Zechariah 11

Revised Geneva Translation

11 Open your doors, O Lebanon! And the fire shall devour your cedars!

² Howl, fir trees! For the cedar has fallen, because all the mighty are destroyed! Howl, O oaks of Bashan! For the defensed forest is cut down.

³ The voice of the howling of the shepherds is there—for their glory is destroyed —the voice of the roaring of lion’s whelps! For the pride of Jordan is destroyed!

⁴ Thus says the LORD my God: “Feed the sheep of the slaughter.

⁵ “Those who possess them, kill them and hold themselves sinless. And those who sell them, say, ‘Blessed be the LORD! For I am rich!’ And their own shepherds do not spare them.

⁶ “Surely I will no longer spare those who dwell in the land,” says the LORD. “But lo, I will deliver each one of the men into his neighbor’s hand, and into the hand of his king. And they shall strike the land. And I will not deliver them out of their hands.”

⁷ So I fed the sheep of slaughter, even the poor of the flock. And I took two staffs for myself —the one I called Beauty, and the other I called Bands —and I fed the sheep.

⁸ I also cut off three shepherds in one month. And my soul loathed them. And their soul abhorred me.

⁹ Then I said, “I will not feed you. That which dies, let it die. And that which perishes, let it perish. And let the remnant eat, everyone the flesh of his neighbor.”

¹⁰ And I took my staff, Beauty, and broke it, so that I might break my covenant which I had made with all people.

¹¹ And it was broken on that day. And so, the poor of the sheep that waited upon me knew that it was the Word of the LORD.

¹² And I said to them, “If you think it good, give me my wages. And if no, leave it.” So, they weighed thirty pieces of silver for my wages.”

¹³ And the LORD said to me, “Cast it to the potter,” (that goodly price at which I was valued by them). And I took the thirty pieces of silver and cast them to the potter in the House of the LORD.

¹⁴ Then I broke my other staff, the Bands, so that I might dissolve the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.

¹⁵ And the LORD said to me, “Take again for yourself the instruments of a foolish shepherd.

¹⁶ “For lo, I will raise up a shepherd in the land which shall not look for the thing that is lost, or seek the tender lambs, or heal that which is hurt, or feed that which stands. But he shall eat flesh of the fat and tear their claws in pieces.

¹⁷ “O idol shepherd who leaves the flock! The sword shall be upon his arm and upon his right eye! His arm shall be completely dried up. And his right eye shall be utterly darkened.”