"Now then, my flock, I, the Sovereign LORD, tell you that I will judge each of you and separate the good from the bad, the sheep from the goats.

One of every ten domestic animals belongs to the LORD. When the animals are counted, every tenth one belongs to the LORD.

In the towns in the hill country, in the foothills, and in southern Judah, in the territory of Benjamin, in the villages around Jerusalem, and in the towns of Judah, shepherds will once again count their sheep. I, the LORD, have spoken."

and the people of all the nations will be gathered before him. Then he will divide them into two groups, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.

He will put the righteous people at his right and the others at his left.

The Sovereign LORD says, "I will treat you the way you deserve, because you ignored your promises and broke the covenant.

But I will honor the covenant I made with you when you were young, and I will make a covenant with you that will last forever.

I will bring war on you to punish you for breaking our covenant, and if you gather in your cities for safety, I will send incurable diseases among you, and you will be forced to surrender to your enemies.

"But if his descendants disobey my law and do not live according to my commands,

then I will punish them for their sins; I will make them suffer for their wrongs.

"Of all the nations on earth, you are the only one I have known and cared for. That is what makes your sins so terrible, and that is why I must punish you for them."