Ezekiel 18

1 And the word of Yahweh came unto me saying:

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

2 What occasion have ye, to be using this proverb, concerning the soil of Israel, saying, —Fathers eat sour grapes, And the children’s teeth are blunted?

“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, Declareth My Lord, Yahweh, Surely ye shall have occasion no longer 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 Lo! as for all persons, mine they are, As the person of the father, so also the person of the son, mine they are, —The person that sinneth, the same 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 when, any man, shall be righteous, and do justice and righteousness:

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

6 Upon the mountains, hath not eaten, And his eyes, hath not lifted up unto the manufactured gods of the house of Israel, And the wife of his neighbour, hath not defiled, And unto a woman during her removal, hath not approached;

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 no man, hath treated with violence, But his debt-pledge, hath restored. Plunder, hath not seized, — His bread—to the famished, hath given, And the naked, hath covered with clothing;

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 Upon interest, hath not put out his money. And increase, hath not accepted, From dishonesty, hath turned back his hand, — Justice in truth, hath done, 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 In my statutes, hath walked. And my regulations, hath observed to do them in truth, Righteous, he is, He shall surely live, Declareth My Lord. Yahweh.

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 But he hath begotten a son Who is a violent man A shedder of blood, - Who doeth the like of any of these things;

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

11 Whereas he, none of those other things, doeth, For indeed upon the mountains, he hath eaten, And the wife of his neighbour, hath defiled;

(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 The oppressed and the needy, hath treated with violence, Hath ruthlessly plundered, The pledge, hath not restored, But unto the manufactured gods, hath lifted up his eyes, Abomination, hath wrought;

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 Upon interest, hath put out. And increase, hath accepted—, And shall he live? He shall not live All these abominations, he hath done, He shall surely be put to death, His blood, upon himself, shall be.

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 But lo! he hath begotten a son, Who hath considered all the sins of his father which he hath done, - Yea he hath considered and not done like them:

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 Upon the mountains, hath not eaten, And his eyes, hath not lifted up unto the manufactured gods of the house of Israel, The wife of his neighbour, hath not defiled;

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 And no man, hath he treated with violence, Hath by no means withholden the pledge, And plunder, hath not seized, — His bread—to the famished, hath given And the naked, hath covered with clothing;

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 From dishonesty, hath turned back his hand Neither interest nor increase, hath accepted, my regulations, hath executed, In my statutes, hath walked, — 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 His father Because he exacted unjust gain Seized plunder of a brother, And that which was not good, had done in the midst of his people Therefore lo! he died, 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 Will ye then say. Why hath not the son borne a part of the iniquity of the father? But the son hath done justice and righteousness, All my statutes, hath observed and 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 person that sinneth, the same, shall die, — A, son, shall not bear a part of the iniquity of, the father Neither shall, a father, bear a part of the iniquity of the son, the righteousness of the righteous, upon himself, shall be. And, the lawlessness of a lawless man, upon himself, shall be.

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 as for the lawless man— When he shall turn back from all his sins which he hath committed, And observe all my statutes, And do justice and righteousness 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 which he hath committed shall be remembered against him, —In his righteousness which he hath 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 Could I take delight, in the death of the lawless? Demandeth My Lord. Yahweh. Must it not be in his turning from his ways in which case he shall 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 a righteous man, shall turn away, from his righteousness and do that which is perverse, Shall do, according to all the abominations which the lawless man hath done, Shall he live? None of his righteous acts which he hath done, shall be remembered, In his treachery wherein he hath been treacherous, And in his sin wherein he hath 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 Can ye then say— The way of My Lord will not be equal? Hear I pray you O house of Israel, Will my way, not be equal? Will not your ways be 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 a righteous man shall turn away from his righteousness and do that which is perverse and die because of those things In his own perversity which he hath 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 But when a lawless man turneth away from his lawlessness which he hath done, And hath done justice and righteousness He, shall save his own 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 When he considered, then he turned away from all his transgressions which he had 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 Can the house of Israel then say- The way of My Lord will not be equal? Will my ways, not be equal O house of Israel? Will not your ways be unequal?

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, Every man according to his own ways, will I judge you O house of Israel, Declareth My Lord Yahweh, Return ye—and make good your return—from all your transgressions, That they become not unto you a stumbling block of iniquity.

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 off from you all your transgressions which ye have committed against me, And make you a new heart; And a new spirit, - For why should ye die, O 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 cannot take delight in the death of him that dieth, Declareth My Lord Yahweh, Make good your return then and, live!

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