Today in Tu Biblia Online we bring you a new verse about Ezekiel, it is Ezekiel 34. A few days ago we shared with you Ezekiel 28Â with which we began this series of articles on the verses of Ezekiel, in this first one we explained briefly who Ezekiel was, so if you like it, this one will also be to your liking. Let’s enjoy these precious lines and let ourselves be carried away by the love and gratitude of God our Lord that Ezekiel transmitted to us through his deeds.
Ezekiel 34 complete Reina Valera
Did you like the video? If that wasn’t enough, now you can read the text of Ezekiel 34 in Spanish, version Reina Valera 1960. It is the most faithful version to the original texts of the Bible in Hebrew, although sometimes the language is outdated (below you will find versions with more current language). We won’t keep you any longer. We hope you enjoy it!
Prophecy against the shepherds of Israel
34 The word of Jehovah came to me, saying:
2 Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy, and say to the shepherds, Thus says the Lord GOD: Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! do not the shepherds feed the flocks?
3 Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe yourselves with the wool; ye slaughter the fatlings, but ye feed not the sheep.
4 You have not strengthened the weak, nor healed the sick; you have not bound up the broken, nor brought back to the fold the strayed, nor sought the lost, but have ruled over them with harshness and violence.
5 And they wander for lack of a shepherd, and are a prey to all the wild beasts of the field, and are scattered.
6 My sheep went astray upon all the mountains, and upon every high hill; and my sheep were scattered upon all the face of the earth, and there was none to seek them, neither was there any that asked for them.
7 Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD:
8 As I live, saith the Lord GOD, because my flock was stolen, and my sheep were a prey to all the wild beasts of the field, without a shepherd; neither did my shepherds seek my sheep, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my sheep;
9 Therefore, O shepherds, hear the word of the LORD.
10 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require my sheep out of their hand, and will cause them to cease from feeding the flock; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more: for I will deliver my sheep out of their mouths, and they shall be no more meat unto them.
11 For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I myself will go and search for my sheep, and will search them out.
12 As the shepherd recognizes his flock in the day when he is in the midst of his scattered sheep, so will I recognize my sheep, and will deliver them from all the places where they were scattered in the day of clouds and darkness.
13 And I will bring them out from the peoples, and gather them from the lands; I will bring them into their own land, and feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the riversides, and in all the inhabited places of the land.
14 I will feed them in good pastures, and on the high mountains of Israel shall be their fold; there they shall lie down in a good fold, and in fat pastures they shall feed on the mountains of Israel.
15 I will feed my sheep, and I will give them a fold, saith the Lord GOD.
16 I will seek the lost, and bring back the strayed into the fold; I will bind up the broken, and strengthen the weak; but the fat and the strong I will destroy; I will feed them in righteousness.
17 But as for you, my sheep, thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and he goats.
18 Is it a small thing for you to eat the good pasture, but also to tread with your feet what remains of your pasture, and to drink the clear waters, and to muddy with your feet those that remain?
19 And my sheep eat that which is trodden under your feet, and drink that which you have trodden with your feet.
20 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD unto them; Behold, I will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep,
21 because you pushed with your side and with your shoulder, and gored with your horns all the weak ones, until you drove them away and scattered them.
22 I will save my sheep, and they shall be no more a prey; and I will judge between sheep and sheep.
23 And I will raise up a shepherd over them, and he shall feed them; my servant David, he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd.
24 I the LORD will be their God, and my servant David will be their prince in the midst of them. I, Jehovah, have spoken.
25 And I will establish a covenant of peace with them, and will remove the wild beasts from the land; and they shall dwell in the wilderness in safety, and sleep in the forests.
26 And I will give a blessing to them and to the surroundings of my hill, and I will cause the rain to come down in its season; showers of blessing they shall be.
27 And the tree of the field shall yield its fruit, and the ground shall yield its fruit, and they shall stand in safety upon their land; and they shall know that I am the LORD, when I break the bands of their yoke, and deliver them out of the hand of those that serve themselves of them.
28 They shall no more be a spoil to the nations, neither shall the wild beasts of the earth devour them; but they shall dwell in safety, and none shall make them afraid.
29 And I will raise up for them a plant of renown, and they shall no more be consumed with famine in the land, neither shall they be put to shame any more among the nations.
30 And they shall know that I the LORD their God am with them, and they are my people, the house of Israel, saith the Lord GOD.
31 And you, my flock, the sheep of my pasture, are men, and I am your God, says the Lord GOD.
Ezekiel 34 with explanation and reflection
Now you have been able to gather the necessary information to understand the messages hidden in Ezekiel 34, so we are going to explain it in detail.
Throughout the various paragraphs of the verse he continually refers to the shepherds and leaders of the oppressed people (Israel). With continuous more or less clear references to the life that these shepherds had and perished, Ezekiel condemns the leaders of the people for not caring about the people.
Whether by taking advantage of the shepherds’ goats and sheep, or by not caring for the needy Ezekiel sows hope by communicating that a Good Shepherd (the Messiah) will come to bring the hope and prosperity that the people need.
Throughout the verse, situations are presented in which the sins of the leaders become evident, something that, as we will see below, even with the passage of so many years, can be applicable to the present day.
So we have the main message of the verse: precariousness and forgetfulness. precariousness and forgetfulness of the leaders with the people. Sound familiar? Although with evident changes due to the evolution of humanity, many countries, regions, cities… are governed and ruled by people who sometimes forget their purpose and at different levels leave unattended the concerns or needs of the population. But if anything Ezekiel also teaches us with his words is that we have to be clear that as good Christians we will have the help of God our Lord at our side. We must not lose heart, we must be united, we must trust each other….
Life has complicated moments, many without us being responsible for our own misfortunes or desperate situations, but with the light and hope that we find in God we will be able to move forward, just as the people of Israel were able to do in their time.
Ezekiel 34 in today’s language
If you have had any difficulty in understanding some words or fragments of the Reina Valera 1960 version, we leave below a version translated into current language (TLA) and a living translation (NTV). Take it easy and enjoy each of the versions. God’s words are clearly interpretable in a multitude of languages and forms so let’s get to it!
- Current language translation (TLA)
Israel’s bad rulers
34 God also said to me:
2 “Ezekiel, give the rulers of the Israelites the following message from me:
“Woe to you, evil rulers! You should care for the Israelites, as shepherds care for their sheep, but you only care for yourselves! 3 Instead of caring for the sheep, they drink the milk, make clothes out of the wool, and even kill the fattest sheep. 4 They do not support the weak sheep, nor heal the sick sheep, nor bandage the wounded sheep. Nor do they go after sheep that stray or stray from the path. On the contrary, they beat and mistreat them.
5-6 “My people are like a flock of sheep. They roam the hills like sheep without a shepherd. They are in grave danger, but no one cares.
7 “Listen to me now, rulers! Pay attention to me! 8 You were supposed to care for my people, as shepherds care for their sheep, but you only care for yourselves! That is why my people have suffered at the hands of thieves and cruel people. I swear it is so.
9-11 “Therefore, you rulers of Israel, listen to what I am about to say to you: I am declaring myself against you, and I will call you to account for what you have done to my people. They are going to stop governing it, and they will not take advantage of it again. I will take my people from them, so that they will not continue to mistreat them. I will take care of it myself. I swear to you that I will.
The good shepherd of Israel
12 “As a good shepherd goes in search of lost sheep, so will I go in search of my people. I will bring it from the places where it was lost one dark and cloud-filled day. 13-15 I will bring him out of the countries where he is now imprisoned; I will gather him and bring him back to his own land. Then I will take him to the mountains of Israel, and to the brooks, and to all the villages of the land, that he may be fed with the best food. He will live in the highest mountains of Israel. I will feed him myself and make him rest. I swear I will.
16 “I will care for my people as a good shepherd cares for his sheep. My people are lost, but I will look for them. He has gone out of the way, but I will bring him back. He is wounded, but I will bind up his wounds. He is weak, but I will give him strength. And even when he is fat and strong, I will take care of him.
17 “And to you, my people, I want to say that I will be just, both to the weak and to the strong. Some of you are like sheep, some of you are like rams, and some of you are like goats. 18 Some of you are not content to eat the best grass, but trample down the grass you did not eat. Others like to drink the clear water, but with their paws they stir up all the water. 19 And so, the weaker ones have to eat the trampled grass and drink the trodden water.
20 “I will judge the strong and the weak. I give you my word. 21 You strong push the weak, and push them aside; moreover, you attack them and make them flee. 22 But I am their judge, and I will protect them. I will not let them take advantage of them again, 23 for I will again send David, my faithful servant, to take care of them. 24 I am the God of Israel, and David shall be their ruler. I give you my word.
25 “This is the covenant of peace that I will make with you: I will drive away the violent peoples. Then they will be able to live in peace in the desert, and sleep in the forests. 26 I will let them live around my mountain, and I will send them abundant rain at the proper time. 27 The trees of the field will yield their fruit, the earth will yield its harvest, and you will live at ease in your own land. And when I free them from those who made them slaves, they will recognize that I am the God of Israel.
28 “No nation shall enslave them again, nor shall the wild animals devour them again. On the contrary, they will live in peace and without fear of anything or anyone. 29 I will make their land famous for its crops, and they will no longer suffer famine, nor will they have to endure the mockery of the nations. 30 Then you will recognize that I am with you, and that I am your God and you are my people. I swear to you that it will be so, 31 and I assure you that I will be like a shepherd to you, my sheep.”
- New Living Translation (NTV)
The shepherds of Israel
34 Then I received this message from the Lord: 2 “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds, the leaders of Israel. Give them this message from the Sovereign Lord: “What an affliction awaits you shepherds who feed yourselves instead of feeding your flocks! Shouldn’t shepherds feed their sheep? 3 You drink the milk, clothe yourselves with the wool, and kill the best animals, but let your flocks go hungry. 4 They have not cared for the weak; they have not cared for the sick or bandaged the wounds; they did not go out to seek the lost and straying. Instead, they ruled them with an iron fist and with cruelty. 5 That is why my sheep are scattered without a shepherd and are easy prey for any wild animal. 6 They have wandered over all the mountains and hills on the face of the earth; yet no one went out to look for them.
7 “Therefore, shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: 8 as surely as I live, says the Sovereign Lord, you have abandoned my flock and exposed it to attack by all kinds of wild animals. Although you were my shepherds, you did not go out to look for my sheep when they went astray. They took care of themselves and let the sheep go hungry. 9 Therefore, shepherds, hear the word of the Lord. 10 This says the Sovereign Lord: now I declare myself an enemy of those shepherds and will hold them responsible for what happened to my flock. I will take away their right to feed the flock and will no longer let them feed themselves. I will rescue my flock from his mouth; the sheep will no longer be his prey.
The good shepherd
11 “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will go out to seek my sheep and find them. 12 I will be like a shepherd seeking the scattered flock. I will find my sheep and rescue them from all the places where they were scattered that dark and cloudy day. 13 I will bring them out from among the other peoples and nations and bring them back home to their own land. I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the rivers, and in every inhabited place. 14 So it is, I will give them good pasture on the high hills of Israel. They will rest in pleasant places and feed on the abundant green pastures of the hills. 15 I myself will take care of my sheep and give them a place to lie down in peace, says the Sovereign Lord. 16 I will seek out my lost ones and bring them home safe and sound. I will bind up the wounded and strengthen the weak. Nevertheless, I will destroy the fat and the mighty; to them also will I give food, but judgment!
17 “As for you, my flock, this is what the Sovereign Lord says to his people: I will judge between one animal of the flock and another, and I will separate the sheep from the goats. 18 Is it not enough for them to keep the best pastures? Do they also have to trample what’s left? Is it not enough for them to drink the crystal clear water? Do they also have to muddy the rest of the water with their paws? 19 Why should my flock eat what you have trampled and drink the water you have fouled?
20 “Therefore this says the Sovereign Lord: I will certainly judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. 21 For you, the fat sheep, have pushed, rammed and displaced my sick and hungry flock until you have scattered them to distant lands. 22 So I will rescue my flock and it will no longer be mistreated. I will judge between one animal of the herd and another. 23 Over them I will set one shepherd, my servant David. He will feed them and be their shepherd. 24 I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David shall be a prince in the midst of my people. I, the Lord, have spoken!
The Lord’s covenant of peace
25 “I will make a covenant of peace with my people, and I will remove the dangerous animals from the land. Then the Israelites will be able to camp safely in the wildest places and sleep without fear in the forest. 26 I will bless my people and their homes around my holy hill. In due season I will send you the rains you need; there will be showers of blessing. 27 The gardens and fields of my people shall yield abundant harvests, and all shall live securely. Once I break the chains of their bondage and rescue them from those who enslaved them, then they will know that I am the Lord. 28 They shall no longer be a prey to other nations, nor shall wild beasts devour them. They will live in safety and no one will frighten them.
29 “I will make their land famous for its crops, so that my people will never again go hungry or suffer the insults of foreign nations. 30 Then they will know that I, the Lord their God, am with them, and they will know that they-the Israelites-are my people, says the Sovereign Lord. 31 You are my flock, the sheep of my pasture. You are my people, and I am your God; I, the Sovereign LORD, have spoken.
Conclusion and summary
Here we end today’s article on Ezekiel 34 about the responsibility that leaders have and the strength that people must have. Whoever goes against God’s designs will be judged and condemned for his sins. To leave with a good taste in your mouth, we leave you with a song about Ezekiel 34.
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And if you wish, you can continue reading the verses that you will find in Tu Biblia Online. Goodbye and God bless you!