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Ezequiel 34

BLIVRE · Chapter 34/48

1E veio a mim a palavra do SENHOR, dizendo:

2Filho do homem, profetiza contra os pastores de Israel; profetiza, e dize-lhes, aos pastores: Assim diz o Senhor DEUS: Ai dos pastores de Israel, que se apascentam a si mesmos! Por acaso não devem os pastores apascentarem as ovelhas?

3Comeis a gordura, e vos vestis da lã; degolais o cevado, [porém] não apascentais as ovelhas.

4Não fortaleceis as fracas, nem curais a doente; não pondes curativo na que está ferida; não trazeis de volta a desgarrada, e a perdida não buscais; porém dominais sobre elas com rigor e dureza.

5Assim se espalharam, porque não há pastor; e se tornaram alimento para toda fera do campo, porque se espalharam.

6Minhas ovelhas andaram sem rumo por todos os montes, e em todo morro alto; minhas ovelhas foram espalhadas por toda a face da terra, e ninguém há que as procure, ninguém que as busque.

7Por isso, ó pastores, ouvi a palavra do SENHOR:

8Vivo eu, diz o Senhor DEUS, que dado que minhas ovelhas foram [entregues] ao saque, e minhas ovelhas serviram de alimento para toda fera do campo, por não haver pastor; e meus pastores não procuram minhas ovelhas, ao invés disso apascentaram a si mesmos, e não apascentam minhas ovelhas,

9Por isso, ó pastores, ouvi a palavra do SENHOR:

10Assim diz o Senhor DEUS: Eis que eu sou contra os pastores; exigirei deles minhas ovelhas, e farei com que cessem de apascentar as ovelhas; e os pastores não apascentarão mais a si mesmos; pois eu livrarei minhas ovelhas da boca deles, e elas não [mais] lhes servirão de alimento.

11Porque assim diz o Senhor DEUS: Eis que eu, eu mesmo, procurarei minhas ovelhas, e as buscarei.

12Assim como o pastor busca seu rebanho no dia em que está em meio de suas ovelhas espalhadas, assim buscarei minhas ovelhas, e as livrarei de todos os lugares por onde foram espalhadas, no dia de nuvem e de escuridão.

13E eu as tirarei dos povos, e as ajuntarei das terras; eu as trarei para sua terra, e as apascentarei nos montes de Israel, junto às correntes de águas, e em todas as habitações daquela terra.

14Em bons pastos eu as apascentarei, e nos altos montes de Israel será sua pastagem; ali se deitarão em boa pastagem, e em prósperos pastos serão apascentadas sobre os montes de Israel.

15Eu apascentarei minhas ovelhas, e eu farei elas se deitarem [em segurança] , diz o Senhor DEUS.

16Eu buscarei a perdida, e trarei de volta a desgarrada; porei curativo na que estiver ferida, e fortalecerei a enferma; mas a gorda e a forte destruirei. Eu as apascentarei com julgamento.

17E quanto a vós, ovelhas minhas, assim diz o Senhor DEUS: Eis que eu julgarei entre ovelha e ovelha, entre carneiros e bodes.

18Por acaso não vos basta que comais o bom pasto, para terdes que pisotear com vossos pés o resto de vossos pastos? E não vos basta as águas limpas, para sujardes o resto [das águas] com vossos pés?

19Minhas ovelhas terão de comer o que foi pisoteado por vossos pés, e beber o que foi sujo por vossos pés.

20Por isso assim lhes diz o Senhor DEUS: Eis que eu, eu mesmo, julgarei entre a ovelha gorda e a ovelha magra,

21Porque empurrais com o lado e com o ombro, e com vossos chifres chifrais todas as fracas, até que as espalhais para fora.

22Portanto eu salvarei minhas ovelhas, para que nunca mais sirvam de saque; e julgarei entre ovelha e ovelha.

23E levantarei sobre elas um pastor, e ele as apascentará: a meu servo Davi; ele as apascentará, e ele será o pastor delas.

24Eu, o SENHOR serei o Deus delas, e meu servo Davi será príncipe no meio delas. Eu, o SENHOR, falei.

25E farei com elas um pacto de paz, e farei cessar os maus animais da terra; e habitarão no deserto em segurança, e dormirão nos bosques.

26E farei com que elas e os lugares ao redor de meu monte sejam bênção; e farei descer a chuva em seu tempo; chuvas de bênção serão.

27E as árvores do campo darão seu fruto, e a terra dará seu produto, e estarão em segurança sobre sua terra; e saberão que eu sou o SENHOR, quando quebrar as varas de seu jugo, e as livrar da mão dos que se servem delas.

28E não [mais] servirão de presa às nações, nem as feras da terra as devorarão; pois habitarão em segurança, e não haverá quem [as] espante;

29E lhes despertarei uma plantação de renome, e não mais serão consumidos de fome na terra, nem serão mais envergonhadas pelas nações.

30Assim saberão que eu, o SENHOR, seu Deus, estou com elas, e elas são o meu povo, a casa de Israel, diz o Senhor DEUS.

31E vós, ovelhas minhas, sois ovelhas humanas do meu pasto; eu sou vosso Deus, diz o Senhor DEUS.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

God condemns the bad shepherds (leaders) of Israel, who fed off the flock without caring for it, and promises to be the shepherd of his people himself, seeking out the lost sheep and appointing a single shepherd from David's line.

Explanation

Kings and leaders were often called 'shepherds' in the ancient Near East, an image of caring responsibility, not selfish domination. The charge that the shepherds 'feed themselves' instead of the flock (v. 2) sums up the prophets' entire social critique of corrupt leaders. The promise that God himself would seek out the lost sheep, and of a 'servant David' who would be the one shepherd (v. 23), points toward a messianic hope that Jesus would take up explicitly by calling himself the 'good shepherd' (John 10:11). The application about leadership that serves rather than exploits remains highly relevant in any era.

Fun facts

  • The reference to a new 'David' as shepherd (vv. 23-24) does not mean the literal resurrection of the ancient king, but a descendant of his line — a messianic interpretation confirmed by the New Testament in relation to Jesus.
  • The image of God going out to seek lost sheep 'in the day of clouds and thick darkness' (v. 12) is echoed almost directly in the parable of the lost sheep told by Jesus in Luke 15.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Ezequiel 34:1The formula that opens a new section of the book, this time about the ‘shepherds’ of Israel — a common image of the day for the people’s leaders and kings.
  2. Ezequiel 34:2The ‘shepherds’ are the leaders of Israel, accused of looking after themselves, eating the fat and wearing the wool, instead of caring for the flock — political criticism using the pastoral language common in the Near East to talk about kings and rulers.
  3. Ezequiel 34:3The chapter’s central accusation: the shepherds (leaders) take advantage of the flock — eating the meat, using the wool — without actually caring for the sheep.
  4. Ezequiel 34:4A specific list of neglect: not strengthening the weak, not healing the sick, not bringing back the strayed — instead, ruling them with harshness.
  5. Ezequiel 34:5The result of that neglect: the sheep scatter and become easy prey for wild animals, for lack of anyone who truly cares for them.
  6. Ezequiel 34:6It reinforces the image: the people, compared to sheep, wander scattered over every mountain, with no one who cares or goes searching for them.
  7. Ezequiel 34:7A transitional formula calling the shepherds’ attention, setting up the announcement of judgment that follows.
  8. Ezequiel 34:8It formally repeats the accusation: the shepherds looked after themselves, not the flock they had been put in charge of protecting.
  9. Ezequiel 34:9It repeats the attention-getting formula from v.7, a device common in the book for marking the start of an important pronouncement.
  10. Ezequiel 34:10The announcement of judgment: God will strip these shepherds of their responsibility, stopping them from continuing to take advantage of the flock.
  11. Ezequiel 34:11The chapter’s central announcement: unlike the human shepherds who failed, God Himself promises to go personally in search of the sheep.
  12. Ezequiel 34:12A direct comparison: just as a true shepherd seeks out the scattered flock, God would rescue the scattered people ‘in the cloudy and dark day’ — language recalling the fall of Jerusalem.
  13. Ezequiel 34:13It details the rescue: bringing the people back from the other nations to Israel’s own land, feeding them on the mountains and by the springs of water.
  14. Ezequiel 34:14A promise of rich, safe pasture on the high mountains of Israel — an image of abundance and rest, a direct contrast with the neglect described earlier.
  15. Ezequiel 34:15After condemning the bad shepherds, God promises to personally take on the role of shepherd Himself, seeking the lost sheep and caring for the weak — a direct contrast with the neglect described at the start of the chapter.
  16. Ezequiel 34:16It sums up the care the leaders failed to give: seeking the lost, bringing back the strayed, healing the injured — but now with a new detail, stopping those who abused the weaker ones.
  17. Ezequiel 34:17God will also judge among the sheep themselves, distinguishing the strong from the weak — the neglect did not come only from the leaders, but also from powerful members of the people themselves.
  18. Ezequiel 34:18An accusation against the strong sheep: it was not enough to eat the good pasture, they still trampled the rest and fouled the water that would have been left for the others.
  19. Ezequiel 34:19The practical consequence: the weak sheep were left with only the trampled pasture and the fouled water, the leftovers spoiled by the stronger ones.
  20. Ezequiel 34:20It repeats the announcement of judgment between the fat sheep and the lean sheep — accountability also within the people themselves, not only the leadership.
  21. Ezequiel 34:21It details the physical abuse: pushing with the body and butting the weak with horns until driving them out of the group — an image of the strong exploiting the most vulnerable.
  22. Ezequiel 34:22The conclusion of this part: God promises to free the weak sheep from this internal exploitation, judging among them too, not only against the former leaders.
  23. Ezequiel 34:23‘My servant David’ here is not King David resurrected, but a way of speaking about a future ruler from the same line — different traditions read this promise in different ways, but the text ties it to a ‘covenant of peace’ and to the end of violence.
  24. Ezequiel 34:24It details the new arrangement: God continues being the people’s God, but ‘David’ governs as prince — a human leadership subordinate to the divine leadership.
  25. Ezequiel 34:25It promises ‘a covenant of peace’: an end to dangerous animals and safety even in places once hostile, like the wilderness and the woods.
  26. Ezequiel 34:26The promised blessing involves even nature: rain at the right time, ensuring the harvest and the land’s abundance.
  27. Ezequiel 34:27The practical result of that peace: trees bear fruit, the land produces, and the people live in safety, free from the yoke of those who once enslaved them.
  28. Ezequiel 34:28It reinforces: they would never again be plundered by other nations nor be food for wild animals — the promise is one of total safety, with no more threats.
  29. Ezequiel 34:29It promises a land of good reputation and the final end of the hunger and humiliation the people suffered before other nations.
  30. Ezequiel 34:30The promise’s conclusion: the people would recognize that God is with them, confirming once and for all their identity as ‘my people.’
  31. Ezequiel 34:31The chapter’s poetic close: the people are compared to sheep of a pasture that belongs to God, and God declares Himself their God.

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