Ezekiel 33

1 The word of YHWH came to me, saying,

A message from the Lord came to me, saying,

2 "Son of man, speak to the children of your people, and tell them, 'When I bring the sword on a land, and the people of the land take a man from among them, and set him for their watchman;

“Son of man, tell your people: If I brought an army to attack a country, the people there would choose one of them to be their watchman.

3 if, when he sees the sword come on the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people;

When he saw the army advancing to attack the country, he would blow the trumpet to warn everyone.

4 then whoever hears the sound of the trumpet, and doesn't take warning, if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be on his own head.

So if you hear the trumpet but don't pay attention to the warning, and you're killed in the attack, you will be responsible for your own death.

5 He heard the sound of the trumpet, and didn't take warning; his blood shall be on him; whereas if he had taken warning, he would have delivered his soul.

Since you heard the trumpet but didn't pay attention to the warning, then you will be responsible for your own death. If you had paid attention the warning, you could have saved your life.

6 But if the watchman sees the sword come, and doesn't blow the trumpet, and the people aren't warned, and the sword comes, and take any person from among them; he is taken away in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand.'

But if the watchman saw the attack coming and didn't blow the trumpet to warn everyone, and someone is killed, then that person will die in their sins, but I will hold the watchman responsible for their death.

7 "So you, son of man, I have set you a watchman to the house of Israel; therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.

Son of man, I have appointed you as a watchman for the people of Israel. Listen to what I tell you and warn them for me.

8 When I tell the wicked, 'O wicked man, you shall surely die,' and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way; that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at your hand.

If I tell the wicked ‘You're wicked; you're going to die’; but you don't warn them to change what they're doing, then they'll die in their sins and I will hold your responsible for their deaths.

9 Nevertheless, if you warn the wicked of his way to turn from it, and he doesn't turn from his way; he shall die in his iniquity, but you have delivered your soul.

But if you warn the wicked to change what they're doing, and they don't, they will die in their sins, but you will save your own life.

10 "You, son of man, tell the house of Israel: 'Thus you speak, saying, "Our transgressions and our sins are on us, and we pine away in them; how then can we live?"'

Son of man, tell the people of Israel that this is what they've been saying, ‘We recognize our sins and wrongs, and they weigh on us, wearing us out. How can we go on living?’

11 Tell them, 'As I live,' says YHWH, 'I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn, turn from your evil ways; for why will you die, house of Israel?'

Tell them: As I live, declares the Lord God, it brings me no pleasure when wicked people die. I wish they would stop sinning and live! Stop! Stop sinning! Why should you die, people of Israel?

12 "You, son of man, tell the children of your people, 'The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him in the day of his disobedience; and as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall thereby in the day that he turns from his wickedness; neither shall he who is righteous be able to live thereby in the day that he sins.'

So, son of man, tell your people: All the good things a good person has done won't save them when they sin; while the bad things a bad person has done won't be a problem for them if they stop sinning. But good people won't live if they start sinning.

13 When I say to the righteous "He shall surely live," but he trusts in his righteousness and commits iniquity, none of his righteous deeds shall be remembered; but he shall die because of the iniquity he has committed.

If I tell a good person that they will live and then they rely on their goodness and start sinning, then none of the good things they did will be remembered; he will die because of the sins.

14 Again, when I say to the wicked, 'You shall surely die'; if he turn from his sin, and do that which is lawful and right;

But if I tell a bad person, ‘You're going to die’ and they stop sinning and do what is good and right,

15 if the wicked restore the pledge, give again that which he had taken by robbery, walk in the statutes of life, committing no iniquity; he shall surely live, he shall not die.

if they return security given for a loan, pay back what they've stolen, and follows my laws about how to live, not doing wrong—then they will live; they won't die.

16 None of his sins that he has committed shall be remembered against him: he has done that which is lawful and right; he shall surely live.

None of their sins will be remembered; they have done what is good and right and so they will live.

17 "Yet the children of your people say, 'The way of YHWH is not just': but as for them, their way is not just.

However, your people are complaining, ‘What the Lord does isn't right.’ But it's what they're doing that isn't right.

18 When the righteous turns from his righteousness, and commits iniquity, he shall even die in it.

If a good person stops doing good and sins, they will die because of it.

19 When the wicked turns from his wickedness, and does that which is lawful and right, he shall live thereby.

On the other hand, if a bad person turns from their sins and they do what is good and right, they will live as a result.

20 Yet you say, 'The way of YHWH is not just.' House of Israel, I will judge every one of you after his ways."

So how can you say, ‘What the Lord does isn't right’? Well, I'm going to judge each of you depending on what you've done, people of Israel.”

21 It happened in the twelfth year of our captivity, in the tenth month, in the fifth day of the month, that one who had escaped out of Jerusalem came to me, saying, "The city has been struck."

On the fifth day of the tenth month of the twelfth year of our exile, a refugee who'd escaped from Jerusalem arrived and told me, “The city has been captured!”

22 Now the hand of YHWH had been on me in the evening, before he who was escaped came; and he had opened my mouth, until he came to me in the morning; and my mouth was opened, and I was no more mute.

The previous evening before the messenger arrived the Lord had touched me so I could speak again. This was before the man came to see me in the morning. I wasn't mute any longer—I could speak again.

23 The word of YHWH came to me, saying,

A message from the Lord came to me, saying,

24 "Son of man, they who inhabit those waste places in the land of Israel speak, saying, 'Abraham was one, and he inherited the land: but we are many; the land is given us for inheritance.'

“Son of man, people living among the ruins in Israel are saying, ‘Abraham was only one man, but the country was given to him to own. There's plenty of us, so the country should belong to us.’

25 Therefore tell them, 'Thus says YHWH: "You eat with the blood, and lift up your eyes to your idols, and shed blood: and shall you possess the land?

So tell them that this is what the Lord God says: You eat meat with the blood still in it. You go and worship your idols. You commit murder. Do you really think the country should belong to you?

26 You stand on your sword, you work abomination, and every one of you defiles his neighbor's wife: and shall you possess the land?"'

You rely on your swords to get your way. You have done some disgusting things. You're all having sex with each other's wives. Should the country belong to you?

27 "You shall tell them, 'Thus says the Lord YHWH: "As I live, surely those who are in the waste places shall fall by the sword; and him who is in the open field will I give to the animals to be devoured; and those who are in the strongholds and in the caves shall die of the pestilence.

Tell them that this is what the Lord God says: As I live, in the people living among the ruins will be killed by the sword. Those living in the countryside will be eaten by wild animals. Those living in the fortresses and caves will die from disease.

28 I will make the land a desolation and an astonishment; and the pride of her power shall cease; and the mountains of Israel shall be desolate, so that none shall pass through.

I will turn the country into a wasteland, and power you are so proud of will be ended. The mountains of Israel will become wild places that no one will want to travel through.

29 Then shall they know that I am YHWH, when I have made the land a desolation and an astonishment, because of all their abominations which they have committed."'

Then the people will acknowledge that I am the Lord, when I have turned the country into a wasteland because of all the disgusting things they have done.

30 "As for you, son of man, the children of your people talk of you by the walls and in the doors of the houses, and speak one to another, everyone to his brother, saying, 'Please come and hear what is the word that comes forth from YHWH.'

Son of man, your people are talking about you out in the streets and in the doorways of their houses. They encourage one another, saying, ‘Come on! Let's go and hear a message from the Lord!’

31 They come to you as the people come, and they sit before you as my people, and they hear your words, but do not do them; for with their mouth they show much love, but their heart goes after their gain.

So my people come and visit you like they usually do. They sit and listen to the message you share, but they don't do anything about it. Even though they talk about love, all they're thinking about is how to cheat others.

32 Look, you are to them as a very lovely song of one who has a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument; for they hear your words, but they do not do them.

In fact, to them you're just someone who sings love songs with a lovely voice and who is a fine musician. They listen to the message you share, but they don't do anything about it.

33 When this comes to pass, (look, it comes), then shall they know that a prophet has been among them."

So when what you say does happen (and it will), then they will realize that they did have a prophet among them.”