefore thou shalt devour men no more , neither bereave thy nations any more , saith the Lord GOD . * Neither will I cause men to hear in thee the shame of the heathen any more , neither shalt thou bear the reproach of the people any more , neither shalt thou cause thy nations to fall any more , saith the Lord GOD . * Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me , saying , * Son of man , when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land , they defiled it by their own way and by their doings : their way was before me as the uncleanness of a removed woman . * Wherefore I poured my fury upon them for the blood that they had shed upon the land , and for their idols wherewith they had polluted it : * And I scattered them among the heathen , and they were dispersed through the countries : according to their way and according to their doings I judged them . * And when they entered unto the heathen , whither they went , they profaned my holy name , when they said to them , These are the people of the LORD , and are gone forth out of his land . * But I had pity for mine holy name , which the house of Israel had profaned among the heathen , whither they went . * Therefore say unto the house of Israel , Thus saith the Lord GOD ; I do not this for your sakes , O house of Israel , but for mine holy name 's sake , which ye have profaned among the heathen , whither ye went . * And I will sanctify my great name , which was profaned among the heathen , which ye have profaned in the midst of them ; and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD , saith the Lord GOD , when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes . * For I will take you from among the heathen , and gather you out of all countries , and will bring you into your own land . * Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you , and ye shall be clean : from all your filthiness , and from all your idols , will I cleanse you . * A new heart also will I give you , and a new spirit will I put within you : and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh , and I will give you an heart of flesh . * And I will put my spirit within you , and cause you to walk in my statutes , and ye shall keep my judgments , and do them . * And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers ; and ye shall be my people , and I will be your God . * I will also save you from all your uncleannesses : and I will call for the corn , and will increase it , and lay no famine upon you . * And I will multiply the fruit of the tree , and the increase of the field , that ye shall receive no more reproach of famine among the heathen . * Then shall ye remember your own evil ways , and your doings that were not good , and shall lothe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations . * Not for your sakes do I this , saith the Lord GOD , be it known unto you : be ashamed and confounded for your own ways , O house of Israel . * Thus saith the Lord GOD ; In the day that I shall have cleansed you from all your iniquities I will also cause you to dwell in the cities , and the wastes shall be builded . * And the desolate land shall be tilled , whereas it lay desolate in the sight of all that passed by . * And they shall say , This land that was desolate is become like the garden of Eden ; and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are become fenced , and are inhabited . * Then the heathen that are left round about you shall know that I the LORD build the ruined places , and plant that that was desolate : I the LORD have spoken it , and I will do it . * Thus saith the Lord GOD ; I will yet for this be enquired of by the house of Israel , to do it for them ; I will increase them with men like a flock . * As the holy flock , as the flock of Jerusalem in her solemn feasts ; so shall the waste cities be filled with flocks of men : and they shall know that I am the LORD . * The hand of the LORD was upon me , and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD , and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones ,

---