Zechariah 11 - GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

Zechariah Is Told to Take Care of the Sheep

11 Open your doors, Lebanon,
so that fire will be able to burn down your cedars.
2 Cry, cypress trees,
because the cedars have fallen
and the stately trees have been destroyed.
Cry, oak trees of Bashan,
because your dense forest has fallen down.
3 Listen! The shepherds are crying,
because their rich pastures are destroyed.
Listen! The young lions are roaring,
because the lush banks of the Jordan are destroyed.

4 This is what the Lord my God says: Take care of the sheep that are about to be slaughtered. 5 Those who buy them will kill them and go unpunished. Those who sell them will say, “Praise the Lord! I’ve become rich!” Even their own shepherds will have no pity on them.

6 The Lord declares, “I will no longer have pity on those who live in the land. I am going to hand the people over to their neighbors and their king, who will crush the land. And I won’t rescue any of them from their power.”

7 So I became the shepherd of the sheep that were to be slaughtered and also of the oppressed sheep. I took two shepherd staffs and named one Favor and the other Unity. And I took care of the sheep. 8 I got rid of three shepherds in one month. I became impatient with the sheep, and they also became disgusted with me. 9 So I said, “I won’t be your shepherd. Let those that are dying die. Let those that are missing stay missing. And let those that are left devour each other.”

10 Then I took my staff called Favor and broke it in pieces, to break the promise [a] that I had made to all the nations. 11 So it was broken on that day, and the oppressed among the sheep who were watching me realized that it was the Lord’s word.

12 Then I said to them, “If it’s alright with you, pay me my wages. But if it’s not, don’t.” And they paid me my wages—30 pieces of silver.

13 The Lord told me, “Give it to the potter.” So I took the 30 pieces of silver. Such a magnificent price was set by them! I gave the pieces of silver to the potter at the house of the Lord.

14 Then I broke my second staff, called Unity, in pieces, to break off the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.

15 Then the Lord said to me, “Use the equipment of a foolish shepherd again. 16 I’m about to place a shepherd in the land. He will not take care of those that are dying. He will not search for the young. He will not heal those that have broken their legs or support those that can still stand. But he will eat the meat of the fat animals and tear off their hoofs.

17 “How horrible it will be for the foolish shepherd who abandoned the sheep.
A sword will strike his arm and his right eye.
His arm will be completely withered.
His right eye will be completely blind.”

Footnotes

  1. 11:10 Or “covenant.”

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Zechariah 11 - Young's Literal Translation (YLT)

11 Open, O Lebanon, thy doors, And fire doth devour among thy cedars. 2 Howl, O fir, for fallen hath the cedar, For their honourable ones were destroyed, Howl, ye oaks of Bashan, For come down hath the fenced forest, 3 A voice of the howling of the shepherds! For destroyed was their robe of honour, ...
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Zechariah 11 - Wycliffe Bible (WYC)

11 Thou Lebanon, open thy gates, and (then the) fire shall eat thy cedars. 2 Yell, thou fir tree, for the cedar fell down, for great men be destroyed; yell, ye oaks of Bashan, for the strong forest is cut down. 3 The voice of yelling of shepherds, for the great worship of them is destroyed; the voic...
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Zechariah 11 - World English Bible (WEB)

11 Open your doors, Lebanon, that the fire may devour your cedars.2 Wail, cypress tree, for the cedar has fallen, because the stately ones are destroyed.Wail, you oaks of Bashan, for the strong forest has come down.3 A voice of the wailing of the shepherds! For their glory is destroyed: a voice of t...
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Zechariah 11 - The Voice (VOICE)

11 Eternal One: Open your gates, O Lebanon; let the fire in to destroy your cedars!2 Wail, O cypress, for the cedars have fallen and their glory lies smoldering in the dust. Wail, stately oaks of Bashan, for your thick forest lies on the ground!3 Listen to the shepherds in the land, wailing for t...
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Zechariah 11 - Tree of Life Version (TLV)

Devastation of Surrounding Lands11 Open your gates, Lebanon—fire will devour your cedars!2 Wail, cypress tree! For the cedar has fallen. Those majestic ones are devastated. Wail, oaks of Bashan! For the thick forest is cut down!3 Listen to the wailing of the shepherds, for their glory is destroyed!L...
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Zechariah 11 - Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)

11 Open your doors, O Lebanon,that the fire may devour your cedars!2 Wail, O cypress, for the cedar has fallen, for the glorious trees are ruined!Wail, oaks of Bashan, for the thick forest has been felled!3 Hark, the wail of the shepherds, for their glory is despoiled!Hark, the roar of the lions, fo...
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Zechariah 11 - Revised Standard Version (RSV)

11 Open your doors, O Lebanon,that the fire may devour your cedars!2 Wail, O cypress, for the cedar has fallen, for the glorious trees are ruined!Wail, oaks of Bashan, for the thick forest has been felled!3 Hark, the wail of the shepherds, for their glory is despoiled!Hark, the roar of the lions, fo...
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Zechariah 11 - New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised (NRSVA)

11 Open your doors, O Lebanon, so that fire may devour your cedars!2 Wail, O cypress, for the cedar has fallen, for the glorious trees are ruined!Wail, oaks of Bashan, for the thick forest has been felled!3 Listen, the wail of the shepherds, for their glory is despoiled!Listen, the roar of the lions...
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Zechariah 11 - New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

11 Open your doors, O Lebanon, so that fire may devour your cedars!(A)2 Wail, O cypress, for the cedar has fallen, for the glorious trees are ruined!Wail, oaks of Bashan, for the thick forest has been felled!(B)3 Listen, the wail of the shepherds, for their glory is despoiled!Listen, the roar of the...
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Zechariah 11 - New Living Translation (NLT)

11 Open your doors, Lebanon, so that fire may devour your cedar forests.2 Weep, you cypress trees, for all the ruined cedars; the most majestic ones have fallen.Weep, you oaks of Bashan, for the thick forests have been cut down.3 Listen to the wailing of the shepherds, for their rich pastures are de...
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Zechariah 11 - New Life Version (NLV)

Strong Men Are Destroyed11 Open your doors, O Lebanon, so that fire may destroy your cedars! 2 Cry in sorrow, O cypress, for the cedar has fallen. The beautiful trees have been destroyed. Cry in sorrow, O oaks of Bashan, for the many trees have fallen. 3 Listen to the cry of the shepherds, for the...
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Zechariah 11 - New King James Version (NKJV)

Desolation of Israel11 Open (A)your doors, O Lebanon,That fire may devour your cedars.2 Wail, O cypress, for the (B)cedar has fallen,Because the mighty trees are ruined.Wail, O oaks of Bashan,(C)For the thick forest has come down.3 There is the sound of wailing (D)shepherds!For their glory is in rui...
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11 Open your doors, Lebanon, so that fire may devour your cedars!2 Wail, you juniper, for the cedar has fallen; the stately trees are ruined!Wail, oaks of Bashan; the dense forest has been cut down!3 Listen to the wail of the shepherds: their rich pastures are destroyed!Listen to the roar of the lio...
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Zechariah 11 - New International Version (NIV)

11 Open your doors, Lebanon,(A) so that fire(B) may devour your cedars!2 Wail, you juniper, for the cedar has fallen; the stately trees are ruined!Wail, oaks(C) of Bashan; the dense forest(D) has been cut down!(E)3 Listen to the wail of the shepherds; their rich pastures are destroyed!Listen to the ...
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Zechariah 11 - New International Reader's Version (NIRV)

11 Lebanon, open your doors! Then fire can burn up your cedar trees.2 Juniper 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.3 Listen to the shepherds cry out! Their rich grasslands are destroyed...
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Zechariah 11 - New English Translation (NET)

The History and Future of Judah’s Wicked Kings11 Open your gates, Lebanon,so that the fire may consume your cedars.[a]2 Howl, fir tree,because the cedar has fallen;the majestic trees have been destroyed.Howl, oaks of Bashan,because the impenetrable forest has fallen.3 Listen to the howling of shephe...
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