Prophetic Sign-Acts: Two Shepherds: Scholars regularly name this passage as one of the most difficult in the book. Part of the reason for this assessment is that it frustrates the reader’s initial expectations. It appears to be a narrative report of prophetic sign-acts commissioned by God and performed by the prophet, who narrates in the first person. The two commissions (vv. 4, 15) and divine words of judgment that interpret the sign-acts (vv. 6, 16) fit this pattern well. Yet God’s words of explanation to the prophet in verse 5 go beyond what the prophet could orchestrate on his own initiative. They warn him that his ministry will be futile to save the flock from slaughter (see Isa. 6:9–13). It is impossible to identify the buyers and sellers, or even the flock on their way to be slaught…