I will tend My flock and make them lie down, declares the Lord GOD.
Parallel translations
- WEB I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will cause them to lie down, says the Lord Yahweh.
- KJV I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord GOD.
- NKJV I will feed My flock, and I will make them lie down,” says the Lord God.
- NASB I Myself will feed My flock and I Myself will lead them to rest,” declares the Lord God.
- NLT I myself will tend my sheep and give them a place to lie down in peace, says the Sovereign Lord.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
God Himself declares, 'I will be the shepherd of my sheep,' personally giving them rest. The Lord claims the role His appointed leaders forfeited.
Overview
This is the climactic statement of God's direct shepherding. He will tend the flock and 'cause them to lie down' in security. The 'I myself' emphasis recalls v.11 and frames the whole promise as God's personal commitment. In the New Testament this very claim is taken up by Jesus, the Lord who shepherds His people (John 10; 1 Pet. 2:25).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Ps 23:1–2A Psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
- Jer 3:15Then I will give you shepherds after My own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding.”
- John 21:15When they had finished eating, Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love Me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he answered, “You know I love You.” Jesus replied, “Feed My lambs.”
- Ezek 34:23I will appoint over them one shepherd, My servant David, and he will feed them. He will feed them and be their shepherd.
- Zeph 3:13The remnant of Israel will no longer do wrong or speak lies, nor will a deceitful tongue be found in their mouths. But they will feed and lie down, with no one to make them tremble.”
- Isa 11:6–7The wolf will live with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the goat; the calf and young lion and fatling will be together, and a little child will lead them.
- Isa 65:9–10And I will bring forth descendants from Jacob, and heirs from Judah; My elect will possess My mountains, and My servants will dwell there.
- Isa 27:10For the fortified city lies deserted—a homestead abandoned, a wilderness forsaken. There the calves graze, and there they lie down; they strip its branches bare.
- Song 1:7–8Tell me, O one I love, where do you pasture your sheep? Where do you rest them at midday? Why should I be like a veiled woman beside the flocks of your companions?
- Hos 2:18On that day I will make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field and the birds of the air and the creatures that crawl on the ground. And I will abolish bow and sword and weapons of war in the land, and will make them lie down in safety.
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
The promise of one Shepherd-King David, a new heart and new Spirit, and the river of life flowing from the temple all stream toward Christ, the good Shepherd who gives the Spirit.
How Ezekiel 34:15 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.