For Son of man (International Children’s Bible “Human being”),

Prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say to them, even to the shepherds: God commands Ezekiel to speak his words of judgment against the leaders of Israel. Prophesy against may be rendered “say these words against” or “give my message against.” The term shepherds was frequently used in the ancient Near East to refer to kings and political leaders. It is important that readers understand that Ezekiel is not speaking literally of shepherds out in the fields with their sheep, but of Israel’s leaders. For those languages in which it is awkward to refer to the leaders as shepherds, it is acceptable to introduce the idea in a simile by saying “the leaders of Israel, who are like shepherds” (New Century Version; similarly Contemporary English Version). Since the idea of shepherds is repeated here, it may be possible to use “leaders” the first time and “shepherds” the second time, and let the reader make the connection; for example, the beginning of this verse may be rendered “Human being, say these words against the leaders of Israel. Yes, give those shepherds my message and say.” Although God does not specify exactly who these leaders are, he probably has in mind the recent kings of Judah, along with their advisers and leading nobles. In the first few words of this prophecy, the words prophesy and shepherds are repeated, presumably for emphasis. Translators who do the same should take care that it is natural in their language.

Thus says the Lord GOD: Lord renders the Hebrew word ʾadonai, and GOD renders “Yahweh” (YHWH in Hebrew). New Century Version renders this clause as “This is what the Lord GOD says.”

Ho, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves!: Most translations render the Hebrew word for Ho (hoy) as “Woe to” (New International Version, King James Version / New King James Version, New American Bible, Christian Community Bible, Moffatt; similarly New American Standard Bible, Revised English Bible) or “are doomed” (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version); see the comments on 13.3 for details on how to translate it in that way. But when it has that meaning it is followed by a Hebrew preposition, which is lacking in this instance. So here it is more likely a vocative particle, a call for attention, which may be rendered Ho, “Ah” (New Revised Standard Version, English Standard Version, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh), or “Hey!” (Block). God is just trying to get the shepherds of Israel, that is, the leaders, to listen to what he has to say to them. Who have been feeding yourselves means the leaders have been looking after themselves. The Hebrew word for feeding is used often in this chapter; it comes from the same root as the word for shepherds and means “look after,” “care for,” “take to pasture,” “feed” as a shepherd does for the sheep.

Should not shepherds feed the sheep?: This is a rhetorical question that expects the answer “Yes, they should feed the sheep.” Languages in which rhetorical questions are unnatural may restate this as a statement, for example, “You should take good care of your flocks” (New International Reader’s Version). Instead of looking after the sheep, that is, the people of Israel, the leaders have only been looking after themselves. The Hebrew word used for sheep in most of this chapter is a collective term that refers to a flock of animals (see the comments on 24.5, where it is rendered “flock,” as in verses 17 and 22). Although it is traditionally translated sheep, it actually refers to all of the smaller domestic animals, mainly sheep and goats, as distinct from the larger domestic animals, such as cattle. When this chapter focuses on individual animals within the flock, a different word is used (see verses 17, 20, 22).

In areas where sheep are unknown, translators may also have difficulty with shepherds, people who take care of sheep. If there is a word for someone who takes care of other kinds of livestock, this may be used in some contexts for shepherds. However, sheep are such an important symbol in the Bible that in those areas where they are not known, translators will need to introduce sheep to their readers with pictures and descriptions. One possible descriptive phrase is “domestic animals called sheep [that give wool and meat].” Shepherds may then be rendered “people who tend [or, take care of] sheep.”

Quoted with permission from Gross, Carl & Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on Ezekiel. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .