< Ezekiel 18 >
1 BOEIPA ol he kai taengla ha pawk tih,
Yahweh gave me another message. [He said, ]
2 “Nangmih te mebang nim? Israel khohmuen ham tah he thuidoeknah na thuidoek uh. 'Pa rhoek loh thaihkang a caak uh tih, ca rhoek kah a no yaa,’ na ti uh.
“You people quote [RHQ] this proverb [and say that it is] about Israel: ‘Parents/People eat sour grapes, but it is their children who have a very sour taste in their mouths', [which means that you think that it is not fair for you to be punished for your ancestors’ sins].
3 Kai tah hingnah ni tite, ka Boeipa Yahovah kah olphong ni. He thuidoeknah neh na thuidoek he nangmih Israel khuiah om voel mahpawh.
But [I], Yahweh the Lord, declare that [as surely] as I am alive, you Israeli people will no longer quote that proverb.
4 Hinglu boeih te kamah taengkah ni he. A napa kah hinglu khaw ka taengah tah capa kah hinglu bangla om boeiloeih. Aka tholh tah amah hinglu ni a duek eh.
Everyone [who is alive] belongs to me. That includes children and their parents; they all belong to me. And it is those who sin who will [because of their sins].
5 Hlang he a dueng la a om atah tiktamnah neh duengnah ni a saii.
[So, ] suppose there is a righteous person [always] does what is fair and right [DOU].
6 Tlang ah ca pawt tih Israel imkhui kah mueirhol te a mik huel thil pawh. A hui yuu te poeih pawt tih pumom nu taengah mop pawh.
He does not [meat sacrificed to idols] on the hilltops, he does not request help from idols. He does not have sex with someone else’s wife or have sex with a woman during her monthly menstrual period.
7 Hlang te laibakung kah hnohol vuelvaek pawt tih a huenkoe te a mael tih a rhawth pawt atah, a buh te bungpong taengah a paek tih pumtling te himbai a khuk atah,
He does not mistreat/oppress people; if [borrows money from him and gives him his cloak to guarantee that he will pay the money back], he always gives the cloak back to that [before the sun goes down]. He does not rob people. He gives food to hungry people. He gives clothing to people who need clothes.
8 A casai la pae pawt tih dumlai lamloh a puehkan la a loh pawt atah. A kut a poem tih hlang neh hlang laklo ah oltak la tiktamnah a saii atah,
When he lends money to people, he does not [do it just to] charge big interest. He does not do [SYN] things that are evil. He [always] decides things fairly.
9 Ka khosing dongah pongpa tih ka laitloeknah he vai ham a dueng la oltak a ngaithuen atah hing rhoe hing ni. He tah ka Boeipa Yahovah kah olphong ni.
He faithfully obeys all [DOU] my laws. That man is truly righteous; he will remain alive. [That is what I, ] Yahweh the Lord, promise.
10 Thii aka hawk dingca loh ca a sak mai tih anunae te khuikah pakhat lamloh a saii khaming.
But suppose that man has a son who acts violently, who murders people and does any of these other things, even though his father has not done any of them:
11 Te boeih te anih loh saii pawt cakhaw tlang ah a caak tih a hui yuu te a poeih atah,
He [meat sacrificed to idols] on the hilltops. He has sex with other people’s wives.
12 A huenkoe neh mangdaeng khodaeng a vuelvaek tih hnohol a rhawth pah khaw mael pawh. A mik te mueirhol taengla a huel tih tueilaehkoi te a saii.
He mistreats/oppresses poor and needy people. He robs people. If someone gives him his cloak to [that he will pay the money back], he never gives the cloak back to [before the sun goes down]. He seeks help from idols. He does [other] detestable things.
13 A casai la a paek tih a puehkan a loh dongah hing rhoe hing mahpawh. Tueilaehkoi cungkuem he a saii dongah duek rhoe duek vetih a thii te amah soah tla ni.
When he lends money, he [very big] interest. If you think that such a person [be allowed to] remain alive [RHQ], you are certainly wrong. Because he has done those detestable things, he will surely be executed, and it will be his own fault [IDM].
14 Tedae a ca sak loh a napa kah tholhnah cungkuem a saii te a hmuh ne. A hmuh dae amih bangla a saii moenih.
But suppose that man has a son who sees all the sins that his father commits, but he does not do those things:
15 Tlang ah ca pawt tih Israel im kah mueirhol te a mik huel thil pawh, a hui yuu te poeih pah pawh.
He does not [meat sacrificed to idols] on the hilltops. He does not request help from idols. He does not have sex with other people’s wives.
16 Hlang te vuelvaek pawt tih hnohol te laikoi sak pawh, a huenkoe neh hlang rheth pawh. A buh te bungpong taengla a paek tih pumtling te himbai a khuk.
He does not mistreat/oppress people. If he lends money to someone, he does not require that person to give him his cloak to guarantee that he will pay the money back. He does not rob anyone. He gives food to those who need it. He gives clothes to those who need clothes.
17 Mangdaeng taengah a kut a poem tih a casai neh a puehkan la lo pawh. Ka laitloeknah te a vai tih ka khosing dongah pongpa. Anih tah a napa kathaesainah dongah te duek pawt vetih hing rhoe hing ni.
He does not commit sins, [like his father did], and does not charge big interest [DOU] when he lends money. He faithfully obeys [all] [DOU] my laws. That person will not be executed for his father’s sins; he will surely remain alive.
18 A napa khaw hnaemtaeknah neh a hnaemtaek tih a manuca kah kutkho a rhawth, a pilnam lakli ah, a then a saii pawt te amah kathaesainah dongah ni a duek van eh ne.
But his father will be executed for the sins that he committed, because he cheated people and robbed people and did [other] things that are evil.
19 Tedae, “Balae tih pa kathaesainah te capa loh a phueih pawh,” na ti uh. Ca khaw tiktamnah neh duengnah a saii phoeiah ka khosing boeih te a ngaithuen tih a vai atah hing rhoe hing ni.
[If] you ask, ‘Why should the [man’s] son not (suffer/be punished) for the evil things that his father did?’, [I will answer that] the son has done what is fair and right [DOU] and has obeyed all my laws, so he will surely remain alive.
20 Amah tholh ah ni a hinglu a duek eh. Pa kathaesainah te capa loh phuei pawt vetih capa kathaesainah te pa loh phuei mahpawh. Aka dueng tah a taengah duengnah om vetih halang, halang tah a taengah halangnah ni a om eh.
It is those who sin who will [because of their sins]. People will not be punished for the sins of their parents, or for the sins of their children. Good/Righteous people will be rewarded for their being good/righteous, and evil people will be punished for [doing] evil.
21 Halang khaw tholhnah a saii dae a tholhnah cungkuem lamloh mael tih ka khosing te boeih a vai, tiktamnah neh duengnah te a saii atah hing rhoe hing vetih duek mahpawh.
But if a wicked person (turns away from/quits) doing all the evil things that he did previously, and if he starts to obey faithfully all my laws, and does what is fair and right [DOU], he will surely remain alive; he will not be executed.
22 A boekoeknah cungkuem a saii te amih soah poek uh mahpawh. Amah kah duengnah a saii dongah hing ni.
He will not be punished for the sins he committed [previously]. Because of the good/righteous things that he has done [since that time], he [be allowed to] remain alive.
23 Halang kah dueknah te ka ngaih khaw ka ngaih aya? He tah ka Boeipa Yahovah kah olphong ni. A longpuei lamloh a mael lalah khaw hing aya?
[I], Yahweh the Lord, declare that I certainly am not [RHQ] happy about wicked people dying. Instead, I am happy when they turn away from their wicked behavior, [because of that, they] remain alive.
24 Tedae aka dueng khaw a duengnah lamloh mael tih halang loh tueilaehkoi boeih a saii bangla dumlai saii koinih boekoeknah la boe a koek dongah a hing vaengah a duengnah neh duengnah cungkuem a saii khaw a saii la poek uh mahpawh. Amah kah tholhnah a saii dongah amah ni a duek eh.
But if a righteous person stops doing righteous things and [starts to] commit sins and does the same detestable things that wicked people do, he will certainly not [RHQ] [be allowed to] remain alive. I will not think about the righteous things that he did previously. Because he did not [do what pleases me], and because of [all] the sins that he has committed, he will be executed.
25 Te pataeng, 'BOEIPA kah longpuei he tiktam pawh,’ na ti. Israel imkhui hnatun laeh na tiuh. Ka longpuei he a tiktam moenih a? A tiktam pawt te nangmih kah longpuei moenih a?
But you say, ‘Yahweh does not act fairly!’ You Israeli people, listen to what I say: It is certainly not [RHQ] what I do that is unfair, it is what you continually do that is not fair/right!
26 Aka dueng te a duengnah lamloh mael tih dumlai saii koinih te rhoek dongah amah ni aka duek eh. Amah kah dumlai a saii dongah amah duek ni.
If a righteous person (turns away from/quits) doing what is righteous and commits sins, he will [for committing those sins].
27 Tedae halang khaw a halangnah a saii lamloh mael tih tiktamnah neh duengnah saii koinih a hinglu te hing ni.
But if a wicked person turns away from doing wicked things and does what is just and right [DOU], he will save [from being executed/punished].
28 A hmuh tih a boekoeknah cungkuem a saii lamloh a mael la a mael atah hing rhoe hing vetih duek mahpawh.
Because he has thought about all the evil things that he did and has turned away from doing them, he will [be allowed to] live. He will not be executed [for having done evil things].
29 Tedae Israel imkhui loh, “Ka Boeipa kah longpuei tiktam pawh,” a ti. Israel imkhui a tiktam pawt te kai longpuei e? Aka tiktam pawt te nangmih kah longpuei moenih a?
But [you] Israeli people [MTY] say, ‘Yahweh does not act fairly.’ You people of Israel, my behavior is certainly not [RHQ] unfair! It is your behavior that is not right.
30 Te dongah hlang he a longpuei banglam ni Israel imkhui nangmih te lai kan tloek eh. He tah ka Boeipa Yahovah olphong ni. Yut uh lamtah na boekoek cungkuem lamloh mael uh laeh. Te daengah ni nangmih ham thaesainah hmuitoel la a om pawt eh.
Therefore, you Israeli people [MTY], I, Yahweh the Lord, will judge each of you according to what you have done. Repent! Turn [away] from all your wicked behavior! Then you will not be destroyed [PRS] because of your sins.
31 Nangmih kah boekoeknah cungkuem neh boe na koek uh te nangmih taeng lamloh voeiuh. Lungbuei thai neh mueihla thai mah namamih ham saii uh. Balae tih Israel imkhui loh na duek uh eh?
Get rid of all your wicked behavior, and get a new way of thinking [IDM, DOU]. You Israeli people [MTY], (do you really want to be executed for your sins?/you act as though you want to be executed [for your sins]) [RHQ].
32 Dueknah neh a duek te ka ngaih moenih. He tah ka Boeipa Yahovah kah olphong ni. Te dongah yut uh lamtah hing uh laeh,” a ti.
[I], Yahweh the Lord, declare that I am not pleased about your dying. So repent, and remain alive!”