Ezekiel 18
1 The word of the Lord came to me again, saying,
| ויהי דבר יהוה אלי לאמר׃ |
2 Why do you make use of this saying about the land of Israel, The fathers have been tasting bitter grapes and the children's teeth are on edge?
| מה לכם אתם משלים את המשל הזה על אדמת ישראל לאמר אבות יאכלו בסר ושני הבנים תקהינה׃ |
3 By my life, says the Lord, you will no longer have this saying in Israel.
| חי אני נאם אדני יהוה אם יהיה לכם עוד משל המשל הזה בישראל׃ |
4 See, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so the soul of the son is mine: death will be the fate of the sinner's soul.
| הן כל הנפשות לי הנה כנפש האב וכנפש הבן לי הנה הנפש החטאת היא תמות׃ |
5 But if a man is upright, living rightly and doing righteousness,
| ואיש כי יהיה צדיק ועשה משפט וצדקה׃ |
6 And has not taken flesh with the blood for food, or given worship to the images of the children of Israel; if he has not had connection with his neighbour's wife, or come near to a woman at the time when she is unclean;
| אל ההרים לא אכל ועיניו לא נשא אל גלולי בית ישראל ואת אשת רעהו לא טמא ואל אשה נדה לא יקרב׃ |
7 And has done no wrong to any, but has given back to the debtor what is his, and has taken no one's goods by force, and has given food to him who was in need of it, and clothing to him who was without it;
| ואיש לא יונה חבלתו חוב ישיב גזלה לא יגזל לחמו לרעב יתן ועירם יכסה בגד׃ |
8 And has not given his money out at interest or taken great profits, and, turning his hand from evil-doing, has kept faith between man and man,
| בנשך לא יתן ותרבית לא יקח מעול ישיב ידו משפט אמת יעשה בין איש לאיש׃ |
9 And has been guided by my rules and has kept my laws and done them: he is upright, life will certainly be his, says the Lord.
| בחקותי יהלך ומשפטי שמר לעשות אמת צדיק הוא חיה יחיה נאם אדני יהוה׃ |
10 If he has a son who is a thief, a taker of life, who does any of these things,
| והוליד בן פריץ שפך דם ועשה אח מאחד מאלה׃ |
11 Who has taken flesh with the blood as food, and has had connection with his neighbour's wife,
| והוא את כל אלה לא עשה כי גם אל ההרים אכל ואת אשת רעהו טמא׃ |
12 Has done wrong to the poor and to him who is in need, and taken property by force, and has not given back to one in his debt what is his, and has given worship to images and has done disgusting things,
| עני ואביון הונה גזלות גזל חבל לא ישיב ואל הגלולים נשא עיניו תועבה עשה׃ |
13 And has given out his money at interest and taken great profits: he will certainly not go on living: he has done all these disgusting things: death will certainly be his fate; his blood will be on him.
| בנשך נתן ותרבית לקח וחי לא יחיה את כל התועבות האלה עשה מות יומת דמיו בו יהיה׃ |
14 Now if he has a son who sees all his father's sins which he has done, and in fear does not do the same:
| והנה הוליד בן וירא את כל חטאת אביו אשר עשה וירא ולא יעשה כהן׃ |
15 Who has not taken the flesh with the blood for food, or given worship to the images of the children of Israel, and has not had connection with his neighbour's wife,
| על ההרים לא אכל ועיניו לא נשא אל גלולי בית ישראל את אשת רעהו לא טמא׃ |
16 Or done wrong to any, or taken anything from one in his debt, or taken goods by force, but has given food to him who was in need of it, and clothing to him who was without it;
| ואיש לא הונה חבל לא חבל וגזלה לא גזל לחמו לרעב נתן וערום כסה בגד׃ |
17 Who has kept his hand from evil-doing and has not taken interest or great profits, who has done my orders and been guided by my rules: he will certainly not be put to death for the evil-doing of his father; life will certainly be his.
| מעני השיב ידו נשך ותרבית לא לקח משפטי עשה בחקותי הלך הוא לא ימות בעון אביו חיה יחיה׃ |
18 As for his father, because he was cruel, took goods by force, and did what is not good among his people, truly, death will overtake him in his evil-doing.
| אביו כי עשק עשק גזל גזל אח ואשר לא טוב עשה בתוך עמיו והנה מת בעונו׃ |
19 But you say, Why does not the son undergo punishment for the evil-doing of the father? When the son has done what is ordered and right, and has kept my rules and done them, life will certainly be his.
| ואמרתם מדע לא נשא הבן בעון האב והבן משפט וצדקה עשה את כל חקותי שמר ויעשה אתם חיה יחיה׃ |
20 The soul which does sin will be put to death: the son will not be made responsible for the evil-doing of the father, or the father for the evil-doing of the son; the righteousness of the upright will be on himself, and the evil-doing of the evil-doer on himself.
| הנפש החטאת היא תמות בן לא ישא בעון האב ואב לא ישא בעון הבן צדקת הצדיק עליו תהיה ורשעת רשע עליו תהיה׃ |
21 But if the evil-doer, turning away from all the sins which he has done, keeps my rules and does what is ordered and right, life will certainly be his; death will not be his fate.
| והרשע כי ישוב מכל חטאתו אשר עשה ושמר את כל חקותי ועשה משפט וצדקה חיה יחיה לא ימות׃ |
22 Not one of the sins which he has done will be kept in memory against him: in the righteousness which he has done he will have life.
| כל פשעיו אשר עשה לא יזכרו לו בצדקתו אשר עשה יחיה׃ |
23 Have I any pleasure in the death of the evil-doer? says the Lord: am I not pleased if he is turned from his way so that he may have life?
| החפץ אחפץ מות רשע נאם אדני יהוה הלוא בשובו מדרכיו וחיה׃ |
24 But when the upright man, turning away from his righteousness, does evil, like all the disgusting things which the evil man does, will he have life? Not one of his upright acts will be kept in memory: in the wrong which he has done and in his sin death will overtake him.
| ובשוב צדיק מצדקתו ועשה עול ככל התועבות אשר עשה הרשע יעשה וחי כל צדקתו אשר עשה לא תזכרנה במעלו אשר מעל ובחטאתו אשר חטא בם ימות׃ |
25 But you say, The way of the Lord is not equal. Give ear, now, O children of Israel; is my way not equal? are not your ways unequal?
| ואמרתם לא יתכן דרך אדני שמעו נא בית ישראל הדרכי לא יתכן הלא דרכיכם לא יתכנו׃ |
26 When the upright man, turning away from his righteousness, does evil, death will overtake him; in the evil which he has done death will overtake him.
| בשוב צדיק מצדקתו ועשה עול ומת עליהם בעולו אשר עשה ימות׃ |
27 Again, when the evil-doer, turning away from the evil he has done, does what is ordered and right, he will have life for his soul.
| ובשוב רשע מרשעתו אשר עשה ויעש משפט וצדקה הוא את נפשו יחיה׃ |
28 Because he had fear and was turned away from all the wrong which he had done, life will certainly be his, death will not be his fate.
| ויראה וישוב מכל פשעיו אשר עשה חיו יחיה לא ימות׃ |
29 But still the children of Israel say, The way of the Lord is not equal. O children of Israel, are my ways not equal? are not your ways unequal?
| ואמרו בית ישראל לא יתכן דרך אדני הדרכי לא יתכנו בית ישראל הלא דרכיכם לא יתכן׃ |
30 For this cause I will be your judge, O children of Israel, judging every man by his ways, says the Lord. Come back and be turned from all your sins; so that they may not be the cause of your falling into evil.
| לכן איש כדרכיו אשפט אתכם בית ישראל נאם אדני יהוה שובו והשיבו מכל פשעיכם ולא יהיה לכם למכשול עון׃ |
31 Put away all your evil-doing in which you have done sin; and make for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit: why are you desiring death, O children of Israel?
| השליכו מעליכם את כל פשעיכם אשר פשעתם בם ועשו לכם לב חדש ורוח חדשה ולמה תמתו בית ישראל׃ |
32 For I have no pleasure in the death of him on whom death comes, says the Lord: be turned back then, and have life.
| כי לא אחפץ במות המת נאם אדני יהוה והשיבו וחיו׃ |
