1. Open thy delatot (gates), O Levanon, that the eish (fire) may devour thy cedars.
2. Wail, O cypress, for the cedar is fallen; the mighty is despoiled; wail, O ye oaks of Bashan; for the dense forest is toppled.
3. Hear the sound of the wailing of the ro'im (shepherds); for their glory is destroyed; the sound of the roaring of young lions; for the ga'on of the Yarden (Jordan) is laid waste.
4. Thus Hashem Elohai said: Shepherd the tzon haharegah (the flock marked for slaughter);
5. Whose buyers slaughter them, and hold themselves not guilty; and they that sell them say, Baruch Hashem, I have become rich! And their own ro'im (shepherds) spare them not.
6. Nor will I any more pity the yoshvei ha'aretz (the inhabitants of the land), saith Hashem; and hinei, I will deliver the men every one into his neighbor's hand, and into the power of his melech; and they shall strike ha'aretz, and out of their hand I will not deliver them.
7. So I did shepherd the tzon haharegah (the flock marked for slaughter), even aniyei hatzon (the poor of the flock). And I took unto me two maklot (staffs); the one I called No'am (gracious care), and the other I called Chovelim (bindings [of union, cf.11:14]); and I did shepherd the tzon (flock).
8. Shloshet haro'im (three of the shepherds) also I disposed of in one month; and my nefesh wearied of them, and their nefesh also abhorred me.
9. Then said I, I will not shepherd you; that which dieth, let it die; and that which is to be cut off, let it be cut off; and let those that are left eat every one the basar of another.
10. And I took my staff, even No'am, and I broke it asunder, breaking off my Brit (covenant) which I had made with kol ha'amim (all the peoples).
11. And it was broken on that day; and so the aniyei hatzon (poor of the flock), who were the shomrim giving heed to me, perceived that this was the Devar Hashem.
12. And I said unto them, If ye think tov, give me my sachar (price); and if not, refrain. So they weighed out for my sachar (price) shloshim kesef (thirty pieces of silver).
13. And Hashem said unto me, Throw it unto the yotzer (potter); the magnificent price that I was priced of them. So I took the shloshim hakesef, and threw them to the yotzer (potter) in the Beis Hashem. [Shemot 21:32; Mt 26:14-15; 27:3-10; Ac 1:18-19]
14. Then I broke my second staff, called Chovelim, breaking off the achavah (brotherhood) between Yehudah and Yisroel.
15. And Hashem said unto me, Take unto thee yet the keli (implements) of a foolish ro'eh (shepherd).
16. For, hinei, I will raise up a ro'eh in ha'aretz, which shall not care for the dying, nor look for the na'ar (young one), nor heal that which is injured, nor feed the healthy; but he shall eat the basar of the choice, and tear off their hooves.