Ezekiel 18

1 And there is a word of YHWH to me, saying,

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

2 “What [is it] to you [that] you are using this allegory Concerning the ground of Israel, saying, Fathers eat unripe fruit, And the sons’ teeth are blunted?

What mean ye, that ye use this proverb in the country of Israel, saying, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the teeth of the children are set on edge?

3 [As] I live,” a declaration of Lord YHWH, “You no longer have the use of this allegory in Israel.

As I live, saith the Lord Eternal, ye shall not have any more to use this proverb in Israel.

4 Behold, all the souls are Mine, As the soul of the father, So also the soul of the son—they are Mine, The soul that is sinning—it dies.

Behold, all the souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son—mine are they: the soul which sinneth that alone shall die.

5 And a man, when he is righteous, And has done judgment and righteousness,

But if a man be righteous, and execute justice and righteousness;

6 He has not eaten on the mountains, And has not lifted up his eyes To idols of the house of Israel, And did not defile his neighbor’s wife, And did not come near to a separated woman,

Upon the mountains he eateth not, and his eyes he lifteth not up to the idols of the house of Israel, and the wife of his neighbor he defileth not, and unto a woman in her separation he cometh not near;

7 He does not oppress a man, He returns his pledge to the debtor, He does not take away plunder, He gives his bread to the hungry, And covers the naked with a garment,

And he over-reacheth no man, he restoreth his pledge for a debt, a robbery he doth not commit, his bread he giveth to the hungry, and the naked he covereth with a garment;

8 He does not give in usury, and does not take increase, He turns back his hand from perversity, He does true judgment between man and man.

Upon interest he giveth not forth, and increase he doth not take, from wrong he withdraweth his hand, true judgment he executeth between man and man;

9 He walks in My statutes, And he has kept My judgments—to deal truly, He [is] righteous—he surely lives,” A declaration of Lord YHWH.

In my statutes he walketh steadfastly, and my ordinances he keepeth to deal truly: he is righteous, he shall surely live, saith the Lord Eternal.

10 “And he has begotten a son, A burglar—a shedder of blood, And he has made a brother of one of these,

If he [now] beget a dissolute son that sheddeth blood and doth to [his] brother any one of thee things;

11 And he has not done all those, For he has even eaten on the mountains, And he has defiled his neighbor’s wife,

And he is one that doth not any of these [duties]; but eateth even upon the mountains, and defileth the wife of his neighbor;

12 He has oppressed the afflicted and needy, He has taken away plunder violently, He does not return a pledge, And he has lifted up his eyes to the idols, He has done abomination!

The poor and needy he over-reacheth, he is guilty of robberies, the pledge he restoreth not, and to the idols he lifteth up his eyes, abominations he committeth:

13 He has given in usury, and taken increase, And he lives? He does not live, He has done all these abominations, He surely dies, his blood is on him.

Upon interest he giveth forth, and increase he taketh: and he should live? he shall not live; all these abominations hath he done, he shall surely die; his blood shall be upon him.

14 And—behold, he has begotten a son, And he sees all the sins of his father, That he has done, and he fears, And does not do like them,

And behold, if he beget a son, who seeth all the sins of his father which he hath done, and he considereth, and doth not the like of them;

15 He has not eaten on the mountains, And he has not lifted up his eyes To idols of the house of Israel, He has not defiled his neighbor’s wife,

Upon the mountains he eateth not, and his eyes he lifteth not up to the idols of the house of Israel, the wife of his neighbor he defileth not;

16 He has not oppressed a man, He has not bound a pledge, And he has not taken away plunder, He has given his bread to the hungry, And he covered the naked with a garment,

And he over-reacheth no man, a pledge he withholdeth not, and of a robbery he is never guilty, his bread he giveth to the hungry, and the naked he covereth with a garment;

17 He has turned back his hand from the afflicted, He has not taken usury and increase, He has done My judgments, He has walked in My statutes, He does not die for the iniquity of his father, He surely lives.

From the poor he withdraweth his hand, interest and increase he taketh not: my ordinances he executeth; in my statutes he walketh: —he shall not die for the iniquity of his father, he shall surely live.

18 His father—because he used oppression, Violently plundered a brother, And did that which [is] not good in the midst of his people, And behold, he is dying in his iniquity.

His father, because he unjustly withheld [wages], was guilty of robbery on his brother, and did that which is not good in the midst of his people, —and lo, he died through his iniquity.

19 And you have said, Why has the son not borne of the iniquity of the father? And the son has done judgment and righteousness, He has kept all My statutes, And he does them, he surely lives.

Yet say ye, Why doth not the son bear part of the iniquity of the father? when the son hath executed justice and righteousness, all my statutes hath he kept, and hath done them: he shall surely live.

20 The soul that sins—it dies. A son does not bear of the iniquity of the father, And a father does not bear of the iniquity of the son, The righteousness of the righteous is on him, And the wickedness of the wicked is on him.

The soul that sinneth, she alone shall die; the son shall not help to bear the iniquity of the father and the father shall not help to bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.

21 And the wicked—when he turns back From all his sins that he has done, And he has kept all My statutes, And has done judgment and righteousness, He surely lives, he does not die.

And the wicked, when he turneth away from all his sins that he hath committed, and keepeth all my statutes, and executeth justice and righteousness, shall surely live, he shall not die.

22 All his transgressions that he has done Are not remembered to him, In his righteousness that he has done he lives.

All his transgressions which he hath committed shall not be remembered unto him: through his righteousness which he hath done shall he live.

23 Do I take pleasure [or] delight in the death of the wicked?” A declaration of Lord YHWH, “Is it not in his turning back from his way—And he has lived?

Have I then the least pleasure in the death of the wicked? saith the Lord Eternal: and not in his turning away from his ways, that he may live?

24 And in the turning back of the righteous from his righteousness, And he has done perversity, According to all the abominations That the wicked has done, Does he then live? All his righteous deeds that he has done are not remembered, For his trespass that he has trespassed, And for his sin that he has sinned, For them he dies.

But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth wrong, and doth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? all his righteousness that he hath done shall not he remembered: through his trespass which he hath committed, and through his sin that he hath done, —through them shall he die.

25 And you have said, The way of the Lord is not pondered. Now hear, O house of Israel, My way—is it not pondered? Are not your ways unpondered?

Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equitable: hear now, O house of Israel, Is not my way equitable? is it not your ways which are not equitable?

26 In the turning back of the righteous from his righteousness, And he has done perversity, And he is dying by them, He dies for his perversity that he has done.

When a righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, and doth wrong, and dieth therefore: through his wrong which he hath done must he die.

27 And in the turning back of the wicked From his wickedness that he has done, And he does judgment and righteousness, He keeps his soul alive.

Again, when the wicked turneth away from his wickedness which he hath committed, and executeth justice and righteousness: he shall indeed preserve his soul alive.

28 And he sees and turns back, From all his transgressions that he has done, He surely lives, he does not die,

Because he hath considered, and turned away from all his transgressions which he had committed: he shall surely live, he shall not die.

29 And the house of Israel has said, The way of the Lord is not pondered, My ways—are they not pondered? O house of Israel—are not your ways unpondered?

Yet say the house of Israel, The way of the Lord is not equitable: are not my ways equitable, O house of Israel? is it not your ways which are not equitable?

30 Therefore, I judge each according to his ways, O house of Israel,” A declaration of Lord YHWH, “Turn back, indeed, turn yourselves back, From all your transgressions, And iniquity is not for a stumbling-block to you,

Therefore will I judge you, every one according to his ways, O house of Israel, saith the Lord Eternal: return ye, and cause others to return from all your transgressions, that iniquity may not become your stumbling-block.

31 Cast away all your transgressions from over you, By which you have transgressed, And make a new heart and a new spirit for yourselves, And why do you die, O house of Israel?

Cast away from yourselves all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?

32 For I have no pleasure in the death of the dying,” A declaration of Lord YHWH, “Therefore turn back and live!”

For I have no pleasure in the death of him that deserveth to die, saith the Lord Eternal: therefore convert yourselves, and live.