Zechariah, Chapter 11

1. Open your doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may devour your cedars.    2. Howl, fir tree; for the cedar is fallen; because the mighty are laid waste: howl, O ye oaks of Bashan; for the forest of the vintage is come down.    3. There is a voice of the howling of the shepherds; for their glory is destroyed: a voice of the roaring of young lions; for the pride of Jordan is laid waste.    4. Thus says the LORD my God; Feed the flock given to slaughter;    5. Whose possessors slay them, and hold themselves not guilty: and those who sell them say, Blessed be the LORD; for I am rich: and their own shepherds do not pity them.    6. For I will no more pity the inhabitants of the land, says the LORD: but, lo, I will deliver the men every one into his neighbor's hand, and into the hand of his king: and they shall strike the land, and out of their hand I will not deliver them.    7. And I will feed the flock of slaughter, even you, O poor of the flock. And I took to myself two staffs; the one I called Beauty, and the other I called Bonds; and I fed the flock.    8. Three shepherds also I cut off in one month; and my soul loathed them, and their soul also abhorred me.    9. Then said I, I will not feed you: that which dies, let it die; and that which is to be cut off, let it be cut off; and let the rest eat every one the flesh of another.    10. And I took my staff, even Beauty, and cut it apart, that I might break my covenant which I had made with all the people.    11. And it was broken in that day: and so the poor of the flock who waited upon me knew that it was the word of the LORD.    12. And I said to them, If you think good, give me my price; and if not, hold back. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver.    13. And the LORD said to me, Throw it to the potter: a goodly price that I was valued at by them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and threw them to the potter in the house of the LORD.    14. Then I cut apart my other staff, even Bonds, that I might break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.    15. And the LORD said to me, Take to yourself again the instruments of a foolish shepherd.    16. For, lo, I will raise up a shepherd in the land, who shall not visit those that are cut off, neither shall seek the young one, nor heal that which is broken, nor feed that which stands still: but he shall eat the flesh of the fat, and tear their claws in pieces.    17. Woe to the idol shepherd that leaves the flock! the sword shall be upon his arm, and upon his right eye: his arm shall be completely dried up, and his right eye shall be utterly darkened.