Ezekiel 33

1 Again, the woorde of the Lord came vnto me, saying,

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

2 Sonne of man, speake to the children of thy people, and say vnto them, When I bring the sworde vpon a lande, if the people of the lande take a man from among them, and make him their watchman,

“Son of man, speak to the sons of your people, and you shall say to them: Concerning the land, when I will have led the sword over it: if the people of the land take a man, one of their least, and appoint him over themselves as a watchman,

3 If when hee seeth the sworde come vpon ye land, he blow the trumpet, and warne the people,

and if he sees the sword approaching over the land, and he sounds the trumpet, and he announces to the people,

4 Then hee that heareth the sounde of the trumpet, and will not bee warned, if the sworde come, and take him away, his blood shall be vpon his owne head.

then, having heard the sound of the trumpet, whoever he is, if he also does not take care of himself, and the sword arrives and takes him: his blood will be upon his own head.

5 For he heard the sound of the trumpet, and woulde not bee admonished: therefore his blood shall be vpon him: but he that receiueth warning, shall saue his life.

He heard the sound of the trumpet, and he did not take care of himself, so his blood will be upon him. But if he guards himself, he will save his own life.

6 But if the watchman see the sworde come, and blowe not the trumpet, and the people be not warned: if the sworde come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away for his iniquitie, but his blood will I require at the watchmans hande.

And if the watchman sees the sword approaching, and he does not sound the trumpet, and so the people do not guard themselves, and the sword arrives and takes some of their lives, certainly these have been taken due to their own iniquity. But I will attribute their blood to the hand of the watchman.

7 So thou, O sonne of man, I haue made thee a watchman vnto the house of Israel: therefore thou shalt heare the woorde at my mouth, and admonish them from me.

And as for you, son of man, I have made you a watchman to the house of Israel. Therefore, having heard the word from my mouth, you shall announce it to them from me.

8 When I shall say vnto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt die the death, if thou doest not speake, and admonish the wicked of his way, that wicked man shall die for his iniquitie, but his blood will I require at thine hand.

When I say to the impious, ‘O impious man, you will die a death,’ if you have not spoken so that the impious man will keep himself from his way, then that impious man will die in his iniquity. But I will attribute his blood to your hand.

9 Neuerthelesse, If thou warne the wicked of his way, to turne from it, if he doe not turne from his way, he shall die for his iniquitie, but thou hast deliuered thy soule.

But if you have announced to the impious man, so that he may be converted from his ways, and he has not converted from his way, then he will die in his iniquity. Yet you will have freed your own soul.

10 Therefore, O thou sonne of man, speake vnto the house of Israel, Thus yee speake and say, If our transgressions and our sinnes bee vpon vs, and we are consumed because of them, howe should we then liue?

You, therefore, O son of man, say to the house of Israel: You have spoken in this way, saying: ‘Our iniquities and our sins are upon us, and we waste away in them. So then, how would we be able to live?’

11 Say vnto them, As I liue, sayeth the Lord God, I desire not the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turne from his way and liue: turne you, turne you from your euill waies, for why will ye die, O ye house of Israel?

Say to them: As I live, says the Lord God, I do not desire the death of the impious, but that the impious should convert from his way and live. Be converted, be converted from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?

12 Therefore thou sonne of man, saye vnto the children of thy people, The righteousnesse of the righteous shall not deliuer him in the day of his transgression, nor the wickednesse of the wicked shall cause him to fall therein, in the day that he returneth from his wickednesse, neither shall the righteous liue for his righteousnesse in the day that he sinneth.

And as for you then, son of man, say to the sons of your people: The justice of the just man will not deliver him, on whatever day he will have sinned. And the impiety of the impious man will not harm him, on whatever day he will have been converted from his impiety. And the just man will not be able to live by his justice, on whatever day he will have sinned.

13 When I shall say vnto the righteous, that he shall surely liue, if he trust to his owne righteousnes, and commit iniquitie, all his righteousnes shall be no more remembred, but for his iniquitie that he hath committed, he shall die for the same.

Even now, if I say to the just man that he shall certainly live, and so, with confidence in his justice, he commits iniquity, all his justices will be delivered into oblivion, and by his iniquity, which he has done, by this he shall die.

14 Againe when I shall say vnto the wicked, thou shalt die the death, if he turne from his sinne, and doe that which is lawfull and right,

And if I say to the impious man, ‘You shall certainly die,’ and yet he repents from his sin, and he does judgment and justice,

15 To wit, if the wicked restore the pledge, and giue againe that he had robbed, and walke in the statutes of life, without committing iniquitie, he shall surely liue, and not die.

and if that impious man returns the collateral, and repays what he has taken by force, and if he walks in the commandments of life, and does not do anything unjust, then he shall certainly live, and he shall not die.

16 None of his sinnes that he hath comitted, shall be mentioned vnto him: because he hath done that, which is lawful, and right, he shall surely liue.

None of his sins, which he has committed, will be imputed to him. He has done judgment and justice, so he shall certainly live.

17 Yet the children of thy people say, The way of the Lord is not equall: but their owne way is vnequall.

And the sons of your people have said, ‘The way of the Lord is not a fair balance,’ even while their own way is unjust.

18 When the righteous turneth from his righteousnesse, and committeth iniquitie, he shall euen die thereby.

For when the just man will have withdrawn from his justice, and committed iniquities, he shall die by these.

19 But if the wicked returne from his wickednesse, and doe that which is lawfull and right, hee shall liue thereby.

And when the impious man will have withdrawn from his impiety, and have done judgment and justice, he shall live by these.

20 Yet yee say, The way of the Lord is not equall. O ye house of Israel, I will iudge you euery one after his waies.

And yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not right.’ But I shall judge each one of you according to his own ways, O house of Israel.”

21 Also in the twelfth yere of our captiuitie, in the tenth moneth, and in the fift day of the moneth, one that had escaped out of Ierusalem, came vnto me, and said, The citie is smitten.

And it happened that, in the twelfth year of our transmigration, in the tenth month, on the fifth of the month, one who had fled from Jerusalem arrived saying, “The city has been laid waste.”

22 Now the hand of the Lord had bene vpon me in ye euening afore hee that had escaped, came, and had opened my mouth vntill he came to me in the morning: and when hee had opened my mouth, I was no more dumme.

But the hand of the Lord had been upon me in the evening, before the one who had fled arrived. And he opened my mouth, until he came to me in the morning. And since my mouth had been opened, I was no longer silent.

23 Againe the worde of the Lord came vnto me, and saide,

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

24 Sonne of man, these that dwel in the desolate places of the land of Israel, talke and say, Abraham was but one, and hee possessed the lande: but we are many, therefore the lande shall be giuen vs in possession.

“Son of man, as for those who live in these ruinous ways on the soil of Israel, when speaking, they say: ‘Abraham was one man, and he possessed the land as an inheritance. But we are many; the land has been given to us as a possession.’

25 Wherefore say vnto them, Thus saieth the Lord God, Ye eate with the blood, and lift vp your eyes towarde your idoles, and sheade blood: should ye then possesse the land?

Therefore, you shall say to them: Thus says the Lord God: You who eat even the blood, and who lift up your eyes to your uncleannesses, and who shed blood: will you possess the land as an inheritance?

26 Ye leane vpon your swordes: ye worke abomination, and yee defile euery one his neighbours wife: should ye then possesse the land?

You stood by your swords, you committed abominations, and each one has defiled his neighbor’s wife. And will you possess the land as an inheritance?

27 Say thus vnto them, Thus saieth the Lord God, As I liue, so surely they that are in the desolate places, shall fall by the sword: and him that is in the open field, will I giue vnto the beasts to be deuoured: and they that be in the forts and in the caues, shall die of the pestilence.

You shall say these things to them: So says the Lord God: As I live, those who live in ruinous ways will fall by the sword. And whoever is in the field will be delivered over to wild beasts to be devoured. But those who are in fortresses and in caves will die of the pestilence.

28 For I will lay the land desolate and waste, and the pompe of her strength shall cease: and the moutaines of Israel shalbe desolate, and none shall passe through.

And I will make the land into a wilderness and a desert. And its arrogant strength will fail. And the mountains of Israel will be desolate; for there will be no one who crosses through them.

29 Then shall they know that I am the Lord, when I haue laid ye land desolate and wast, because of al their abominations, that they haue committed.

And they shall know that I am the Lord, when I will have made their land desolate and deserted, because of all their abominations, which they have worked.

30 Also thou sonne of man, the children of thy people that talke of thee by the wals and in the dores of houses, and speake one to another, euery one to his brother, saying, Come, I pray you, and heare what is the word that commeth from the Lord.

And as for you, O son of man: the sons of your people speak about you beside the walls and in the doorways of houses. And they speak to one another, each man to his neighbor, saying: ‘Come, and let us hear what may be the word going forth from the Lord.’

31 For they come vnto thee, as the people vseth to come: and my people sit before thee, and heare thy wordes, but they will not doe them: for with their mouthes they make iestes, and their heart goeth after their couetousnesse.

And they come to you, as if the people were entering, and my people sit before you. And they listen to your words, but they do not do them. For they turn them into a song for their mouth, but their heart pursues their own avarice.

32 And loe, thou art vnto them, as a iesting song of one that hath a pleasant voyce, and can sing well: for they heare thy woordes, but they doe them not.

And you are to them like a verse set to music, which is sung with a sweet and pleasing voice. And they hear your words, but they do not do them.

33 And when this commeth to passe (for loe, it will come) then shall they know, that a Prophet hath bene among them.

And when what has been predicted occurs, for behold it is approaching, then they shall know that a prophet was among them.”