Ezekiel 33

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

Again the word of Jehovah came to me, saying:

2 Son of man, give a word to the children of your people, and say to them, When I make the sword come on a land, if the people of the land take a man from among their number and make him 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 If, when he sees the sword coming on the land, by sounding the horn he gives the people news of their danger;

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

4 Then anyone who, hearing the sound of the horn, does not take note of it, will himself be responsible for his death, if the sword comes and takes him away.

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 On hearing the sound of the horn, he did not take note; his blood will be on him; for if he had taken note his life would have been safe.

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 does not give a note on the horn, and the people have no word of the danger, and the sword comes and takes any person from among them; he will be taken away in his sin, but I will make the watchman responsible 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 So you, son of man, I have made you a watchman for the children of Israel; and you are to give ear to the word of my mouth and give them news from me of their danger.

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 When I say to the evil-doer, Death will certainly overtake you; and you say nothing to make clear to the evil-doer the danger of his way; death will overtake that evil man in his evil-doing, but I will make you responsible 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 make clear to the evil-doer the danger of his way for the purpose of turning him from it, and he is not turned from his way, death will overtake him in his evil-doing, but your life will be safe.

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 And you, son of man, say to the children of Israel, You say, Our wrongdoing and our sins are on us and we are wasting away in them; how then may we have life?

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, By my life, says the Lord, I have no pleasure in the death of the evil-doer; it is more pleasing to me if he is turned from his way and has life: be turned, be turned from your evil ways; why are you looking for death, O children 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 And you, son of man, say to the children of your people, The righteousness of the upright man will not make him safe in the day when he does wrong; and the evil-doing of the evil man will not be the cause of his fall in the day when he is turned from his evil-doing; and the upright man will not have life because of his righteousness in the day when he does evil.

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 When I say to the upright that life will certainly be his; if he puts his faith in his righteousness and does evil, not one of his upright acts will be kept in memory; but in the evil he has done, death will overtake him.

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 And when I say to the evil-doer, Death will certainly be your fate; if he is turned from his sin and does what is ordered 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 the evil-doer lets one who is in his debt have back what is his, and gives back what he had taken by force, and is guided by the rules of life, doing no evil; life will certainly be his, death will not overtake him.

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 Not one of the sins which he has done will be kept in mind against him: he has done what is ordered and right, life will certainly be his.

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 But the children of your people say, The way of the Lord is not equal: when it is they whose way is not equal.

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 When the upright man, turning away from his righteousness, does evil, death will overtake him in it.

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

19 And when the evil man, turning away from his evil-doing, does what is ordered and right, he will get life by it.

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

20 And still you say, The way of the Lord is not equal. O children of Israel, I will be your judge, giving to everyone the reward of his ways.

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 Now in the twelfth year after we had been taken away prisoners, in the tenth month, on the fifth day of the month, one who had got away in flight from Jerusalem came to me, saying, The town 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 hand of the Lord had been on me in the evening, before the man who had got away came to me; and he made my mouth open, ready for his coming to me in the morning; and my mouth was open and I was no longer without voice.

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

And the word of Jehovah came to me, saying:

24 Son of man, those who are living in these waste places in the land of Israel say, Abraham was but one, and he had land for his heritage: but we are a great number; the land is given to us for our heritage.

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 For this cause say to them, This is what the Lord has said: You take your meat with the blood, your eyes are lifted up to your images, and you are takers of life: are you to have the land for your heritage?

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 put your faith in your swords, you do disgusting things, everyone takes his neighbour's wife: are you to have the land for your heritage?

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

27 This is what you are to say to them: The Lord has said, By my life, truly, those who are in the waste places will be put to the sword, and him who is in the open field I will give to the beasts for their food, and those who are in the strong places and in holes in the rocks will come to their death by disease.

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 And I will make the land a waste and a cause of wonder, and the pride of her strength will come to an end; and the mountains of Israel will be made waste so that no one will go 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 be certain that I am the Lord, when I have made the land a waste and a cause of wonder, because of all the disgusting things which they have done,

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 And as for you, son of man, the children of your people are talking together about you by the walls and in the doorways of the houses, saying to one another, Come now, give ear to the word which comes 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 And they come to you as my people come, and are seated before you as my people, hearing your words but doing them not: for deceit is in their mouth and their heart goes after profit for themselves.

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 And truly you are to them like a love song by one who has a very pleasing voice and is an expert player on an instrument: for they give ear to your words but do them not.

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 And when this comes about (see, it is coming), then it will be clear to them 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.