Ezekiel 18

1 The word of Jehovah came to me again, saying,

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

2 "What do you mean, that you use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, 'The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge?'

“Why is it that you circulate among yourselves this parable, as a proverb in the land of Israel, saying: ‘The fathers ate a bitter grape, and the teeth of the sons have been affected.’

3 As I live, says Jehovah, you shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel.

As I live, says the Lord God, this parable shall no longer be a proverb for you in Israel.

4 Look, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul who sins, he shall die.

Behold, all souls are mine. Just as the soul of the father is mine, so also is the soul of the son. The soul that sins, the same shall die.

5 "But if a man is just, and does that which is lawful and right,

And if a man is just, and he accomplishes judgment and justice,

6 and has not eaten on the mountains, neither has lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, neither has defiled his neighbor's wife, neither has come near to a woman in her impurity,

and if he does not eat upon the mountains, nor lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, and if he has not violated the wife of his neighbor, nor approached a menstruating woman,

7 and has not wronged any, but has restored to the debtor his pledge, has taken nothing by robbery, has given his bread to the hungry, and has covered the naked with a garment;

and if he has not grieved any man, but has restored the collateral to the debtor, if he has seized nothing by violence, has given his bread to the hungry, and has covered the naked with a garment,

8 he who has not given forth on interest, neither has taken any increase, who has withdrawn his hand from iniquity, has executed true justice between man and man,

if he has not lent upon usury, nor taken any increase, if he has averted his hand from iniquity, and has executed true judgment between man and man,

9 has walked in my statutes, and has kept my ordinances, to deal truly; he is just, he shall surely live," says Jehovah.

if he has walked in my precepts and kept my judgments, so that he acts in accord with truth, then he is just; he shall certainly live, says the Lord God.

10 "If he fathers a son who is a robber, a shedder of blood, and who does any one of these things,

But if he raises a son who is a robber, who sheds blood, and who does any of these things,

11 and who does not any of those duties, but even has eaten on the mountains, and defiled his neighbor's wife,

(even though he himself does not do any of these things, ) and who eats upon the mountains, and who defiles the wife of his neighbor,

12 has wronged the poor and needy, has taken by robbery, has not restored the pledge, and has lifted up his eyes to the idols, has committed abomination,

who grieves the needy and the poor, who seizes with violence, who does not restore the collateral, and who lifts up his eyes to idols, committing abomination,

13 has given forth on interest, and has taken increase; shall he then live? He shall not live: he has done all these abominations; he shall surely die; his blood shall be on him.

who lends upon usury, and who takes an increase, then shall he live? He shall not live. Since he has done all these detestable things, he shall certainly die. His blood shall be upon him.

14 "Now, look, if he fathers a son, who sees all his father's sins, which he has done, and fears, and does not such like;

But if he raises a son, who, seeing all his father’s sins that he has done, is afraid and so does not act in a way similar to him,

15 who has not eaten on the mountains, neither has lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, has not defiled his neighbor's wife,

who does not eat upon the mountains, nor lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, and who does not violate the wife of his neighbor,

16 neither has wronged any, has not taken anything to pledge, neither has taken by robbery, but has given his bread to the hungry, and has covered the naked with a garment;

and who has not grieved any man, nor withheld the collateral, nor seized by violence, but instead has given his bread to the hungry, and has covered the naked with a garment,

17 who has withdrawn his hand from the poor, who has not received interest nor increase, has executed my ordinances, has walked in my statutes; he shall not die for the iniquity of his father, he shall surely live.

who has averted his hand from injuring the poor, who has not taken usury and an overabundance, who has acted according to my judgments and walked in my precepts, then this one shall not die for the iniquity of his father; instead, he shall certainly live.

18 As for his father, because he cruelly oppressed, robbed his brother, and did that which is not good among his people, look, he shall die in his iniquity.

As for his father, because he oppressed and did violence to his brother, and worked evil in the midst of his people, behold, he has died by his own iniquity.

19 "Yet you say, 'Why doesn't the son bear the iniquity of the father?' When the son has done that which is lawful and right, and has kept all my statutes, and has done them, he shall surely live.

And you say, ‘Why has not the son borne the iniquity of the father?’ Clearly, since the son has worked judgment and justice, has observed all my precepts, and has done them, he shall certainly live.

20 The soul who sins, he shall die: the son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son; the righteousness of the righteous shall be on him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be on him.

The soul that sins, the same shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, and the father shall not bear the iniquity of the son. The justice of the just man shall be upon himself, but the impiety of the impious man shall be upon himself.

21 "But if the wicked turn from all his sins that he has committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die.

But if the impious man does penance for all his sins which he has committed, and if he keeps all my precepts, and accomplishes judgment and justice, then he shall certainly live, and he shall not die.

22 None of his transgressions that he has committed shall be remembered against him: in his righteousness that he has done he shall live.

I will not remember all his iniquities, which he has worked; by his justice, which he has worked, he shall live.

23 Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked?" says Jehovah; "and not rather that he should return from his way, and live?

How could it be my will that an impious man should die, says the Lord God, and not that he should be converted from his ways and live?

24 But when the righteous turns away from his righteousness, and commits iniquity, and does according to all the abominations that the wicked man does, shall he live? None of his righteous deeds that he has done shall be remembered: in his trespass that he has trespassed, and in his sin that he has sinned, in them shall he die.

But if a just man turns himself away from his justice, and does iniquity in accord with all the abominations that the impious man so often does, why should he live? All his justices, which he has accomplished, shall not be remembered. By the transgression, in which he has transgressed, and by his sin, in which he has sinned, by these he shall die.

25 "'Yet you say, "The way of Jehovah is not equal." Hear now, house of Israel: "Is my way not equal? Aren't your ways unequal?"

And you have said, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ Therefore, listen, O house of Israel. How could it be that my way is not fair? And is it not instead your ways that are perverse?

26 When the righteous man turns away from his righteousness, and commits iniquity, and dies in it; in his iniquity that he has done shall he die.

For when the just man turns himself away from his justice, and commits iniquity, he shall die by this; by the injustice that he has worked, he shall die.

27 Again, when the wicked man turns away from his wickedness that he has committed, and does that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive.

And when the impious man turns himself away from his impiety, which he has done, and accomplishes judgment and justice, he shall cause his own soul to live.

28 Because he considers, and turns away from all his transgressions that he has committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die.

For by considering and turning himself away from all his iniquities, which he has worked, he shall certainly live, and he shall not die.

29 Yet the house of Israel says, "The way of Jehovah is not fair." "House of Israel, aren't my ways fair? Aren't your ways unfair?"

And yet the sons of Israel say, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ How could it be that my ways are not fair, O house of Israel? And is it not instead your ways that are perverse?

30 "'Therefore I will judge you, house of Israel, everyone according to his ways,' says Jehovah. 'Return, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin.

Therefore, O house of Israel, I will judge each one according to his ways, says the Lord God. Be converted, and do penance for all your iniquities, and then iniquity will not be your ruin.

31 Cast away from you all your transgressions, in which you have transgressed; and make yourself a new heart and a new spirit: for why will you die, house of Israel?

Cast all your transgressions, by which you have transgressed, away from you, and make for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. And then why should you die, O house of Israel?

32 For I have no pleasure in the death of him who dies,' says Jehovah: 'therefore turn yourselves, and live.'"

For I do not desire the death of one who dies, says the Lord God. So return and live.”