1Lebanon, open your doors!
Then fire can burn up your cedar trees.
2Juniper trees, cry out!
The cedar trees have fallen down.
The majestic trees are destroyed.
Cry out, you oak trees of Bashan!
The thick forest has been cut down.
3Listen to the shepherds cry out!
Their rich grasslands are destroyed.
Listen to the lions roar!
The trees and bushes along the Jordan River are gone.
The Two Shepherds
4The Lord my God says, “Take care of the sheep that are set apart to be sacrificed. 5Those who buy them kill them. And they are not punished for it. Those who sell them say, ‘Praise the Lord! We’re rich!’ And their own shepherds do not spare them. 6I will no longer have pity on the people in the land,” announces the Lord. “I will hand all of them over to their neighbors and their king. They will destroy the land. And I will not save anyone from their power.”
7So I took care of the sheep set apart to be sacrificed. I took special care of those that had been treated badly. Then I got two shepherd’s staffs. I called one of them Favor. I called the other one Union. And I took care of the flock. 8In one month I got rid of three worthless shepherds.
The sheep hated me, and I got tired of them. 9So I said, “I won’t be your shepherd anymore. Let those of you who are dying die. Let those who are passing away pass away. Let those who are left eat one another up.”
10Then I got my staff called Favor. I broke it. That meant the covenant the Lord had made with all the nations was broken. 11It happened that day. The sheep that had been treated badly were watching me. They knew it was the Lord’s message.
12I told them, “If you think it is best, give me my pay. But if you don’t think so, keep it.” So they paid me 30 silver coins.
13The Lord said to me, “Throw those coins to the potter.” That amount shows how little they valued me! So I threw the 30 silver coins to the potter at the Lord’s temple.
14Then I broke my second staff called Union. That broke the family connection between Judah and Israel.
15The Lord said to me, “Now pretend to be a foolish shepherd. Get the things you need. 16I am going to raise up a shepherd over the land. He will not take care of those that are wounded. He will not look for the young ones. He will not heal those that are hurt. He will not feed the healthy ones. Instead, he will eat the best sheep. He will even tear their hooves off.
17“How terrible it will be for that worthless shepherd!
He deserts the flock.
May a sword strike his arm and his right eye!
May his powerful arm become weak!
May his right eye be totally blinded!”
111:1 Eze 31:3; 2Nya 36:19; Zek 12:6Fungua milango yako, ee Lebanoni,
ili moto uteketeze mierezi yako!
211:2 Isa 2:13; 32:19; 10:34Piga yowe, ee mti wa msunobari,
kwa kuwa mwerezi umeanguka;
miti ya fahari imeharibiwa!
Piga yowe, enyi mialoni ya Bashani,
msitu mnene umefyekwa!
311:3 Isa 5:29; Yer 2:15; 50:44; Eze 19:9Sikiliza yowe la wachungaji;
malisho yao manono yameangamizwa!
Sikia ngurumo za simba;
kichaka kilichostawi sana
cha Yordani kimeharibiwa!
Wachungaji Wawili Wa Kondoo
411:4 Yer 25:34Hili ndilo asemalo Bwana Mungu wangu: “Lilishe kundi lililokusudiwa kuchinjwa. 511:5 Yer 50:7; Eze 34:2-3; Kum 29:19; Yer 2:3; Hos 12:8; Yn 16:2; 1Tim 6:9; 2Pet 2:3Wanunuzi wake huwachinja na kuondoka pasipo kuadhibiwa. Wale wanaowauza husema, ‘Bwana asifiwe, mimi ni tajiri!’ Wachungaji wao wenyewe hawawahurumii. 611:6 Zek 14:13; Isa 9:19-21; Yer 13:14; Mao 2:21; 5:8; Mik 5:8; 7:2-6Kwa kuwa sitawahurumia tena watu wa nchi,” asema Bwana. “Nitawakabidhi kila mtu mkononi mwa jirani yake na mfalme wake. Wataitenda jeuri nchi, nami sitawaokoa kutoka mikononi mwao.”
711:7 Yer 25:34; Sef 3:12; Mt 11:5Kwa hiyo nikalilisha kundi lililotiwa alama kwa kuchinjwa, hasa kundi lililoonewa sana. Kisha nikachukua fimbo mbili, moja nikaiita Fadhili na nyingine Umoja, nami nikalilisha kundi. 811:8 Eze 14:5; Hos 5:7Katika mwezi mmoja nikawaondoa wachungaji watatu.
Kundi la kondoo likanichukia, nami nikachoshwa nao, 911:9 Yer 43:11; 15:2; Isa 9:20nikasema, “Sitakuwa mchungaji wenu. Waache wanaokufa wafe na wanaoangamia waangamie. Wale waliobakia kila mmoja na ale nyama ya mwenzake.”
1011:10 Za 89:39; Yer 14:21Kisha nikachukua fimbo yangu inayoitwa Fadhili nikaivunja, kutangua Agano nililofanya na mataifa yote. 11Likatanguka siku hiyo, kwa hiyo wale waliodhurika katika kundi, waliokuwa wakiniangalia wakajua kuwa hilo lilikuwa neno la Bwana.
1211:12 Mwa 23:16; Mt 26:15; Kut 21:32Nikawaambia, “Mkiona kuwa ni vyema, nipeni ujira wangu, la sivyo, basi msinipe.” Kwa hiyo wakanilipa vipande thelathini vya fedha.
1311:13 Kut 21:32; Mt 27:9-10; Mdo 1:18-19Naye Bwana akaniambia, “Mtupie mfinyanzi,” hiyo bei nzuri waliyonithaminia! Kwa hiyo nikachukua hivyo vipande thelathini vya fedha na kumtupia huyo mfinyanzi katika nyumba ya Bwana.
14Kisha nikaivunja fimbo yangu ya pili iitwayo Umoja, kuvunja undugu kati ya Yuda na Israeli!
15Kisha Bwana akaniambia, “Vitwae tena vifaa vya mchungaji mpumbavu. 16Kwa maana ninakwenda kumwinua mchungaji juu ya nchi ambaye hatamjali aliyepotea, wala kuwatafuta wale wachanga au kuwaponya waliojeruhiwa, wala kuwalisha wenye afya, lakini atakula nyama ya kondoo wanono na kuzirarua kwato zao.
1711:17 Yer 23:1; Eze 30:21-22; Isa 13:1; Yn 10:12; Mik 3:6“Ole wa mchungaji asiyefaa,
anayeliacha kundi!
Upanga na uupige mkono wake na jicho lake la kuume!
Mkono wake na unyauke kabisa,
jicho lake la kuume lipofuke kabisa!”
