Ezekiel 34:3

¹ Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

² “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Woe to the shepherds of Israel, who only feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed their flock?

You eat the fat, wear the wool, and butcher the fattened sheep, but you do not feed the flock.

⁴ You have not strengthened the weak, healed the sick, bound up the injured, brought back the strays, or searched for the lost. Instead, you have ruled them with violence and cruelty.

⁵ They were scattered for lack of a shepherd, and when they were scattered they became food for all the wild beasts.

This was said to Israel at a particular time, so it is wise to read it together with the surrounding text. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB: You eat the fat, wear the wool, and butcher the fattened sheep, but you do not feed the flock.
KJV: Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock.
WEB: You eat the fat. You clothe yourself with the wool. You kill the fatlings, but you don’t feed the sheep.
ASV: Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill the fatlings; but ye feed not the sheep.
DARBY: Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool; ye kill them that are fattened: [but] ye feed not the flock.
BLB: You⁺ eat the fat and in wool you⁺ clothe yourselves; you⁺ slaughter the fatlings; you⁺ do not feed the flock.

ÅB: Fettet spiser dere, og med ullen klær dere dere, det fete slakter dere; flokken røkter dere ikke.
OTB: Dere spiser fettet, kler dere med ullen, og slakter de beste dyrene, men dere tar ikke vare på flokken.
B1930: Fettet eter I, og med ullen klær I eder, det fete slakter I; hjorden røkter I ikke.

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

Zechariah 11:16
For behold, I will raise up a shepherd in the land who will neither care for the lost, nor seek the young, nor heal the broken, nor sustain the healthy, but he will devour the flesh of the choice sheep and tear off their hooves.
Read in context
2 Kings 21:16
Moreover, Manasseh shed so much innocent blood that he filled Jerusalem from end to end, in addition to the sin that he had caused Judah to commit, doing evil in the sight of the LORD.
Read in context
Isaiah 1:15
When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; even though you multiply your prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood.
Read in context
1 Kings 21:13–16
And the two scoundrels came in and sat opposite Naboth, and these men testified against him before the people, saying, “Naboth has cursed both God and the king!” So they took him outside the city and stoned him to death.
Read in context
Isaiah 56:11–12
Like ravenous dogs, they are never satisfied. They are shepherds with no discernment; they all turn to their own way, each one seeking his own gain:
Read in context
Micah 3:1–3
Then I said: “Hear now, O leaders of Jacob, you rulers of the house of Israel. Should you not know justice?
Read in context
Jeremiah 2:30
“I have struck your sons in vain; they accepted no discipline. Your own sword has devoured your prophets like a voracious lion.”
Read in context
Jeremiah 22:17
“But your eyes and heart are set on nothing except your own dishonest gain, on shedding innocent blood, on practicing extortion and oppression.”
Read in context