6. Likewise, I will no longer have pity on the people of the land,” says the lord. “I will let them fall into each other’s hands and into the hands of their king. They will turn the land into a wilderness, and I will not rescue them.”
7. So I cared for the flock intended for slaughter—the flock that was oppressed. Then I took two shepherd’s staffs and named one Favor and the other Union.
8. I got rid of their three evil shepherds in a single month.But I became impatient with these sheep, and they hated me, too.
9. So I told them, “I won’t be your shepherd any longer. If you die, you die. If you are killed, you are killed. And let those who remain devour each other!”
10. Then I took my staff called Favor and cut it in two, showing that I had revoked the covenant I had made with all the nations.
11. That was the end of my covenant with them. The suffering flock was watching me, and they knew that the lord was speaking through my actions.