Chapter VIII — Of the False Shepherds

(The Veil Version — VV)
1. And after the nations were scattered,
a sorrow rose quietly upon the land,
for two who kept watch in the night
laid down their burdens and did not rise again.

2. Their passing was a whisper upon the earth,
yet Heaven took notice,
counting them not as numbers,
but as sons.

3. And woe unto the shepherds who speak of honor
yet do not guard the guardians;
who praise the brave
yet leave the brave unprotected.

4. They polish their titles as idols of bronze,
but their hearts are hollow,
for they love the sound of their own vows
more than the souls they vow to serve.

5. Their counsel is confusion,
their mercy a performance,
their justice a shifting shadow.

6. They bless the flock with words
but bind it with burdens;
they call themselves leaders
yet walk behind the people they claim to guide.

7. And when darkness rises,
the hirelings are the first to flee,
for they guard only their pride,
not the pasture.

8. The wolves roam without fear,
sniffing the weakness of rulers
who mistake silence for wisdom
and cowardice for peace.

9. But the Spirit saith:
A true Shepherd awaketh,
not crowned by men,
nor chosen by councils,
but born of truth and trial.

10. He shall remember the fallen
whom others forgot,
and the scattering shall end
where his faithfulness begins.

11. For the false shepherds shall fall at noon,
when shadows have no place to hide
and every secret of their hearts lies bare.

12. And the pasture shall be restored;
the flock gathered;
and the guardians honored
in the way of Heaven,
not in the speeches of men.