After firing the false shepherds, God promises to shepherd his flock himself.
Read the verse in full at Blue Letter Bible (ESV).
The first taste — one dip, the whole day.
Ezekiel 34 is God's indictment of Israel's leaders — shepherds who fed themselves and scattered the sheep. Then two promises that seem to compete: 'I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep,' and 'I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David.' When Jesus stands in Jerusalem and says 'I am the good shepherd,' he resolves the tension in his own person: God shepherding, in David's line. Ezekiel 37 completes the picture — David their prince forever, God's dwelling with them, a covenant of peace.
Promise and fulfillment — every claim linked for verification.
'I am the good shepherd' is not a pastoral metaphor plucked from the air; it is a direct claim on Ezekiel 34, where the true shepherd is God himself.
'To shepherd, tend, feed' — a governing word in the ancient world; kings were called shepherds. Ezekiel turns the title into an indictment, then into a promise fulfilled at John 10:11: the shepherd who lays down his life.
Deepest water — where the passage meets your week.
If you have been wounded by bad shepherds — leaders who fed themselves on the flock — Ezekiel 34 is God taking your side in writing. He does not defend the abusers; he fires them, then binds up the injured himself. Do not let the failure of under-shepherds keep you from the Shepherd. And if you lead anyone, read verses 2–6 annually as an examination of conscience.