Zechariah 11

New King James Version

Desolation of Israel

Prophecy of the Shepherds

⁴ Thus says theLordmy God, “Feed the flock for slaughter,⁵ whose owners slaughter them and^(E)feel no guilt; those who sell them^(F)say, ‘Blessed be theLord, for I am rich’; and their shepherds do^(G)not pity them.⁶ For I will no longer pity the inhabitants of the land,” says theLord. “But indeed I will give everyone into his neighbor’s hand and into the hand of his king. They shall^[b]attack the land, and I will not deliverthemfrom their hand.”

⁷ So I fed the flock for slaughter,^[c]in particular^(H)the poor of the flock. I took for myself two staffs: the one I called^[d]Beauty, and the other I called^[e]Bonds; and I fed the flock.⁸ I^[f]dismissed the three shepherds^(I)in one month. My soul loathed them, and their soul also abhorred me.⁹ Then I said, “I will not feed you.^(J)Let what is dying die, and what is perishing perish. Let those that are left eat each other’s flesh.”¹⁰ And I took my staff,^[g]Beauty, and cut it in two, that I might break the covenant which I had made with all the peoples.¹¹ So it was broken on that day. Thus^(K)the^[h]poor of the flock, who were watching me, knew that itwasthe word of theLord.¹² Then I said to them, “If it is^[i]agreeable to you, givememy wages; and if not, refrain.” So they^(L)weighed out for my wages thirtypiecesof silver.

¹³ And theLordsaid to me, “Throw it to the^(M)potter”—that princely price they set on me. So I took the thirtypiecesof silver and threw them into the house of theLordfor the potter.¹⁴ Then I cut in two my other staff,^[j]Bonds, that I might break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.

¹⁵ And theLordsaid to me,^(N)“Next, take for yourself the implements of a foolish shepherd.¹⁶ For indeed I will raise up a shepherd in the landwhowill not care for those who are cut off, nor seek the young, nor heal those that are broken, nor feed those that still stand. But he will eat the flesh of the fat and tear their hooves in^(O)pieces.