Israel is like scattered sheep, driven away by lions. First the king of Assyria devoured him, and last this Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has crushed his bones.

I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek Your servant, for I have not forgotten Your Commandments.

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, each one to his own way; and Jehovah has laid upon Him the iniquity of us all.

But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.

But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

But He answered and said, I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.

And if he should find it, truly I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray.

What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?

And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!

For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

For the shepherds have become stupid, and have not sought Jehovah, therefore they shall not prosper, and all their flocks shall be scattered.

For both prophet and priest are corrupt; yes, in My house I have found their evil, says Jehovah.

And I have seen folly in the prophets of Samaria; they prophesied by Baal and caused My people Israel to go astray.

Therefore thus says Jehovah of Hosts concerning the prophets: Behold, I will feed them wormwood, and make them drink bitter water; for godlessness has gone forth from the prophets of Jerusalem into all the land.

His watchmen are blind; they are all ignorant; they are all dumb dogs who cannot bark, dreaming, lying down, loving to slumber.

They say, Come, let us get wine and binge on strong drink; and tomorrow shall be like today; much more abundant.

The weak you have not strengthened, nor have you healed those who were sick, nor bound up the broken, nor brought back what was driven away, nor sought what was lost; but with force and cruelty you have ruled them.

My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and on every high hill; yes, My flock was scattered over the whole face of the earth, and no one was seeking or searching for them.

As I live, says the Lord Jehovah, surely because My flock became a prey, and My flock became food for every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, nor did My shepherds search for My flock, but the shepherds fed themselves and did not feed My flock;

Thus says the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require My flock at their hand; I will cause them to cease feeding the sheep, and the shepherds shall feed themselves no more; for I will deliver My flock from their mouths, that they may no longer be food for them.

As a shepherd seeks out his flock on the day he is among his scattered sheep, so will I seek out My sheep and deliver them from all the places where they were scattered on a cloudy and dark day.

For thus says Jehovah my God, Feed the flock for slaughter,

For I will no longer pity the inhabitants of the land, says Jehovah. But, lo, I will deliver every man found, each one into his neighbor's hand, and into his king's hand. And they shall strike the land, and I will not deliver them out of their hand.

I also cut off three shepherds in one month. And My soul loathed them, and their soul also abhorred Me.

For long ago you broke your yoke and tore apart your bonds; and you said, I will not transgress, when on every high hill and under every green tree you lay down like a harlot.

Jehovah also said to me in the days of Josiah the king, Have you seen that which backsliding Israel has done? She has gone up on every high mountain and under every green tree, and has committed adultery there.

Truly, deception comes from the high hills, from the multitudes on the mountains. Truly, in Jehovah our God is the salvation of Israel.

My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and on every high hill; yes, My flock was scattered over the whole face of the earth, and no one was seeking or searching for them.

Can a virgin forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? Yet My people have forgotten Me days without number.

You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from distress; You shall enclose me with shouts of deliverance. Selah.

i1 [A Prayer of Moses the man of God.] i0 par O Lord, You have been our dwelling place from generation to generation.

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

Return to your rest, O my soul, for Jehovah has dealt bountifully with you.

For thus says the Lord Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel, In returning and rest you shall be saved; and in quietness and confidence shall be your strength. But you were not willing.

And a man shall be as a hiding place from the wind, and a shelter from the tempest, like streams of water in a dry place, like the shade of a huge rock in a weary land.

He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me to waters of rest.

To Her Beloved: Tell me, O you whom I love, where you feed your flock, where you make it rest at noon. For why should I be as one who veils herself by the flocks of your companions?

The Beloved: If you do not know, O most beautiful among women, follow in the footsteps of the flock, and feed your young goats beside the tents of the shepherds.

I will feed them in a good pasture, and their fold shall be on the high mountains of Israel. There they shall lie down in a good fold and feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel.

I will make a covenant of peace with them, and remove the evil beasts out of the land; and they will dwell safely in the wilderness and sleep in the wooded forests.

Then the trees of the field shall yield their fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase. They shall be safe in their land; and they shall know that I am Jehovah, when I have broken the bars of their yoke and delivered them from the hand of those who enslaved them.