²⁰ Lift up your eyes, and see those coming in from the north, Where `is' the drove given to thee, thy beautiful flock?

²² Thus said Jehovah: Lo, a people hath come from a north country, And a great nation is stirred up from the sides of the earth.

⁶ For, lo, I am raising up the Chaldeans, The bitter and hasty nation, That is going to the broad places of earth, To occupy tabernacles not its own.

² Therefore, thus said Jehovah, God of Israel, Against the shepherds who feed My people, Ye have scattered My flock, and drive them away, And have not inspected them, Lo, I am charging on you the evil of your doings, An affirmation of Jehovah.

¹⁴ And Jehovah saith unto me, `From the north is the evil loosed against all inhabitants of the land.

¹⁷ And if ye do not hear it, In secret places doth my soul weep, because of pride, Yea, it weepeth sore, And the tear cometh down mine eyes, For the flock of Jehovah hath been taken captive.

²² A voice of a report, lo, it hath come, Even a great shaking from the north country, To make the cities of Judah a desolation, A habitation of dragons.

²⁶ wherefore I take you to witness this day, that I `am' clear from the blood of all,

²⁷ for I did not keep back from declaring to you all the counsel of God.

²⁸ `Take heed, therefore, to yourselves, and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit made you overseers, to feed the assembly of God that He acquired through His own blood,

²⁹ for I have known this, that there shall enter in, after my departing, grievous wolves unto you, not sparing the flock,

¹⁶ For lo, I am raising up a shepherd in the land, The cut off he doth not inspect, The shaken off he doth not seek, And the broken he doth not heal, The standing he doth not sustain, And the flesh of the fat he doth eat, And their hoofs he doth break off.

¹⁷ Wo `to' the worthless shepherd, forsaking the flock, A sword `is' on his arm, and on his right eye, His arm is utterly dried up, And his right eye is very dim!'

⁷ Therefore, shepherds, hear a word of Jehovah:

⁸ I live -- an affirmation of the Lord Jehovah, If not, because of My flock being for a prey, Yea, My flock is for food to every beast of the field, Because there is no shepherd, And My shepherds have not sought My flock, And the shepherds do feed themselves, And My flock they have not fed.

⁹ Therefore, O shepherds, hear a word of Jehovah:

¹⁰ Thus said the Lord Jehovah: Lo, I `am' against the shepherds, And have required My flock from their hand, And caused them to cease from feeding the flock, And no more do the shepherds feed themselves, And I have delivered My flock from their mouth, And they are not to them for food.

⁹ Every beast of the field, Come to devour, every beast in the forest.

¹⁰ Blind `are' his watchmen -- all of them, They have not known, All of them `are' dumb dogs, they are not able to bark, Dozing, lying down, loving to slumber.

¹¹ And the dogs `are' strong of desire, They have not known sufficiency, And they `are' shepherds! They have not known understanding, All of them to their own way they did turn, Each to his dishonest gain from his quarter:

¹² `Come ye, I take wine, And we drink, quaff strong drink, And as this day hath been to-morrow, Great -- exceeding abundant!'

¹² and the hireling, and not being a shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, doth behold the wolf coming, and doth leave the sheep, and doth flee; and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep;

¹³ and the hireling doth flee because he is an hireling, and is not caring for the sheep.