"Their guards are all blind and ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, unable to bark, delirious lying down, loving to sleep. And these are dogs, greedy in soul, not knowing satiety; and these are senseless shepherds: all look to their own way, each to the last, to his own gain" (Isaiah 56:10-11).

"And I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who shall shepherd you with knowledge and prudence" (Jeremiah 3:15).

"Their shepherds became senseless, and did not seek the Lord, and therefore they acted foolishly, and all their flock was scattered" (Jeremiah 10:21).

"A multitude of shepherds have spoiled My vineyard, they have trampled My portion under their feet; My beloved plot has been made a desolate wilderness, and in desolation it weepeth before Me; the whole earth is desolate, because no man puts it to his heart" (Jeremiah 12:10-11).

"Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the Lord. Therefore thus saith the Lord God of Israel to the shepherds who shepherd my people: Ye have scattered my sheep, and have scattered them, and have not watched them; behold, I will punish you for your evil deeds, says the Lord. And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries whither I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their courts, and they will be fruitful and multiply. And I will appoint shepherds over them, who will shepherd them, and they will no longer be afraid or frightened, and will not be lost, says the Lord. Behold, the days are coming, saith the Lord, and I will raise up a righteous branch for David, and a King will reign, and will act wisely, and will execute judgment and righteousness on the earth. And in his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell in safety; and behold, His name, by which He shall be called, 'The Lord is our justification.' (Jeremiah 23:1-6).

"Behold, I will make thy face strong against their faces, and thy forehead strong against theirs. As a diamond, which is stronger than a stone, I have made thy forehead; do not be afraid of them, nor be afraid in their face, for they are a rebellious house" (Ezek. 3:8-9).

"Son of man! I have made thee a watchman over the house of Israel, and thou shalt hear the word out of my mouth, and shalt admonish them from me. When I say to the wicked, Thou shalt surely die, and thou wilt not admonish him, and speak, to warn the wicked man from his wicked way, that he may live, then that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, and I will demand his blood at thy hands. But if thou hast admonished the wicked, and he has not turned from his iniquity and from his wicked way, then he shall die in his iniquity, but thou hast saved thy soul. And if a righteous man depart from his righteousness, and do iniquity, when I put a stumbling block before him, and he dies, if thou hast not admonished him, he shall die for his sin, and his righteous deeds which he hath done shall not be remembered unto him; and I will demand his blood at thy hands. But if you admonish the righteous, so that the righteous man will not sin, and he will not sin; then he also shall live, because he was admonished, and thou hast saved thy soul" (Ezekiel 3:17-21).

"And the word of the Lord came to me, Son of man! prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them shepherds, Thus saith the Lord God, Woe unto the shepherds of Israel, who have shepherded themselves. Should not shepherds feed the flock? You ate fat (the most delicious part of the animal) and dressed yourself in waves, you slaughtered fattened sheep, but did not graze the flocks. The weak were not strengthened, and the sick sheep were not healed, and the wounded were not bandaged, and the stolen were not returned, and the lost were not sought, but they ruled them with violence and cruelty. And they were scattered without a shepherd, and when they were scattered, they became food for every beast of the field. My sheep are wandering in all the mountains, and in every high hill, and my sheep are scattered over all the face of the earth, and no one searches for them, and no one seeks them" (Ezekiel 34:1-6).

"Woe to the worthless shepherd who forsakes his flock! a sword on his hand and on his right eye! his hand shall be utterly withered, and his right eye shall be utterly dull" (Zech. 11:17).

"The mouth of the priest must keep knowledge, and the law is sought from his mouth, because he is a messenger of the Lord of hosts" (Mal. 2:7).

Advice to Young Priests by Father Alexander Elchaninov (+1934)

Pastoral work should be individual and creative. A method often practiced becomes a routine.

Any word or instruction has meaning and value only when it comes from one's own spiritual experience and knowledge. Every word spoken only with the lips is dead and false, and always those who hear it unerringly discern it.

"Pastoral" texts (I subscribe for guidance):