3:5 This is what the Lord says: “The prophets who mislead my people
are as good as dead. 1
If someone gives them enough to eat,
they offer an oracle of peace. 2
But if someone does not give them food,
they are ready to declare war on him. 3
5:4 He will assume his post 4 and shepherd the people 5 by the Lord’s strength,
by the sovereign authority of the Lord his God. 6
They will live securely, 7 for at that time he will be honored 8
even in the distant regions of 9 the earth.
7:14 Shepherd your people with your shepherd’s rod, 10
the flock that belongs to you, 11
the one that lives alone in a thicket,
in the midst of a pastureland. 12
Allow them to graze in Bashan and Gilead, 13
as they did in the old days. 14
1 tn Heb “concerning the prophets, those who mislead my people.” The first person pronominal suffix is awkward in a quotation formula that introduces the words of the
2 tn Heb “those who bite with their teeth and cry out, ‘peace.’” The phrase “bite with the teeth” is taken here as idiomatic for eating. Apparently these prophets were driven by mercenary motives. If they were paid well, they gave positive oracles to their clients, but if someone could not afford to pay them, they were hostile and delivered oracles of doom.
3 tn Heb “but [as for the one] who does not place [food] in their mouths, they prepare for war against him.”
4 tn Heb “stand up”; NAB “stand firm”; NASB “will arise.”
5 tn The words “the people” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
6 tn Heb “by the majesty of the name of the
7 tn The words “in peace” are supplied in the translation for clarification. Perhaps וְיָשָׁבוּ (vÿyashavu, “and they will live”) should be emended to וְשָׁבוּ (vÿshavu, “and they will return”).
8 tn Heb “be great.”
9 tn Or “to the ends of.”
10 tn Or “with your scepter” (the Hebrew term can mean either “rod” or “scepter”).
11 tn Heb “the flock of your inheritance.”
12 tn Or “in the midst of Carmel.” The Hebrew term translated “pastureland” may be a place name.
sn The point seems to be that Israel is in a vulnerable position, like sheep in a thicket populated by predators, while rich pastureland (their homeland and God’s blessings) is in view.
13 sn The regions of Bashan and Gilead, located in Transjordan, were noted for their rich grazing lands.
14 tn Heb “as in the days of antiquity.”