Knowwellthe conditionof your flocks,[And] payattentionto your herds;
shepherdthe flockof Godamongyou, exercising oversightnot under compulsion,but voluntarily,accordingto [the will of] God;and not for sordid gain,but with eagerness;
He builttowersin the wildernessand hewedmanycisterns,for he hadmuchlivestock,both in the lowlandand in the plain.[He also had] plowmenand vinedressersin the hillcountryand the fertilefields,for he lovedthe soil.
But he saidto him, "My lordknowsthat the childrenare frailand that the flocksand herdswhich are nursingare a careto me. And if they are drivenhardoneday,allthe flockswill die.
When I saw,I reflectedupon it; I looked,[and] receivedinstruction.
"To him the doorkeeperopens,and the sheephearhis voice,and he callshis ownsheepby nameand leadsthem out.
"As for you, My sheep,the sheepof My pasture,you are men,and I am your God,"declaresthe LordGOD.
he saidto them, "Taketo your heartallthe wordswith whichI am warningyou today,whichyou shall commandyour sonsto observecarefully,[even] allthe wordsof thislaw.
Now Eliabhis oldestbrotherheardwhen he spoketo the men;and Eliab'sangerburnedagainst Davidand he said,"Whyhave you comedown?And with whomhave you leftthosefewsheepin the wilderness?I knowyour insolenceand the wickednessof your heart;for you have comedownin orderto seethe battle."
Then Pharaohturnedand wentinto his housewith noconcernevenfor this.
Prepareyour workoutsideAnd makeit readyfor yourself in the field;Afterwards,then, buildyour house.
Hearthe wordof the LORD,O nations,And declarein the coastlandsafaroff,And say,"He who scatteredIsraelwill gatherhim And keephim as a shepherdkeeps his flock."
"As a shepherdcaresfor his herdin the daywhen he is amonghis scatteredsheep,soI will carefor My sheepand will deliverthem from allthe placesto whichthey were scatteredon a cloudyand gloomyday.
