The Doomed Flock
1Openthy doors,O Lebanon,that the firemay devourthy cedars.
2Howl,fir tree;for the cedaris fallen;because the mightyare spoiled:howl,O ye oaksof Bashan;for the forestof the vintageis come down.
3[There is] a voiceof the howlingof the shepherds;for their gloryis spoiled:a voiceof the roaringof young lions;for the prideof Jordanis spoiled.
4Thus saiththe LORDmy God;Feedthe flockof the slaughter;5Whose possessorsslaythem, and hold themselves not guilty:and they that sellthem say,Blessed[be] the LORD;for I am rich:and their own shepherdspitythem not.6For I will no more pitythe inhabitantsof the land,saiththe LORD:but, lo, I will deliverthe menevery oneinto his neighbour'shand,and into the handof his king:and they shall smitethe land,and out of their handI will not deliver[them].
7And I will feedthe flockof slaughter,[even] you,O poorof the flock.And I tookunto me twostaves;the oneI calledBeauty,and the otherI calledBands;and I fedthe flock.8Threeshepherdsalso I cut offin onemonth;and my soullothedthem, and their soulalso abhorredme.9Then saidI, I will not feedyou: that that dieth,let it die;and that that is to be cut off,let it be cut off;and let the resteatevery onethe fleshof another.
Thirty Pieces of Silver
(Matthew 26:14-16;Matthew 27:3-10;Mark 14:10-11)
10And I tookmy staff,[even] Beauty,and cut it asunder,that I might breakmy covenantwhich I had madewith all the people.11And it was brokenin that day:and so the poorof the flockthat waitedupon me knewthat it [was] the wordof the LORD.12And I saidunto them, If ye thinkgood,give[me] my price;and if not, forbear.So they weighedfor my pricethirty[pieces] of silver.13And the LORDsaidunto me, Castit unto the potter:a goodlypricethat I was prised atof them. And I tookthe thirty[pieces] of silver,and castthem to the potterin the houseof the LORD.14Then I cut asundermine otherstaff,[even] Bands,that I might breakthe brotherhoodbetween Judahand Israel.
15And the LORDsaidunto me, Takeunto thee yet the instrumentsof a foolishshepherd.16For, lo, I will raise upa shepherdin the land,[which] shall not visitthose that be cut off,neither shall seekthe young one,nor healthat that is broken,nor feedthat that standethstill: but he shall eatthe fleshof the fat,and teartheir clawsin pieces.
17Woeto the idolshepherdthat leaveththe flock!the sword[shall be] upon his arm,and upon his righteye:his armshall be cleandried up,and his righteyeshall be utterlydarkened.
