Ezekiel 33

1 Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

Again the word of Jehovah came to me, saying:

2 “Son of man, speak to your people and tell them: ‘Suppose I bring the sword against a land, and the people of that land choose a man from among them, appointing him as their watchman,

Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say to them, When I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man out of their whole number, and set him for their watchman,

3 and he sees the sword coming against that land and blows the ram’s horn to warn the people.

and he seeth the sword coming on the land, and bloweth the trumpet, and warneth the people,

4 Then if anyone hears the sound of the horn but fails to heed the warning, and the sword comes and takes him away, his blood will be on his own head.

then whoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning, and the sword cometh and taketh him away, his blood shall be upon his own head.

5 Since he heard the sound of the horn but failed to heed the warning, his blood will be on his own head. If he had heeded the warning, he would have saved his life.

He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning. His blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall save his life.

6 But if the watchman sees the sword coming and fails to blow the horn to warn the people, and the sword comes and takes away a life, then that one will be taken away in his iniquity, but I will hold the watchman accountable for his blood.’

But if the watchman see the sword coming, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned, and the sword come and take away any person from among them, he is taken away for his iniquity, but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand.

7 As for you, O son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word from My mouth and give them the warning from Me.

So thou, son of man, I have set thee a watchman to the house of Israel, that thou shouldst hear the word from my mouth, and warn them from me.

8 If I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you will surely die,’ but you do not speak out to dissuade him from his way, then that wicked man will die in his iniquity, yet I will hold you accountable for his blood.

When I say to the wicked, “O wicked man, thou shalt surely die!” and thou speakest not to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die for his iniquity, but his blood will I require at thy hand.

9 But if you warn the wicked man to turn from his way, and he does not turn from it, he will die in his iniquity, but you will have saved your life.

Yet if thou warn the wicked of his way, to turn from it, and he turneth not from his way, he shall die for his iniquity, but thou hast delivered thyself.

10 Now as for you, son of man, tell the house of Israel that this is what they have said: ‘Our transgressions and our sins are heavy upon us, and we are wasting away because of them! How can we live?’

Thou, therefore, O son of man, say to the house of Israel: Rightly do ye say, “Our transgressions and our sins are upon us, and through them we pine away. How then can we live?”

11 Say to them: ‘As surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked should turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?’

Say to them, As I live, saith the Lord Jehovah, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn ye, turn ye, from your evil ways! for why will ye die, O house of Israel?

12 Therefore, son of man, say to your people: ‘The righteousness of the righteous man will not deliver him in the day of his transgression; neither will the wickedness of the wicked man cause him to stumble on the day he turns from his wickedness. Nor will the righteous man be able to survive by his righteousness on the day he sins.’

Thou also, son of man, say to the sons of thy people, The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression; and through his wickedness shall not the wicked man fall in the day when he turneth from his wickedness; neither shall the righteous be able to live in the day when he sinneth.

13 If I tell the righteous man that he will surely live, but he then trusts in his righteousness and commits iniquity, then none of his righteous works will be remembered; he will die because of the iniquity he has committed.

When I say concerning the righteous, “He shall surely live,” and he trusteth in his righteousness, and doeth iniquity, all his righteousness shall not be remembered, but for his iniquity which he hath committed shall he die.

14 But if I tell the wicked man, ‘You will surely die,’ and he turns from his sin and does what is just and right—

Again, when I say concerning the wicked, “He shall surely die,” and he turneth from his sin, and doeth that which is just and right,

15 if he restores a pledge, makes restitution for what he has stolen, and walks in the statutes of life without practicing iniquity—then he will surely live; he will not die.

and the wicked restoreth the pledge, giveth back that which he hath taken by violence, and walketh in the statutes of life without committing iniquity, he shall surely live, he shall not die.

16 None of the sins he has committed will be held against him. He has done what is just and right; he will surely live.

None of his sins which he hath committed shall be mentioned to him; he hath done that which is just and right; he shall surely live.

17 Yet your people say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ But it is their way that is not just.

And yet the sons of thy people say, “The way of the Lord is not right!” But it is their way which is not right.

18 If a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, he will die for it.

When the righteous man turneth from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, he dieth because of it.

19 But if a wicked man turns from his wickedness and does what is just and right, he will live because of this.

And when the wicked turneth from his wickedness, and doeth that which is just and right, he shall live thereby.

20 Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ But I will judge each of you according to his ways, O house of Israel.”

And yet ye say, “The way of the Lord is not right!” O house of Israel, I will judge you every one according to his ways!

21 In the twelfth year of our exile, on the fifth day of the tenth month, a fugitive from Jerusalem came to me and reported, “The city has been taken!”

And it came to pass in the twelfth year of our captivity, in the tenth month, on the fifth day of the month, that one who had escaped from Jerusalem came to me, saying, “The city is smitten!”

22 Now the evening before the fugitive arrived, the hand of the LORD was upon me, and He opened my mouth before the man came to me in the morning. So my mouth was opened and I was no longer mute.

Now the hand of Jehovah had been upon me in the evening before he that had escaped came; and he opened my mouth, until he came to me in the morning; he opened my mouth, so that I was no longer dumb.

23 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

And the word of Jehovah came to me, saying:

24 “Son of man, those living in the ruins in the land of Israel are saying, ‘Abraham was only one man, yet he possessed the land. But we are many; surely the land has been given to us as a possession.’

Son of man, they that inhabit those wastes in the land of Israel say, “Abraham was but one, and he inherited the land; but we are many; to us is the land given for an inheritance.”

25 Therefore tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘You eat meat with the blood in it, lift up your eyes to your idols, and shed blood. Should you then possess the land?

Therefore say to them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Ye eat with the blood, and life up your eyes to your idols, and shed blood; and shall ye possess the land?

26 You have relied on your swords, you have committed detestable acts, and each of you has defiled his neighbor’s wife. Should you then possess the land?’

Ye trust to your swords, ye commit abomination, and ye defile, every one, his neighbor's wife; and shall ye possess the land?

27 Tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘As surely as I live, those in the ruins will fall by the sword, those in the open field I will give to be devoured by wild animals, and those in the strongholds and caves will die by plague.

Say thou thus to them: Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: As I live, surely they that are in the wastes shall fall by the sword, and him that is in the open country will I give to the beasts to be devoured, and they that are in the forts and caves shall fall by the pestilence.

28 I will make the land a desolate waste, and the pride of her strength will come to an end. The mountains of Israel will become desolate, so that no one will pass through.

And I will make the land an utter desolation; and the pride of her strength shall cease; and the mountains of Israel shall be desolate, so that none shall pass through.

29 Then they will know that I am the LORD, when I have made the land a desolate waste because of all the abominations they have committed.’

Then shall they know that I am Jehovah, when I have made the land an utter desolation, on account of all the abominations which they practise.

30 As for you, son of man, your people are talking about you near the city walls and in the doorways of their houses. One speaks to another, each saying to his brother, ‘Come and hear the message that has come from the LORD!’

As for thee, O son of man, the sons of thy people speak concerning thee by the walls, and in the doors of houses; and speak one to another, every man to his neighbor, saying, “Come, I pray you, and hear what is the word that goeth forth from Jehovah.”

31 So My people come to you as usual, sit before you, and hear your words; but they do not put them into practice. Although they express love with their mouths, their hearts pursue dishonest gain.

And they come to thee, as the people assembleth, and they sit before thee, as my people, and they hear thy words: but will not do them; for with their mouth they do what is lovely, but their heart goeth after gain.

32 Indeed, you are to them like a singer of love songs with a beautiful voice, who skillfully plays an instrument. They hear your words but do not put them into practice.

And behold, thou art to them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument; for they hear thy words, but do them not.

33 So when it comes to pass—and surely it will come—then they will know that a prophet has been among them.”

But when this cometh to pass, (and behold, it shall come to pass, ) then shall they know that a prophet hath been among them.