פְּתַח לְבָנוֹן דְּלָתֶיךָ וְתֹאכַל אֵשׁ בַּאֲרָזֶיךָ

Open your doors, the entrances that lead into you, forest of Lebanon; alternatively, Lebanon is a reference to the Temple, and the prophet is calling for its doors to be opened for the enemy, and fire will consume your cedars.

הֵילֵל בְּרוֹשׁ כִּי־נָפַל אֶרֶז אֲשֶׁר אַדִּרִים שֻׁדָּדוּ הֵילִילוּ אַלּוֹנֵי בָשָׁן כִּי יָרַד יַעַר הַבָּצִיר

Wail, juniper, one of the trees of Lebanon, for the cedar, a tree that grows to great heights in Lebanon, has fallen, for the mighty trees are despoiled; wail, oaks of Bashan, for the fortified forest, thick with trees crowded close together, has come down.

קוֹל יִלְלַת הָרֹעִים כִּי שֻׁדְּדָה אַדַּרְתָּם קוֹל שַׁאֲגַת כְּפִירִים כִּי שֻׁדַּד גְּאוֹן הַיַּרְדֵּן

There is heard the sound of the wailing of the shepherds, because their pasture, which was covered with vegetation, is despoiled, and there is heard the sound of the roar of young lions, because the thicket of the Jordan is despoiled.

כֹּה אָמַר ה' אֱלֹהָי רְעֵה אֶת־צֹאן הַהֲרֵגָה

So said the Lord my God to me: Shepherd the flock of sheep that is not cultivated for milk or wool, but mainly for slaughter,

אֲשֶׁר קֹנֵיהֶן יַהַרְגֻן וְלֹא יֶאְשָׁמוּ וּמֹכְרֵיהֶן יֹאמַר בָּרוּךְ ה' וַאעְשִׁר וְרֹעֵיהֶם לֹא יַחְמוֹל עֲלֵיהֶן

whose buyers will kill them, without feeling guilty for killing the animals; and whose sellers say: Blessed is the Lord, and I will become wealthy. The seller is not bothered by their slaughter either; and their own shepherds will not pity them. No care is shown toward the slaughtered flock; the buyers slaughter them, the sellers are happy to be rid of them, and the shepherds have no mercy on them at all.

כִּי לֹא אֶחְמוֹל עוֹד עַל־יֹשְׁבֵי הָאָרֶץ נְאֻם־ה' וְהִנֵּה אָנֹכִי מַמְצִיא אֶת־הָאָדָם אִישׁ בְּיַד־רֵעֵהוּ וּבְיַד מַלְכּוֹ וכִתְּתוּ אֶת־הָאָרֶץ וְלֹא אַצִּיל מִיָּדָם

For I will not have compassion any longer for the inhabitants of the land, who are compared to neglected sheep – the utterance of the Lord; behold, I will deliver the people, each into the hand of his neighbor and into the hand of his king. People will oppress each other, and the king himself is likely to be the worst offender of all. And they will thereby beat, smash to pieces, the land, and I will not deliver it from their hands.

וָאֶרְעֶה אֶת־צֹאן הַהֲרֵגָה לָכֵן עֲנִיֵּי הַצֹּאן וָאֶקַּח־לִי שְׁנֵי מַקְלוֹת לְאַחַד קָרָאתִי נֹעַם וּלְאַחַד קָרָאתִי חֹבְלִים וָאֶרְעֶה אֶת־הַצֹּאן

The prophet relates: I shepherded the flock that is for slaughter, as I was commanded in my prophetic vision, indeed they were the poor of the flock, the most miserable specimens. And I took for Myself two staffs, one I called Pleasantness, and one I called Injurers, symbolic names that express different treatment of the sheep. And I herded the flock. The shepherd-leader must know when to deal gently with his flock and when to strike them.

וָאַכְחִד אֶת־שְׁלֹשֶׁת הָרֹעִים בְּיֶרַח אֶחָד וַתִּקְצַר נַפְשִׁי בָּהֶם וְגַם־נַפְשָׁם בָּחֲלָה בִי

I removed the three other shepherds who were taking care of the flock in one month, and My soul became impatient with them, I could not bear the flock and its shepherds, and their soul also loathed [bah·] Me. The word baḥala is perhaps a deliberate jumbling of the letters of ḥovelim, Injurers, the name of one of the staffs in the previous verse.

וָאֹמַר לֹא אֶרְעֶה אֶתְכֶם הַמֵּתָה תָמוּת וְהַנִּכְחֶדֶת תִּכָּחֵד וְהַנִּשְׁאָרוֹת תֹּאכַלְנָה אִשָּׁה אֶת־בְּשַׂר רְעוּתָהּ

I said: I will not shepherd you anymore. I absolve Myself of further responsibility for your care, and therefore the dying will die, and the lost will be lost, and as for the remaining ones that did not leave the flock, each one will eat the other’s flesh.

וָאֶקַּח אֶת־מַקְלִי אֶת־נֹעַם וָאֶגְדַּע אֹתוֹ לְהָפֵיר אֶת־בְּרִיתִי אֲשֶׁר כָּרַתִּי אֶת כָּל־הָעַמִּים

I took my staff, the one called Pleasantness, and I broke it, to breach My covenant that I made with all the peoples, in which I forbade them from harming My flock.

וַתֻּפַר בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא וַיֵּדְעוּ כֵן עֲנִיֵּי הַצֹּאן הַשֹּׁמְרִים אֹתִי כִּי דְבַר־ה' הוּא

It, the covenant, was breached on that day, as only the staff called Injurers remained; and the poor of the flock that heed Me, who follow my actions and listen to me, knew that it was so, for it is the word of the Lord.

וָאֹמַר אֲלֵיהֶם אִם־טוֹב בְּעֵינֵיכֶם הָבוּ שְׂכָרִי וְאִם־לֹא חֲדָלוּ וַיִּשְׁקְלוּ אֶת־שְׂכָרִי שְׁלֹשִׁים כָּסֶף

I said to them, the anonymous owners of the flock: I tended the flock with the aid of the two staffs. Perhaps I was not greatly successful, as I was unable to rescue and rehabilitate them, but I tried to lead them to the best of my ability. Now, if it is good in your eyes, give me my fee, and if not, stop. I cannot force you to pay me. They weighed my fee, thirty silver shekels. Although the meaning of all the various details of this symbolic event are obscure, and have been interpreted in different ways, it is apparently referring to some sort of ruler of Israel who no longer has the strength to lead, and consequently his flock is left on its own. Nevertheless, he is granted some reward in gratitude for his services.

וַיֹּאמֶר ה' אֵלַי הַשְׁלִיכֵהוּ אֶל־הַיּוֹצֵר אֶדֶר הַיְקָר אֲשֶׁר יָקַרְתִּי מֵעֲלֵיהֶם וָאֶקְחָה שְׁלֹשִׁים הַכֶּסֶף וָאַשְׁלִיךְ אֹתוֹ בֵּית ה' אֶל־הַיּוֹצֵר

The Lord said to me: Do not use this silver, but toss it to the craftsman, give it to a potter, perhaps to melt the silver, together with the precious cloak [eder] with which I was distinguished over them, the flock. In other words: And also the fine robe [aderet] with which I was honored, or the honor I removed from the flock. Take away from the people the splendor that enwraps them. I took the thirty silver shekels and I tossed it into the House of the Lord, to the craftsman. The silver pieces were placed in the Temple of God.

וָאֶגְדַּע אֶת־מַקְלִי הַשֵּׁנִי אֵת הַחֹבְלִים לְהָפֵר אֶת־הָאַחֲוָה בֵּין יְהוּדָה וּבֵין יִשְׂרָאֵל

I broke my second staff, Injurers. When the shepherd lacks even the symbols of control, he resigns his post entirely. Among other consequences, this act served to breach the brotherhood between Judah and Israel. This is probably not referring to Zechariah’s own period, but to an era that preceded him, or some future time.

וַיֹּאמֶר ה' אֵלָי עוֹד קַח־לְךָ כְּלִי רֹעֶה אֱוִלִי

The Lord said to me: Furthermore, take the accoutrements, garments, of an incompetent shepherd, a failure.

כִּי הִנֵּה־אָנֹכִי מֵקִים רֹעֶה בָּאָרֶץ הַנִּכְחָדוֹת לֹא־יִפְקֹד הַנַּעַר לֹא־יְבַקֵּשׁ וְהַנִּשְׁבֶּרֶת לֹא יְרַפֵּא; הַנִּצָּבָה לֹא יְכַלְכֵּל וּבְשַׂר הַבְּרִיאָה יֹאכַל וּפַרְסֵיהֶן יְפָרֵק

For behold, I am establishing a shepherd, a terrible leader, in the land. He will not reckon with the lost, he will not count or worry about those sheep that are lost, and he will not seek the young sheep, and he will not heal the broken, those with broken limbs; and he will not feed the standing, those that do not feed themselves, but he himself will eat the flesh of the fat, and then he will break off their hooves, for his own use. The shepherd will take no interest in the welfare of his flock. Furthermore, every so often he will grab one of the sheep for his own needs.

הוֹי רֹעִי הָאֱלִיל עֹזְבִי הַצֹּאן חֶרֶב עַל־זְרוֹעוֹ וְעַל־עֵין יְמִינוֹ זְרֹעוֹ יָבוֹשׁ תִּיבָשׁ וְעֵין יְמִינוֹ כָּהֹה תִכְהֶה

The prophet issues a lamentation for the leadership of Israel. As stated above, it is unclear to which historical period this is referring. Woe! The worthless shepherd, the leader who lacks all power and effectiveness, who abandons the flock; a sword of death will be on his arm, and in his right eye; his arm will wither, and his right eye will be blinded. Zechariah depicts a leadership that is apathetic about its role, and that takes advantage of the people for its own benefit. When someone, perhaps the prophet himself, tries to guide and fashion the correct form of leadership as, in the parable, the proper balance between the staffs of Pleasantness and Injurers, his efforts are to no avail. The leaders on the lower levels abandon the main leader and no one wants to carry on. The head leader also departs, and only the worthless remain, with their pretentions of leadership, although they are nothing but a group of exploiters. Ultimately, the people are left defenseless, and they fight among themselves.