Zechariah Chapter 11
Yo, Lebanon, get ready! Let that fire blaze through your cedars, fr.
Open thy doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may devour thy cedars.
Shout out, fir tree; the cedar's down, and the strong ones are totally smashed: wail, oaks of Bashan; the vintage forest is taking a hit.
Howl, fir tree; for the cedar is fallen; because the mighty are spoiled: howl, O ye oaks of Bashan; for the forest of the vintage is come down. {mighty: or, gallants} {the forest...: or, the defenced forest}
You can hear the shepherds crying; their glory's history: young lions are roaring; the pride of Jordan is mad wrecked.
{There is} a voice of the howling of the shepherds; for their glory is spoiled: a voice of the roaring of young lions; for the pride of Jordan is spoiled.
So the Lord was like, "Feed the crew that's getting wrecked."
Thus saith the LORD my God; Feed the flock of the slaughter;
Those who own them are taking them out and feeling zero guilt: the sellers be like, "Bless up, Lord; I'm stacked," while their own shepherds couldn’t care less.
Whose possessors slay them, and hold themselves not guilty: and they that sell them say, Blessed {be} the LORD; for I am rich: and their own shepherds pity them not.
The Lord's done feeling bad for the land's peeps: I'm handing everyone over to their homies and their kings; they’ll mess up the land, and I won’t swoop in to save them.
For I will no more pity the inhabitants of the land, saith the LORD: but, lo, I will deliver the men every one into his neighbour's hand, and into the hand of his king: and they shall smite the land, and out of their hand I will not deliver {them}. {deliver: Heb. make to be found}
I’m feeding the crew that's getting wrecked, you know, the broke ones. I snatched up two staffs; one’s called Beauty and the other’s Bands; and I fed the flock.
And I will feed the flock of slaughter, {even} you, O poor of the flock. And I took unto me two staves; the one I called Beauty, and the other I called Bands; and I fed the flock. {even...: or, verily the poor} {Bands: or, Binders}
I cut off three shepherds in a month; I was vibing over them, and they weren’t vibing with me either.
Three shepherds also I cut off in one month; and my soul lothed them, and their soul also abhorred me. {lothed...: Heb. was straightened for them}
So I was like, "I’m not feeding you: whoever’s dying, just die; whoever’s getting cut off, do it; let the rest munch on each other."
Then said I, I will not feed you: that that dieth, let it die; and that that is to be cut off, let it be cut off; and let the rest eat every one the flesh of another. {another: Heb. his fellow, or, neighbour}
I took my staff, Beauty, and smashed it to end my covenant with all the people.
And I took my staff, {even} Beauty, and cut it asunder, that I might break my covenant which I had made with all the people.
It fell apart that day: the broke ones in the flock who were waiting on me knew it was the Lord's word, no cap.
And it was broken in that day: and so the poor of the flock that waited upon me knew that it {was} the word of the LORD. {so...: or, the poor of the flock, etc. certainly knew}
I said, "If you think it’s chill, give me my price; if not, no stress." They weighed out thirty pieces of silver for me.
And I said unto them, If ye think good, give {me} my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty {pieces} of silver. {If ye...: Heb. If it be good in your eyes}
The Lord told me, "Throw it to the potter: that’s a solid price they valued me at." I tossed the thirty pieces of silver to the potter in the Lord's crib.
And the LORD said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prised at of them. And I took the thirty {pieces} of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the LORD.
Then I shattered my other staff, Bands, to end the bond between Judah and Israel.
Then I cut asunder mine other staff, {even} Bands, that I might break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel. {Bands: or, Binders}
The Lord said, "Grab the tools of a dumb shepherd."
And the LORD said unto me, Take unto thee yet the instruments of a foolish shepherd.
For real, I’m raising up a shepherd in the land who won’t check on the ones cut off, won’t look for the young, won’t fix the broken, or feed those just standing still: he’ll munch on the fat and tear their claws apart.
For, lo, I will raise up a shepherd in the land, {which} shall not visit those that be cut off, neither shall seek the young one, nor heal that that is broken, nor feed that that standeth still: but he shall eat the flesh of the fat, and tear their claws in pieces. {cut off: or, hidden} {feed: or, bear}
Woe to the fake shepherd who bails on the flock! The sword's coming for his arm and right eye: his arm's gonna dry up, and his right eye will go completely dark.
Woe to the idol shepherd that leaveth the flock! the sword {shall be} upon his arm, and upon his right eye: his arm shall be clean dried up, and his right eye shall be utterly darkened.