Jezekiel 18

1 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

The word of the LORD came to me again, saying,

2 Son of man, what mean you by this parable among the children of Israel, saying, The fathers have eaten unripe grapes, and the children's teeth have been set on edge?

"What do you mean, that you use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, 'The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge?'

3 [As] I live, says the Lord, surely this parable shall no more be spoken in Israel.

As I live, says the LORD, you shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel.

4 For all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son, they are mine: the soul that sins, it shall die.

Look, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul who sins, he shall die.

5 But the man who shall be just, who executes judgment and righteousness,

"But if a man is just, and does that which is lawful and right,

6 who shall not eat upon the mountains, and shall not at all lift up his eyes to the devices of the house of Israel, and shall not defile his neighbor's wife, and shall not draw near to her that is removed,

and has not eaten on the mountains, neither has lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, neither has defiled his neighbor's wife, neither has come near to a woman in her impurity,

7 and shall not oppress any man, [but] shall return the pledge of the debtor, and shall be guilty of no plunder, shall give his bread to the hungry, and clothe the naked;

and has not wronged any, but has restored to the debtor his pledge, has taken nothing by robbery, has given his bread to the hungry, and has covered the naked with a garment;

8 and shall not lend his money upon usury, and shall not receive usurious increase, and shall turn back his hand from injustice, shall execute righteous judgment between a man and his neighbor,

he who has not given forth on interest, neither has taken any increase, who has withdrawn his hand from iniquity, has executed true justice between man and man,

9 and has walked in my commandments and kept mine ordinances, to do them; he is righteous, he shall surely live, says the Lord.

has walked in my statutes, and has kept my ordinances, to deal truly; he is just, he shall surely live," says the LORD.

10 And if he beget a mischievous son, shedding blood and committing sins,

"If he fathers a son who is a robber, a shedder of blood, and who does any one of these things,

11 who has not walked in the way of his righteous father, but has even eaten upon the mountains, and has defiled his neighbor's wife,

and who does not any of those duties, but even has eaten on the mountains, and defiled his neighbor's wife,

12 and has oppressed the poor and needy, and has committed robbery, and not restored a pledge, and has set his eyes upon idols, has wrought iniquities,

has wronged the poor and needy, has taken by robbery, has not restored the pledge, and has lifted up his eyes to the idols, has committed abomination,

13 has lent upon usury, and taken usurious increase; he shall by no means live: he has wrought all these iniquities; he shall surely die; his blood shall be upon him.

has given forth on interest, and has taken increase; shall he then live? He shall not live: he has done all these abominations; he shall surely die; his blood shall be on him.

14 And if he beget a son, and [the son] see all his father's sins which he has wrought, and fear, and not do according to them,

"Now, look, if he fathers a son, who sees all his father's sins, which he has done, and fears, and does not such like;

15 and [if he] has not eaten on the mountains, and has not set his eyes on the devices of the house of Israel, and has not defiled his neighbor's wife,

who has not eaten on the mountains, neither has lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, has not defiled his neighbor's wife,

16 and has not oppressed a man, and has not retained the pledge, nor committed robbery, has given his bread to the hungry, and has clothed the naked,

neither has wronged any, has not taken anything to pledge, neither has taken by robbery, but has given his bread to the hungry, and has covered the naked with a garment;

17 and has turned back his hand from unrighteousness, has not received interest or usurious increase, has wrought righteousness, and walked in mine ordinances; he shall not die for the iniquities of his father, he shall surely live.

who has withdrawn his hand from the poor, who has not received interest nor increase, has executed my ordinances, has walked in my statutes; he shall not die for the iniquity of his father, he shall surely live.

18 But if his father grievously afflict, or plunder, he has wrought enmity in the midst of my people, and shall die in his iniquity.

As for his father, because he cruelly oppressed, robbed his brother, and did that which is not good among his people, look, he shall die in his iniquity.

19 But you will say, Why has not the son borne the iniquity of the father? Because the son has wrought judgment and mercy, has kept all my statues, and done them, he shall surely live.

"Yet you say, 'Why doesn't the son bear the iniquity of the father?' When the son has done that which is lawful and right, and has kept all my statutes, and has done them, he shall surely live.

20 But the soul that sins shall die: and the son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, nor shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the iniquity of the transgressor shall be upon him.

The soul who sins, he shall die: the son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son; the righteousness of the righteous shall be on him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be on him.

21 And if the transgressor turn away from all his iniquities which he has committed, and keep all my commandments, and do justice and mercy, he shall surely live, and shall by no means die.

"But if the wicked turn from all his sins that he has committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die.

22 None of his trespasses which he has committed shall be remembers: in his righteousness which he has done he shall live.

None of his transgressions that he has committed shall be remembered against him: in his righteousness that he has done he shall live.

23 Shall I at all desire death of the sinner, says the Lord, as I [desire] that he should turn from [his] evil way, and live?

Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked?" says the LORD; "and not rather that he should return from his way, and live?

24 But when the righteous man turns away from his righteousness, and commits iniquity, according to all the transgressions which the transgressor has wrought, none of his righteousness which he has wrought shall be at all remembered: in his trespass wherein he has trespassed, and in his sins wherein he has sinned, in them shall he die.

But when the righteous turns away from his righteousness, and commits iniquity, and does according to all the abominations that the wicked man does, shall he live? None of his righteous deeds that he has done shall be remembered: in his trespass that he has trespassed, and in his sin that he has sinned, in them shall he die.

25 Yet you have said, The way of the Lord is not straight. Hear now, all the house of Israel; will not my way be straight? Is your way straight?

"'Yet you say, "The way of the LORD is not just." Hear now, house of Israel: "Is my way not just? Aren't your ways unjust?"

26 When the righteous turns away from his righteousness and commits a trespass, and dies in the trespass he has committed, he shall [even] die in it.

When the righteous man turns away from his righteousness, and commits iniquity, and dies in it; in his iniquity that he has done shall he die.

27 And when the wicked man turns away from his wickedness that he has committed, and shall do judgment and justice, he has kept his soul,

Again, when the wicked man turns away from his wickedness that he has committed, and does that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive.

28 and has turned away from all his ungodliness which he has committed: he shall surely live, he shall not die.

Because he considers, and turns away from all his transgressions that he has committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die.

29 Yet the house of Israel say, The way of the Lord is not right. Is not my way right, O house of Israel? is not your way wrong?

Yet the house of Israel says, "The way of the LORD is not just." "House of Israel, aren't my ways just? Aren't your ways unjust?"

30 I will judge you, O house of Israel, says the Lord, each one according to his way: be converted, and turn from all your ungodliness, and it shall not become to you the punishment of iniquity.

"'Therefore I will judge you, house of Israel, everyone according to his ways,' says the LORD. 'Return, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin.

31 Cast away from yourselves all your ungodliness wherein you have sinned against me; and make to yourselves a new heart and a new spirit: for why should you die, O house of Israel?

Cast away from you all your transgressions, in which you have transgressed; and make yourself a new heart and a new spirit: for why will you die, house of Israel?

32 For I desire not the death of him that dies, says the Lord.

For I have no pleasure in the death of him who dies,' says the LORD: 'therefore turn yourselves, and live.'"