Zechariah 11 · The Lantern

The Doomed Flock

Open your doors, O Lebanon, so that the fire may devour your cedars.

Howl, fir tree; for the cedar has fallen; because the mighty are plundered: howl, O oaks of Bashan; for the forest of the vintage has come down.

There is a voice of the howling of the shepherds; for their glory is plundered: a voice of the roaring of young lions; for the pride of Jordan is plundered.

Thus says the LORD my God; Shepherd the flock of the slaughter;

Whose possessors slay them, and hold themselves not guilty: and they that sell them say, Blessed be the LORD; for I am rich: and their own shepherds pity them not.

For I will no more pity the inhabitants of the land, says the LORD: but, look, I will deliver the men every one into his neighbor’s hand, and into the hand of his king: and they shall strike the land, and out of their hand I will not deliver them.

And I will shepherd the flock of slaughter, even you, O poor of the flock. And I took to me two poles; the one I called Beauty, and the other I called Bands; and I fed the flock.

Three shepherds also I cut off in one month; and my soul loathed them, and their soul also abhorred me.

Then said I, I will not feed you: that which dies, let it die; and that which is to be cut off, let it be cut off; and let the rest eat every one the flesh of another.

Thirty Pieces of Silver

And I took my staff, even Beauty, and cut it in two, so that I might break my covenant which I had made with all the people.

And it was broken in that day: and so the poor of the flock that waited upon me knew that it was the word of the LORD.

And I said to them, If you think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver.

Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that.

Hear now in regard to thirty pieces of silver: "And I will say to them, 'If it seems good to you, give me my wages, or refuse.' " One recompense is due me for curing the blind and the lame, and I receive another; instead of thanksgiving, dishonor, and instead of worship, insult. Do you see how Scripture foresaw all this?

(Verse 12, 13.) And I said to them: If it is good in your eyes, give me my reward, and if not, stop; and they gave me my reward, thirty pieces of silver. And the Lord said to me, Throw them (Vulgate: it) to the potter, a handsome price at which I was appraised by them: and I took the thirty pieces of silver, and threw them into the house of the Lord to the potter.

And the LORD said to me, Cast it to the potter: a fine price that I was prised at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the LORD.

Then I cut in two my other staff, even Bands, so that I might break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.

And the LORD said to me, Take to you yet the instruments of a foolish shepherd.

For, look, I will raise up a shepherd in the land, which shall not visit those that are cut off, neither shall seek the young one, nor heal that that is broken, nor feed that that stands still: but he shall eat the flesh of the fat, and tear their claws in pieces.

Woe to the worthless shepherd that leaves the flock! the sword shall be upon his arm, and upon his right eye: his arm shall be completely dried up, and his right eye shall be utterly darkened.

Zechariah11

The Doomed Flock

Thirty Pieces of Silver