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Thus saith the Lord my God; Feede the flocke of the slaughter;

Whose possessours slay them, and hold themselues not guiltie: and they that sell the say, Blessed be the Lord; for I am rich: and their owne shepheards pitie them not.

For I will no more pitie the inhabitants of the land, saith the Lord: but loe, I will deliuer the men euery one into his neighbours hand, and into the hand of his King, and they shall smite the land, and out of their hand I will not deliuer them.

And I will feede the flocke of slaughter, euen you, O poore of the flock: and I tooke vnto me two staues; the one I called Beautie, and the other I called Bandes, and I fed the flocke.

Three shepheards also I cut off in one moneth, and my soule loathed them, and their soule also abhorred mee.

Then said I, I will not feede you: that that dieth, let it die: and that that is to be cut off, let it be cut off, and let the rest eate, euery one the flesh of another.

And I tooke my staffe, euen Beautie, and cut it asunder, that I might breake my couenant which I had made with all the people.

And it was broken in that day: and so the poore of the flocke that waited vpon me, knew that it was the word of the Lord.

And I said vnto them, If yee thinke good, giue me my price: and if not, forbeare: so they weighed for my price thirtie pieces of siluer.

And the Lord said vnto mee, Cast it vnto the potter: a goodly price, that I was prised at of them. And I tooke the thirtie pieces of siluer, and cast them to the potter in the house of the Lord.

Then I cut asunder mine other staffe, euen Bands, that I might break the brotherhood betweene Iudah and Israel.