Biblia the Byble, that is, the holy Scrypture of the Olde and New Testament, faithfully translated in to Englyshe.

The XXXIIII. Chapter.

ANd the worde off the LORDE came [ A] vnto me, sayenge: Thou sonne off mā, prophecye agaynst the shepherdes of Israel, prophecy, and speake vnto them: Thus saieth the LORDE God: Wo be vnto the shepherdes off Israel, that fede them sel¦ues. Shulde not the shepherdes fede y^e floc¦kes?

Ye haue eaten vp the fatte, ye haue clo∣thed you with the woll: the best fedde haue ye slayne, but y^e flocke haue ye not norished: The weake haue ye not holden vp, the sicke haue ye not healed: the broken haue ye not bounde together, the outcastes haue ye not brought agayne: y^e lost haue ye not sought, but churlishly and cruelly haue ye ruled thē. Thus are they scatred here and there with∣out a shepherde: yee all the beastes off the felde deuoure them, and they go astraye.

My shepe go wandringe vpon all moū∣taynes and vpon euery hye hill, yee they be scatred abrode in all feldes, and there is no man, that careth for them, or seketh after them.

[ B] Therfore o ye shepherdes, heare the wor∣de off the LORDE, Thus sayeth the LORDE God: As truly as I lyue, for so moch as my shepe are robbed, and deuoured off all the wylde beestes off the felde, hauynge no she∣pherde: and seynge that my shepherdes take no regarde off my shepe, but fede them sel∣ues only, and not my shepe: Therfore heare y^e worde off the LORDE, o ye shepherdes: Thus sayeth the LORDE God: Beholde, I myselff will vpon the shepherdes, and requyre my shepe from their hondes, and make thē ceas∣se from fedynge of my shepe: yee the sheph∣erdes shall fede them selues nomore: For I will delyuer my shepe out off their mouthes so that they shall not deuoure them after this.

For thus saieth the LORDE God: Behol∣de, I will loke to my shepe myselff, and seke them. Like as a shepherde amōge the flocke seketh after the shepe that are scatred abro∣de, euen so will I seke after my shepe, and ga∣ther them together out off all places, whe∣re they haue bene scatred in the cloudy and darcke daye. I will bringe them out from all people, and gather them together out of all londes. I will bringe thē in to their owne lon¦de, and fede them vpon the mountaynes off Israel, by the ryuers, and in all the places of [ C] the countre. I will fede them in right good pastures, and vpon the hie mountaynes off Israel shall there foldes be. There shal they lye in a good folde, ād in a fat pasture shall they fede: euen vpon the mountaynes of Is¦rael.

I will fede my shepe myselff, and bringe them to their rest, sayeth the LORDE God. Soch as be lost, will I seke: soch as go astra¦ye, wil I brynge agayne: soch as be woūded, will I bynde vp: soch as be weake, will I ma¦ke stronge: soch as be fat and well lykinge, those will I preserue, and fede them with y^e thinge that is laufull. And as for you (o my shepe) sayeth the LORDE God: I will put a difference amonge the shepe, amonge the wethers ād the goates. Was it not ynough for you, to eat vp the good pasture, but ye must treade downe the residue of youre pas∣ture w^t youre fete also? Was it not ynough for you to drynke cleare water, but ye must trouble the residue also with youre fete?

Thus my shepe must be fayne to eate y^e thinge, that ye haue troden downe with yo^r fete, and to drynke it, that ye with youre fete haue defyled.

Therfore, thus sayeth the LORDE God vnto them: Beholde, I will seuer the fat shepe from the leane: for so moch as ye haue shot the weake shepe apō y^e sydes & shulders, and runne vpon them with youre

homes, so longe till ye haue vtterly scatred them abrode. I wil helpe my shepe, so y^t they shal nomore be spoyled: yee I wil discerne o∣ne [ D] shepe from another. I wil rayse vp vnto them one only shepherde: euen my seruaunt Dauid, he shal fede thē, and he shal be their shepherde. I the LORDE wil be their God, and my seruaunt Dauid shal be their prince: Euen I the LORDE haue spoken it.

Morouer, I wil make a couenaunt of pea¦ce with them, and dryue all euell beastes out of the londe: so that they maye dwell safely in the wildernesse, and slepe in the woddes. Good fortune & prosperite wil I geue them, and vnto all that be rounde aboute my hill. A prosperous shower and rayne wil I sende them in due season, that the trees in the wod¦de maye bringe forth their frutes, & y^e groun¦de hir increase. They shalbe safe in their lon∣de, and shal knowe, that I am the LORDE, which haue brokē their yocke, and delyuered them out of the hondes of those, that helde them in subieccion.

They shal nomore be spoyled of the Hei∣then, ner deuoured with the beastes of the lō¦de: but safely shal they dwell, & no man shall fraye them. I wil set vp an excellēt plāte for them, so y^t they shal suffre no more hunger in the londe, nether beare the reprofe of y^e Hei∣then eny more. Thus shal they vnderstonde, that I the LORDE their God am w^t them, & y^t they (euen the house of Israel) are my peo∣ple, saieth the LORDE God. Ye men are my flocke, ye are the shepe of my pasture: and I am youre God, saieth the LORDE God.

Notes

• Eze. 13. a ••re. 14. b 23. a▪
• ••uc. 4. b
• ••. Pe. 5. a
• 〈…〉〈…〉
• 〈…〉〈…〉
• 〈…〉〈…〉
• 〈◊〉〈◊〉 30. b 〈◊〉〈◊〉 c 〈◊〉〈◊〉 5. a
• 〈…〉〈…〉 b
• 〈◊〉〈◊〉 ••4. b