Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says to them: ‘Behold, I Myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep.
Parallel translations
- WEB Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh to them: Behold, I, even I, will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep.
- KJV Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD unto them; Behold, I, even I, will judge between the fat cattle and between the lean cattle.
- NKJV ‘Therefore thus says the Lord God to them: “Behold, I Myself will judge between the fat and the lean sheep.
- NASB Therefore, this is what the Lord God says to them: “Behold, I, I Myself will also judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep.
- NLT “Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will surely judge between the fat sheep and the scrawny sheep.
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 declares that He will personally judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. The Lord defends the oppressed within His flock.
Overview
The emphatic 'I, even I, will judge' assures the weak that their cause is in God's hands. He will distinguish the oppressors from the oppressed and act accordingly. This is gospel comfort for the mistreated and warning for the powerful, fulfilled in Christ who will separate sheep from goats by how they treated the least (Matt. 25:31-46).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Matt 25:31–46When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His glorious throne.
- Ps 22:12–16Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.
- Ezek 34:10This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will demand from them My flock and remove them from tending the flock, so that they can no longer feed themselves. For I will deliver My flock from their mouths, and it will no longer be food for them.’
- Ezek 34:17This is what the Lord GOD says to you, My flock: ‘I will judge between one sheep and another, between the rams and the goats.
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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 34:20 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.