¹⁷ And when David saw the angel who was causing the destruction of the people, he said to the Lord, Truly, the sin is mine; I have done wrong: but these are only sheep; what have they done? let your hand be against me and against my family.

¹ <Maschil. Of Asaph.> Of God, why have you put us away from you for ever? why is the fire of your wrath smoking against the sheep who are your care?

¹⁶ And David, lifting up his eyes, saw the angel of the Lord there between earth and heaven, with an uncovered sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the responsible men, clothed in haircloth, went down on their faces.

¹⁷ And David said to God, Was it not I who gave the order for the people to be numbered? It is I who have done the sin and the great wrong; but these are only sheep; what have they done? let your hand, O Lord God, be lifted up against me and against my family, but not against your people to send disease on them.

¹⁰ And after the people had been numbered, David's heart was troubled. And David said to the Lord, Great has been my sin in doing this; but now, O Lord, be pleased to take away the sin of your servant, for I have done very foolishly

²⁴ He took our sins on himself, giving his body to be nailed on the tree, so that we, being dead to sin, might have a new life in righteousness, and by his wounds we have been made well.

²⁵ Because, like sheep, you had gone out of the way; but now you have come back to him who keeps watch over your souls.

¹¹ I am the good keeper of sheep: the good keeper gives his life for the sheep.

¹² He who is a servant, and not the keeper or the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming and goes in flight, away from the sheep; and the wolf comes down on them and sends them in all directions:

⁷ Awake! O sword, against the keeper of my flock, and against him who is with me, says the Lord of armies: put to death the keeper of the sheep, and the sheep will go in flight: and my hand will be turned against the little ones.

²³ And I will put over them one keeper, and he will give them food, even my servant David; he will give them food and be their keeper.

²⁴ And I the Lord will be their God and my servant David their ruler; I the Lord have said it.

² Son of man, be a prophet against the keepers of the flock of Israel, and say to them, O keepers of the sheep! this is the word of the Lord: A curse is on the keepers of the flock of Israel who take the food for themselves! is it not right for the keepers to give the food to the sheep?

³ You take the milk and are clothed with the wool, you put the fat beasts to death, but you give the sheep no food.

⁴ You have not made the diseased ones strong or made well that which was ill; you have not put bands on the broken or got back that which had been sent away or made search for the wandering ones; and the strong you have been ruling cruelly.

⁵ And they were wandering in every direction because there was no keeper: and they became food for all the beasts of the field.

⁶ And my sheep went out of the way, wandering through all the mountains and on every high hill: my sheep went here and there over all the face of the earth; and no one was troubled about them or went in search of them.

⁵ Then I said, The curse is on me, and my fate is destruction; for I am a man of unclean lips, living among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of armies.

² Let all my wrongdoing be washed away, and make me clean from evil.

³ For I am conscious of my error; my sin is ever before me.

⁴ Against you, you only, have I done wrong, working that which is evil in your eyes; so that your words may be seen to be right, and you may be clear when you are judging.

⁵ Truly, I was formed in evil, and in sin did my mother give me birth.

¹¹ You have made us like sheep which are taken for meat; we are put to flight among the nations.

⁶ For this cause I give witness that what I said is false, and in sorrow I take my seat in the dust.

²⁰ If I have done wrong, what have I done to you, O keeper of men? why have you made me a mark for your blows, so that I am a weariness to myself?

¹⁷ Then he said, I saw all Israel wandering on the mountains like sheep without a keeper; and the Lord said, These have no master: let them go back, every man to his house in peace.

³³ So now let me be my lord's servant here in place of the boy, and let him go back with his brothers.