4. Thus said Jehovah my God: Feed the flock of slaughter;
5. whose possessors slay them, and hold themselves not guilty; and they that sell them say, Blessed be Jehovah, for I am rich; and their own shepherds pity them not.
6. For I will no more pity the inhabitants of the land, saith Jehovah; but, lo, I will deliver the men every one into his neighbor’s hand, and into the hand of his king; and they shall smite the land, and out of their hand I will not deliver them.
7. So I fed the flock of slaughter, verily 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 cut off the three shepherds in one month; for my soul was weary of them, and their soul also loathed me.
9. Then said I, I will not feed you: that which dieth, let it die; and that which is to be cut off, let it be cut off; and let them that 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 thus the poor of the flock that gave heed unto 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. So they weighed for my hire thirty pieces of silver.
13. And Jehovah said unto me, Cast it unto the potter, the goodly price that I was prized at by them. And I took the thirty
14. Then I cut asunder mine other staff, even Bands, that I might break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.
15. And Jehovah said unto me, Take unto thee yet again the instruments of a foolish shepherd.