Old/New Testament
33 2 The office of the governors and ministers. 14 He strengtheneth them that despair, and boldeneth them with the promise of mercy. 30 The word of the Lord against the mockers of the Prophet.
1 Again, the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man [a]from among them, and make him their [b]watchman,
3 If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people,
4 Then he that heareth the sound of the trumpet, and will not be warned, if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head.
5 For he heard the sound of the trumpet, and would not be admonished: therefore his blood shall be upon him: but he that receiveth warning, shall save his life.
6 But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned: if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away for his [c]iniquity, but his blood will I require at the watchman’s hand.
7 (A)So thou, O son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore thou shalt hear the word at my [d]mouth, and admonish them from me.
8 When I shall say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt die the death, if thou dost not speak and admonish the wicked of his way, that wicked man shall die for his iniquity, but his blood will I [e]require at thine hand.
9 Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it, if he do not turn from his way, he shall die for his iniquity, but thou hast delivered thy soul.
10 Therefore, O thou son of man, speak unto the house of Israel, Thus ye speak and say, If our transgressions and our sins be upon us, and we are consumed because of them, [f]how should we then live?
11 Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord God, [g]I desire not the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn you, turn you from your evil ways, for why will ye die, O ye house of Israel?
12 Therefore thou son of man, say unto the children of thy people, The [h]righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression, nor the wickedness of the wicked shall cause him to fall therein, in the day that he returneth from his wickedness, neither shall the righteous live for his righteousness in the day that he sinneth.
13 When I shall say unto the righteous, that he shall surely live, if he trust to his own righteousness, and commit iniquity, all his righteousness shall be no more remembered, but for his iniquity that he hath committed, he shall die for the same.
14 Again when I shall say unto the wicked, Thou shalt die the death, if he turn from his sin, and do that which is lawful and [i]right,
15 To wit, if the wicked restore the pledge, and give again that he had robbed, and walk in the statutes of life, without committing iniquity, he shall surely live, and not die.
16 None of his sins that he hath committed, shall be mentioned unto him: because he hath done that, which is lawful and right, he shall surely live.
17 Yet the children of thy people say, (B)The way of the Lord is not equal: but their own way is unequal.
18 When the righteous turneth from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, he shall even die thereby.
19 But if the wicked return from his wickedness, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall live thereby.
20 Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal, O ye house of Israel, I will judge you every one after his ways.
21 Also in the twelfth year of our [j]captivity, in the tenth month, and in the fifth day of the month, one that had escaped out of Jerusalem, came unto me, and said, The city is smitten.
22 Now the [k]hand of the Lord had been upon me in the evening afore he that had escaped, came, and had opened my mouth until he came to me in the morning: and when he had opened my [l]mouth, I was no more dumb.
23 Again the word of the Lord came unto me, and said,
24 Son of man, these that dwell in the desolate places of the land of Israel, talk and say, [m]Abraham was but one, and he possessed the land: but we are many, therefore the land shall be given us in possession.
25 Wherefore say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God, Ye eat with the [n]blood, and lifted up your eyes toward your idols, and shed blood: should ye then possess the land?
26 Ye lean upon your [o]swords, ye work abomination, and ye defile every one his neighbor’s wife: should ye then possess the land?
27 Say thus unto them, Thus saith the Lord God, As I live, so surely they that are in the desolate places, shall fall by the sword: and him that is in the open field, will I give unto the beasts to be devoured: and they that be in the forts and in the caves, shall die of the pestilence.
28 For I will lay the land desolate and waste, and the (C)pomp of her strength shall cease: and the mountains of Israel shall be desolate, and none shall pass through.
29 Then shall they know that I am the Lord, when I have laid the land desolate and waste, because of all their abominations, that they have committed.
30 Also thou son of man, the children of thy people that [p]talk of thee by the walls and in the doors of houses, and speak one to another, everyone to his brother, saying, Come, I pray you, and hear what is the word that cometh from the Lord.
31 For they come unto thee, as the people useth to come: and my people sit before thee, and hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouths they make [q]jests, and their heart goeth after their covetousness.
32 And lo, thou art unto them, as a [r]jesting song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can sing well: for they hear thy words, but they do them not.
33 And when this cometh to pass (for lo, it will come) then shall they know, that a Prophet hath been among them.
34 2 Against the shepherds that despised the flock of Christ, and seek their own reign. 7 The Lord saith that he will visit his dispersed flock, and gather them together. 23 He promiseth the true shepherd Christ, and with him peace.
1 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God unto the shepherds, (D)Woe be unto the [s]shepherds of Israel, that feed themselves: should not the shepherds feed the flocks?
3 Ye eat the [t]fat, and ye clothe you with the wool: ye kill them that are fed, but ye feed not the sheep.
4 The [u]weak have ye not strengthened: the sick have ye not healed, neither have ye bound up the broken, nor brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost, but with cruelty, and with rigor have ye ruled them.
5 And they were scattered without a shepherd: and when they were dispersed, they were [v]devoured of all the beasts of the field.
6 My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill: yea, my flock was scattered through all the earth, and none did seek or search after them.
7 Therefore ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord.
8 As I live, saith the Lord God, surely because my flock was spoiled, and my sheep were devoured of all the beasts of the field, having no shepherd, neither did my shepherds seek my sheep, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my sheep,
9 Therefore, hear ye the word of the Lord, O ye shepherds.
10 Thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I come against the shepherds, and will require my sheep at their hands, and cause them to cease from feeding the sheep: neither shall the shepherds feed themselves anymore: for I will deliver thy sheep from [w]their mouths, and they shall no more devour them.
11 For thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I will search my sheep, and seek them out.
12 As a shepherd searcheth out his flock, when he hath been 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 [x]the cloudy and dark day,
13 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.
14 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 fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel.
15 I will feed my sheep, and bring them to their rest, saith the Lord God.
16 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 the weak, but I will destroy the fat and the [y]strong, and I will feed them with [z]judgment.
17 Also you my sheep, thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I judge between sheep and sheep, between the rams and the goats.
18 Seemeth it a small thing unto you to have eaten up the good [aa]pasture, but ye must tread down with your feet, the residue of your pasture? and to have drunk of the deep waters, but ye must trouble the residue with your feet.
19 And my sheep eat that which ye have trodden with your feet, and drink that which ye have troubled with your feet.
20 Therefore thus saith the Lord God unto them, Behold, I, even I will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep.
21 Because ye have thrust with side and with shoulder, and pushed all the weak with your horns, till ye have scattered them abroad,
22 Therefore will I help my sheep, and they shall no more be spoiled, and I will judge between sheep and sheep.
23 And I will set up a shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant [ab]David, he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd.
24 And I the Lord will be their God, and my servant David shall be the Prince among them, I the Lord have spoken it.
25 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 [ac]dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods.
26 And I will set them, as a blessing, even round about my mountains, and I will cause rain to come down in due season: and there shall be rain of blessing.
27 And the [ad]tree of the field shall yield her fruit, and the earth shall give her fruit, and they shall be safe in their land, and shall know that I am the Lord, when I have broken the cords of their yoke, and delivered them out of the hands of those that served themselves of them.
28 And they shall no more be spoiled of the heathen, neither shall the beasts of the land devour them, but they shall dwell safely, and none shall make them afraid.
29 And I will raise up for them a [ae]plant of renown, and they shall be no more consumed with hunger in the land, neither bear the reproach of the heathen anymore.
30 Thus shall they understand, that I the Lord their God am with them, and that they, even the house of Israel are my people, saith the Lord God.
31 And ye my sheep, the sheep of my pasture are men, and I am your God, saith the Lord God.
5 1 He warneth the Elders not to usurp authority over the Church, 5 willing the younger sort to be willing to be taught, and to be modest, 8 to be sober and watchful to resist the cruel adversary.
1 The [a]Elders which are among you, [b]I beseech which am also an Elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed,
2 [c][d]Feed the [e]flock of God, [f]which dependeth upon you, [g]caring for it not by constraint, but willingly: not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind:
3 Not as though ye were Lords over God’s [h]heritage, but that ye may be examples to the flock.
4 [i]And when that chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive an incorruptible crown of glory.
5 [j]Likewise ye younger submit yourselves unto the Elders, and submit yourselves every man, one to another: (A)deck yourselves inwardly in lowliness of mind: [k]for (B)God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.
6 Humble (C)yourselves therefore [l]under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.
7 (D)Cast all your care on him: for he careth for you.
8 [m]Be sober, and watch: for (E)your adversary the devil as a roaring lion walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
9 Whom resist steadfast in the faith, [n]knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your [o]brethren which are in the world.
10 [p]And the God of all grace, which hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a little, make you perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.
11 To him be glory and dominion forever and ever, Amen.
12 [q]By Silvanus a faithful brother unto you, as I suppose, have I written briefly, exhorting and testifying how that this is the true grace of God, wherein ye stand.
13 [r]The Church that is at [s]Babylon elected together with you, saluteth you, and Mark my son.
14 Greet ye one another with the (F) kiss of love. Peace be with you all which are in Christ Jesus, Amen.
Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts.