Zechariah 11

1Open thy doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may devour thy cedars.

1Open your doors, Lebanon, so that fire can burn up your cedar trees.

2Wail, O fir-tree, for the cedar is fallen, because the goodly ones are destroyed: wail, O ye oaks of Bashan, for the strong forest is come down.

2Cry out, cypress tree, because the cedar has fallen and the majestic trees are destroyed! Cry out, oaks of Bashan, because the thick forest has been cut down.

3A voice of the wailing of the shepherds! for their glory is destroyed: a voice of the roaring of young lions! for the pride of the Jordan is laid waste.

3Listen to the crying of the shepherds, because their rich pastures are ruined! Listen to the roaring of young lions, because the lush thicket along the Jordan River is destroyed.

4Thus said Jehovah my God: Feed the flock of slaughter;

4This is what the LORD my God says: 'Shepherd the flock marked for slaughter.'

5whose possessors slay them, and hold themselves not guilty; and they that sell them say, Blessed be Jehovah, for I am rich; and their own shepherds pity them not.

5Their buyers kill them and don't feel guilty. Those who sell them say, 'Praise the LORD, I am getting rich!' Even their own shepherds have no pity on them.

6For I will no more pity the inhabitants of the land, saith Jehovah; but, lo, I will deliver the men every one into his neighbor’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.

6'For I will no longer have pity on the people living in the land,' says the LORD. 'Instead, I will hand everyone over to their neighbor and to their king. They will ruin the land, and I will not rescue anyone from them.'

7So I fed the flock of slaughter, verily the 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.

7So I shepherded the flock marked for slaughter, especially the weakest ones of the flock. I took two shepherd’s staffs; I named one 'Favor' and the other I named 'Unity,' and I cared for the sheep.

8And I cut off the three shepherds in one month; for my soul was weary of them, and their soul also loathed me.

8In one month I got rid of the three shepherds. I became impatient with the flock, and they hated me.

9Then said I, I will not feed you: that which dieth, let it die; and that which is to be cut off, let it be cut off; and let them that are left eat every one the flesh of another.

9Then I said, 'I will not be your shepherd anymore. Let the dying ones die, and let the ones being destroyed be destroyed. Let those who are left eat each other’s flesh.'

10And I took my staff Beauty, and cut it asunder, that I might break my covenant which I had made with all the peoples.

10I took my staff named Favor and snapped it in two. This showed I was breaking the covenant I had made with all the nations.

11And it was broken in that day; and thus the poor of the flock that gave heed unto me knew that it was the word of Jehovah.

11The covenant was broken on that day. The weakest of the flock who were watching me realized that this was a message from the LORD.

12And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my hire; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my hire thirty pieces of silver.

12I said to them, 'If it seems right to you, give me my pay; but if not, keep it.' So they weighed out thirty pieces of silver as my wages.

13And Jehovah said unto me, Cast it unto the potter, the goodly price that I was prized at by them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them unto the potter, in the house of Jehovah.

13The LORD said to me, 'Throw it to the potter'—this magnificent price they thought I was worth! So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them to the potter in the Temple of the LORD.

14Then I cut asunder mine other staff, even Bands, that I might break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.

14Then I snapped my second staff, Unity, in two, breaking the bond of brotherhood between Judah and Israel.

15And Jehovah said unto me, Take unto thee yet again the instruments of a foolish shepherd.

15Then the LORD said to me, 'Take up the tools of a foolish shepherd again.'

16For, lo, I will raise up a shepherd in the land, who will not visit those that are cut off, neither will seek those that are scattered, nor heal that which is broken, nor feed that which is sound; but he will eat the flesh of the fat sheep, and will tear their hoofs in pieces.

16'For I am going to appoint a shepherd over the land who will not care for the dying, or look for the lost, or heal the injured, or feed the healthy. Instead, he will eat the meat of the choice sheep and even tear off their hooves.'

17Woe to the worthless 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.

17It will be terrible for that worthless shepherd who abandons the flock! A sword will strike his arm and his right eye. His arm will be completely withered, and his right eye will be totally blind.