# you had been straying like lost sheep

Peter compares his readers' actions before they had believed in Christ to the way lost sheep wander away from their shepherd. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-simile]])

# the shepherd ... of your souls

The word "shepherd" is a metaphor for a person who protects another, and the word "souls" is a metonym for the people themselves. Alternate translation: "your shepherd..." (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-metaphor]])