TORAH
FIVE BOOKS OF MOSES
NEVI'IM
PROPHETS
KETUVIM
WRITINGS
Zechariah - Chapter 11
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1Throw open your gates, O Lebanon, And let fire consume your cedars!
אפְּתַח לְבָנוֹן דְּלָתֶיךָ וְתֹאכַל אֵשׁ בַּאֲרָזֶיךָ׃
2Howl, cypresses, for cedars have fallen! How the mighty are ravaged! Howl, you oaks of Bashan, For the stately forest is laid low!
בהֵילֵל בְּרוֹשׁ כִּי־נָפַל אֶרֶז אֲשֶׁר אַדִּרִים שֻׁדָּדוּ הֵילִילוּ אַלּוֹנֵי בָשָׁן כִּי יָרַד יַעַר הבצור [הַבָּצִיר׃]
3Hark, the wailing of the shepherds, For their rich pastures are ravaged; Hark, the roaring of the great beasts, For the jungle of the Yarden is ravaged.
גקוֹל יִלְלַת הָרֹעִים כִּי שֻׁדְּדָה אַדַּרְתָּם קוֹל שַׁאֲגַת כְּפִירִים כִּי שֻׁדַּד גְּאוֹן הַיַּרְדֵּן׃
4Thus said my God Hashem: Tend the sheep meant for slaughter,
דכֹּה אָמַר יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהָי רְעֵה אֶת־צֹאן הַהֲרֵגָה׃
5whose buyers will slaughter them with impunity, whose seller will say, “Praised be Hashem! I'll get rich,” and whose shepherd will not pity them.
האֲשֶׁר קֹנֵיהֶן יַהֲרְגֻן וְלֹא יֶאְשָׁמוּ וּמֹכְרֵיהֶן יֹאמַר בָּרוּךְ יְהֹוָה וַאעְשִׁר וְרֹעֵיהֶם לֹא יַחְמוֹל עֲלֵיהֶן׃
6For I will pity the inhabitants of the land no more—declares Hashem—but I will place every man at the mercy of every other man and at the mercy of his king; they shall break the country to bits, and I will not rescue it from their hands.
וכִּי לֹא אֶחְמוֹל עוֹד עַל־יֹשְׁבֵי הָאָרֶץ נְאֻם־יְהֹוָה וְהִנֵּה אָנֹכִי מַמְצִיא אֶת־הָאָדָם אִישׁ בְּיַד־רֵעֵהוּ וּבְיַד מַלְכּוֹ וְכִתְּתוּ אֶת־הָאָרֶץ וְלֹא אַצִּיל מִיָּדָם׃
7So I tended the sheep meant for slaughter, for those poor men of the sheep. I got two staffs, one of which I named Favor and the other Unity, and I proceeded to tend the sheep.
va-er-EH et TZON ha-ha-ray-GAH la-KHAYN a-ni-YAY ha-TZON va-e-kakh LEE sh'-NAY mak-LOT l'-a-KHAD ka-RA-tee NO-am ul-a-KHAD ka-RA-tee kho-v'-LEEM va-er-EH et ha-TZON
זוָאֶרְעֶה אֶת־צֹאן הַהֲרֵגָה לָכֵן עֲנִיֵּי הַצֹּאן וָאֶקַּח־לִי שְׁנֵי מַקְלוֹת לְאַחַד קָרָאתִי נֹעַם וּלְאַחַד קָרָאתִי חֹבְלִים וָאֶרְעֶה אֶת־הַצֹּאן׃
11:7 One of which I named Favor and the other Unity
The prophet is asked to act as a shepherd to his people, since the previous shepherds had neglected them and were dismissed. In order to guide the flock, the shepherd must carry “two staffs.” One staff is named noam (נעם), meaning ‘favor,’ and the second staff is named chovlim (חבלים). The word chovlim refers to something that ties two items together, and is a metaphor for unity. These staffs represent the characteristics of a good leader; dealing favorably and pleasantly with his people and keeping them united.
8But I lost the three shepherds in one month; then my patience with them was at an end, and they in turn were disgusted with me.
חוָאַכְחִד אֶת־שְׁלֹשֶׁת הָרֹעִים בְּיֶרַח אֶחָד וַתִּקְצַר נַפְשִׁי בָּהֶם וְגַם־נַפְשָׁם בָּחֲלָה בִי׃
9So I declared, “I am not going to tend you; let the one that is to die die and the one that is to get lost get lost; and let the rest devour each other's flesh!”
טוָאֹמַר לֹא אֶרְעֶה אֶתְכֶם הַמֵּתָה תָמוּת וְהַנִּכְחֶדֶת תִּכָּחֵד וְהַנִּשְׁאָרוֹת תֹּאכַלְנָה אִשָּׁה אֶת־בְּשַׂר רְעוּתָהּ׃
10Taking my staff Favor, I cleft it in two, so as to annul the covenant I had made with all the peoples;
יוָאֶקַּח אֶת־מַקְלִי אֶת־נֹעַם וָאֶגְדַּע אֹתוֹ לְהָפֵיר אֶת־בְּרִיתִי אֲשֶׁר כָּרַתִּי אֶת־כָּל־הָעַמִּים׃
11and when it was annulled that day, the same poor men of the sheep who watched me realized that it was a message from Hashem.
יאוַתֻּפַר בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא וַיֵּדְעוּ כֵן עֲנִיֵּי הַצֹּאן הַשֹּׁמְרִים אֹתִי כִּי דְבַר־יְהֹוָה הוּא׃
12Then I said to them, “If you are satisfied, pay me my wages; if not, don't.” So they weighed out my wages, thirty shekalim of silver—
יבוָאֹמַר אֲלֵיהֶם אִם־טוֹב בְּעֵינֵיכֶם הָבוּ שְׂכָרִי וְאִם־לֹא חֲדָלוּ וַיִּשְׁקְלוּ אֶת־שְׂכָרִי שְׁלֹשִׁים כָּסֶף׃
13the noble sum that I was worth in their estimation. Hashem said to me, “Deposit it in the treasury.” And I took the thirty shekalim and deposited it in the treasury in the House of Hashem.
יגוַיֹּאמֶר יְהֹוָה אֵלַי הַשְׁלִיכֵהוּ אֶל־הַיּוֹצֵר אֶדֶר הַיְקָר אֲשֶׁר יָקַרְתִּי מֵעֲלֵיהֶם וָאֶקְחָה שְׁלֹשִׁים הַכֶּסֶף וָאַשְׁלִיךְ אֹתוֹ בֵּית יְהֹוָה אֶל־הַיּוֹצֵר׃
14Then I cleft in two my second staff, Unity, in order to annul the brotherhood between Yehuda and Yisrael.
ידוָאֶגְדַּע אֶת־מַקְלִי הַשֵּׁנִי אֵת הַחֹבְלִים לְהָפֵר אֶת־הָאַחֲוָה בֵּין יְהוּדָה וּבֵין יִשְׂרָאֵל׃
15Hashem said to me further: Get yourself the gear of a foolish shepherd.
טווַיֹּאמֶר יְהֹוָה אֵלָי עוֹד קַח־לְךָ כְּלִי רֹעֶה אֱוִלִי׃
16For I am going to raise up in the land a shepherd who will neither miss the lost [sheep], nor seek the strayed, nor heal the injured, nor sustain the frail, but will feast on the flesh of the fat ones and tear off their hoofs.
טזכִּי הִנֵּה־אָנֹכִי מֵקִים רֹעֶה בָּאָרֶץ הַנִּכְחָדוֹת לֹא־יִפְקֹד הַנַּעַר לֹא־יְבַקֵּשׁ וְהַנִּשְׁבֶּרֶת לֹא יְרַפֵּא הַנִּצָּבָה לֹא יְכַלְכֵּל וּבְשַׂר הַבְּרִיאָה יֹאכַל וּפַרְסֵיהֶן יְפָרֵק׃
17Oh, the worthless shepherd Who abandons the flock! Let a sword descend upon his arm And upon his right eye! His arm shall shrivel up; His right eye shall go blind.
יזהוֹי רֹעִי הָאֱלִיל עֹזְבִי הַצֹּאן חֶרֶב עַל־זְרוֹעוֹ וְעַל־עֵין יְמִינוֹ זְרֹעוֹ יָבוֹשׁ תִּיבָשׁ וְעֵין יְמִינוֹ כָּהֹה תִכְהֶה׃
