Zechariah Chapter 11

3 For I have bent Judah for me, I have filled the bow with Ephraim; and I will stir up thy sons, O Zion, against thy sons, O Greece, and will make thee as the sword of a mighty man.

4 And Jehovah shall be seen over them; and his arrow shall go forth as the lightning; and the Lord Jehovah will blow the trumpet, and will go with whirlwinds of the south.

5 Jehovah of hosts will defend them; and they shall devour, and shall tread down the sling-stones; and they shall drink, and make a noise as through wine; and they shall be filled like bowls, like the corners of the altar.

6 And Jehovah their God will save them in that day as the flock of his people; for

7 they shall be as the stones of a crown, lifted on high over his land.

8 For how great is his goodness, and how great is his beauty! grain shall make the young men flourish, and new wine the virgins.

9 Ask ye of Jehovah rain in the time of the latter rain,

10 even of Jehovah that maketh lightnings; and he will give them showers of rain, to every one grass in the field.

11 For the teraphim have spoken vanity, and the diviners have seen a lie; and they have told false dreams, they comfort in vain: therefore they go their way like sheep, they are afflicted, because there is no shepherd.

12 Mine anger is kindled against the shepherds, and I will punish the he-goats; for Jehovah of hosts hath visited his flock, the house of Judah, and will make them as his goodly horse in the battle.

13 From him shall come forth the corner-stone, from him the nail, from him the battle bow, from him every ruler together.

14 And they shall be as mighty men, treading down

15 their enemies in the mire of the streets in the battle; and they shall fight, because Jehovah is with them; and the riders on horses shall be confounded.

16 And I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph, and I will bring them back; for I have mercy upon them; and they shall be as though I had not cast them off: for I am Jehovah their God, and I will hear them.

17 And

darby (darby) - eBible.org Darby 1890 plaintext

1 Open thy doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may devour thy cedars.

2 Howl, cypress, for the cedar is fallen; because the noble ones are spoiled. Howl, ye oaks of Bashan; for the strong forest is come down.

3 A voice of howling of the shepherds; for their glory is spoiled: a voice of roaring of young lions; for the pride of Jordan is spoiled.

4 Thus saith Jehovah myGod: Feed the flock of slaughter,

5 whose possessors slay them without being held guilty; and they that sell them say, Blessed be Jehovah! for I am become rich; and their own shepherds pity them not.

6 For I will no more pity the inhabitants of the land, saith Jehovah, and behold, I will deliver men, every one into his neighbour's hand, and into the hand of his king; and they shall smite the land, and I will not deliver out of their hand.

7 So I fed the flock of slaughter, truly the poor of the flock. And I took unto me two staves; the one I called Beauty, and the other I called Bands; and I fed the flock.

8 And I destroyed three shepherds in one month; and my soul was vexed with them, and their soul also loathed me.

9 And I said, I will not feed you: that which dieth, let it die; and that which perisheth let it perish; and let them which are left eat every one the flesh of another.

10 And I took my staff, Beauty, and cut it asunder, that I might break my covenant which I had made with all the peoples.

11 And it was broken in that day; and so the poor of the flock that gave heed to me knew that it was the word of Jehovah.

12 And I said unto them, If ye think good, give [me] my hire; and if not, forbear. And they weighed for my hire thirty silver-pieces.

13 And Jehovah said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prized at by them. And I took the thirty silver-pieces, and cast them to the potter in the house of Jehovah.

14 And I cut asunder mine other staff, Bands, to break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.

15 And Jehovah said unto me, Take unto thee yet the instruments of a foolish shepherd.

16 For behold, I will raise up a shepherd in the land, who shall not visit those that are about to perish, neither shall seek that which is strayed away, nor heal that which is wounded, nor feed that which is sound; but he will eat the flesh of the fat, and tear their hoofs in pieces.

17 Woe to the worthless shepherd that leaveth the flock! The sword shall be upon his arm, and upon his right eye; his arm shall be clean dried up, and his right eye utterly darkened.

lxxbrent (lxxbrent) - Septuagint (Brenton 1851) eBible USFM

1 Open thy doors, O Libanus, and let the fire devour thy cedars.

2 Let the pine howl, because the cedar has fallen; for the mighty men have been greatly afflicted: howl, ye oaks of the land of Basan; for the thickly planted forest has been torn down.

3 [There is] a voice of the shepherds mourning; for their greatness is brought low: a voice of roaring lions; for the pride of Jordan is brought down.

4 Thus saith the Lord Almighty, Feed the sheep of the slaughter;

5 which their possessors have slain, and have not repented: and they that sold them said, Blessed be the Lord; for we have become rich: and their shepherds have suffered no sorrow for them.

6 Therefore I will no longer have mercy upon the inhabitants of the land, saith the Lord: but, behold, I will deliver up the men every one into the hand of his neighbour, and into the hand of his king; and they shall destroy the land, and I will not rescue out of their hand.

7 And I will tend the flock of slaughter in the land of Chanaan: and I will take for myself two rods; the one I called Beauty, and the other I called Line; and I will tend the flock.

8 And I will cut off three shepherds in one month; and my soul shall grieve over them, for their souls cried out against me.

9 And I said, I will not tend you: that which dies, let it die; and that which falls off, let it fall off; and let the rest eat every one the flesh of his neighbour.

10 And I will take my beautiful staff, and cast it away, that I may break my covenant which I made with all the people.

11 And it shall be broken in that day; and the Chananites, the sheep that are kept for me, shall know that it is the word of the Lord.

12 And I will say to them, If it be good in your eyes, give [me] my price, or refuse it. And they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver.

13 And the Lord said to me, Drop them into the furnace, and I will see if it is good [metal], as I was proved for their sakes. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them into the furnace in the house of the Lord.

14 And I cast away [my] second rod, [even] Line, that I might break the possession between Juda and Israel.

15 And the Lord said to me, Take yet to thee shepherd's implements belonging to an unskilful shepherd.

16 For, behold, I [will] raise up a shepherd against the land: he shall not visit that which is perishing, and he shall not seek that which is scattered, and he shall not heal that which is bruised, nor guide that which is whole: but he shall devour the flesh of the choice [ones], and shall dislocate the joints [of their necks].

17 Alas for the vain shepherds that have forsaken the sheep! the sword [shall be] upon the arms of such a one, and upon his right eye: his arm shall be completely withered, and his right eye shall be utterly darkened.

vul1914 (vul1914) - Vulgate 1914 UTF-8 (sacredbible.org)

1 Aperi Libane portas tuas, et comedat ignis cedros tuas.

2 Ulula abies, quia cecidit cedrus, quoniam magnifici vastati sunt: ululate quercus Basan, quoniam succisus est saltus munitus.

3 Vox ululatus pastorum, quia vastata est magnificentia eorum: vox rugitus leonum, quoniam vastata est superbia Iordanis.

4 Hæc dicit Dominus Deus meus: Pasce pecora occisionis,

5 quæ qui possederant, occidebant, et non dolebant, et vendebant ea, dicentes: Benedictus Dominus, divites facti sumus: et pastores eorum non parcebant eis.

6 Et ego non parcam ultra super habitantes terram, dicit Dominus: ecce ego tradam homines, unumquemque in manu proximi sui, et in manu regis sui: et concident terram, et non eruam de manu eorum.

7 Et pascam pecus occisionis propter hoc, o pauperes gregis: et assumpsi mihi duas virgas, unam vocavi Decorem, et alteram vocavi Funiculum: et pavi gregem.

8 Et succidi tres pastores in mense uno, et contracta est anima mea in eis: siquidem et anima eorum variavit in me.

9 Et dixi: Non pascam vos: quod moritur, moriatur: et quod succiditur, succidatur: et reliqui devorent unusquisque carnem proximi sui.

10 Et tuli virgam meam, quæ vocabatur Decus, et abscidi eam ut irritum facerem fœdus meum, quod percussi cum omnibus populis.

11 Et in irritum deductum est in die illa: et cognoverunt sic pauperes gregis, qui custodiunt mihi, quia verbum Domini est.

12 Et dixi ad eos: Si bonum est in oculis vestris, afferte mercedem meam: et si non, quiescite. Et appenderunt mercedem meam triginta argenteos.

13 Et dixit Dominus ad me: Proiice illud ad statuarium, decorum pretium, quo appretiatus sum ab eis. Et tuli triginta argenteos: et proieci illos in domum Domini ad statuarium.

14 Et præcidi virgam meam secundam, quæ appellabatur Funiculus, ut dissolverem germanitatem inter Iudam, et Israel.

15 Et dixit Dominus ad me: Adhuc sunt tibi vasa pastoris stulti.

16 Quia ecce ego suscitabo pastorem in terra, qui derelicta non visitabit, dispersum non quæret, et contritum non sanabit, et id quod stat non enutriet, et carnes pinguium comedet, et ungulas eorum dissolvet.

17 O pastor, et idolum, derelinquens gregem: gladius super brachium eius, et super oculum dextrum eius: brachium eius ariditate siccabitur, et oculus dexter eius tenebrescens obscurabitur.

web (web) - WorldEnglish.Bible — CC0 modern update of ASV

1 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 the roaring of young lions! For the pride of the Jordan is ruined.

4 The LORD my God says: “Feed the flock of slaughter.

5 Their buyers slaughter them and go unpunished. Those who sell them say, ‘Blessed be the LORD, for I am rich;’ and their own shepherds don’t pity them.

6 For I will no more pity the inhabitants of the land,” says the LORD; “but, behold, I will deliver every one of the men into his neighbor’s hand and into the hand of his king. They will strike the land, and out of their hand I will not deliver them.”

7 So I fed the flock to be slaughtered, especially the oppressed of the flock. I took for myself two staffs. The one I called “Favor” and the other I called “Union”, and I fed the flock.

8 I cut off the three shepherds in one month; for my soul was weary of them, and their soul also loathed me.

9 Then I said, “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 those who are left eat each other’s flesh.”

10 I took my staff Favor and cut it apart, that I might break my covenant that I had made with all the peoples.

11 It was broken in that day; and thus the poor of the flock that listened to me knew that it was the LORD’s word.

12 I said to them, “If you think it best, give me my wages; and if not, keep them.” So they weighed for my wages thirty pieces of silver.

13 The LORD said to me, “Throw it to the potter—the handsome price that I was valued at by them!” I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them to the potter in the LORD’s house.

14 Then I cut apart my other staff, Union, that I might break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.

15 The LORD said to me, “Take for yourself yet again the equipment of a foolish shepherd.

16 For, behold, I will raise up a shepherd in the land who will not visit those who are cut off, neither will seek those who are scattered, nor heal that which is broken, nor feed that which is sound; but he will eat the meat of the fat sheep, and will tear their hoofs in pieces.

17 Woe to the worthless shepherd who leaves the flock! The sword will strike his arm and his right eye. His arm will be completely withered, and his right eye will be totally blinded!”

ylt (ylt) - Bible.com YLT98 plain UTF-8

1 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, A voice of the roaring of young lions! For destroyed was the excellency of Jordan.

4 Thus said Jehovah my God: `Feed the flock of the slaughter,

5 Whose buyers slay them, and are not guilty, And their sellers say, Blessed <FI>is<Fi> Jehovah, And I am rich, And their shepherds have no pity on them.

6 For I have pity no more on inhabitants of the land, An affirmation of Jehovah, And lo, I am causing man to come forth, Each into the hand of his neighbour, And into the hand of his king, And they have beaten down the land, And I do not deliver out of their hand.'

7 And I feed the flock of slaughter, even you, ye afflicted of the flock; and I take to me two staves, the one I have called Pleasantness, and the other I have called Bands, and I feed the flock.

8 And I cut off the three shepherds in one month, and my soul is grieved with them, and also their soul hath abhorred me.

9 And I say, `I do not feed you, the dying, let die; and the cut off, let be cut off; and the remaining ones, let each eat the flesh of its neighbour.'

10 And I take My staff Pleasantness, and cut it asunder, to make void My covenant that I had made with all the peoples:

11 and it is broken in that day, and know well do the afflicted of the flock who are observing me, that it <FI>is<Fi> a word of Jehovah.

12 And I say unto them: `If good in your eyes, give my hire, and if not, forbear;' and they weigh out my hire--thirty silverlings.

13 And Jehovah saith unto me, `Cast it unto the potter;' the goodly price that I have been prized at by them, and I take the thirty silverlings, and cast them <FI>to<Fi> the house of Jehovah, unto the potter.

14 And I cut asunder my second staff, Bands, to break the unity between Judah and Israel.

15 And Jehovah saith unto me, `Again take to thee the instrument of a foolish shepherd.

16 For lo, I am raising up a shepherd in the land, The cut off he doth not inspect, The shaken off he doth not seek, And the broken he doth not heal, The standing he doth not sustain, And the flesh of the fat he doth eat, And their hoofs he doth break off.

17 Woe <FI>to<Fi> the worthless shepherd, forsaking the flock, A sword <FI>is<Fi> on his arm, and on his right eye, His arm is utterly dried up, And his right eye is very dim!'

Explanations by Age Level

Explain Like I'm 5

A long, long time ago, there was nothing at all - no earth, no sky, no animals, no people. It was all dark and empty. But God was there! God is so powerful that He can make anything just by speaking. So God said "Let there be light!" and BOOM! There was light everywhere! God saw that the light was beautiful and good. He called the light "day" and the darkness "night." This was the very first day when God started making our wonderful world!

Explain Like I'm 10

Before anything existed - no planets, stars, or life - God decided to create the universe. The earth started out as a dark, empty place covered with water. But God's Spirit was there, ready to bring order and beauty to everything. When God spoke and said "Let there be light," light immediately appeared because God's words have incredible power. God looked at the light and was pleased with what He had made. He organized time by separating light (day) from darkness (night), creating the first 24-hour period. This shows us that God is organized and purposeful in everything He does.

Explain Like I'm 15

Genesis 1:1-5 establishes fundamental theological truths about God and creation. The Hebrew word "bara" (created) indicates creation from nothing (ex nihilo), demonstrating God's absolute sovereignty and power. The phrase "without form and void" (tohu wa-bohu) describes a state of chaos that God transforms into order. The Spirit of God "hovering" or "brooding" over the waters suggests active, caring involvement in creation. The creation of light before the sun (created on day 4) indicates that God Himself is the ultimate source of light and energy. The establishment of day and night creates the framework of time, showing that God operates within orderly patterns while transcending them. This passage refutes both atheistic materialism and pantheism, establishing that God is both transcendent (separate from creation) and immanent (actively involved in it).