Ezekiel 18

1 And the word of the Lord was maad to me,

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

2 and he seide, What is it, that ye turnen a parable among you in to this prouerbe, in the lond of Israel, and seien, Fadris eeten a bittir grape, and the teeth of sones ben an egge, ether astonyed?

“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 Y lyue, seith the Lord God, this parable schal no more be in to a prouerbe to you in Israel.

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

4 Lo! alle soulis ben myne; as the soule of the fadir, so and the soule of the sone is myn. Thilke soule that doith synne, schal 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 And if a man is iust, and doith doom and riytfulnesse,

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

6 etith not in hillis, and reisith not hise iyen to the idols of the hous of Israel; and defoulith not the wijf of his neiybore, and neiyeth not to a womman defoulid with vncleene blood;

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 makith not a man sori, yeldith the wed to the dettour, rauyschith no thing bi violence, yyueth his breed to the hungri, and hilith a nakid man with a cloth;

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 leeneth not to vsure, and takith not more; turneth awei his hond fro wickidnesse, and makith trewe dom bitwixe 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 and goith in my comaundementis, and kepith my domes, that he do treuthe; this is a iust man, he schal lyue in lijf, seith the Lord God.

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 That if he gendrith a sone, a theef, shedinge out blood,

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

11 and doith oon of thes thingis, and sotheli not doing alle these thingis, but etinge in hillis, and defoulynge the wijf of his neiybore;

(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 makynge soreuful a nedy man and pore, rauyschynge raueyns, not yeldinge a wed, reisynge hise iyen to idols, doynge abhomynacioun; yiuynge to vsure, and takynge more;

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 whether he schal lyue? he schal not lyue; whanne he hath do alle these abhomynable thingis, he schal die bi deth, his blood schal be in hym.

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 That if he gendrith a sone, which seeth alle the synnes of his fadir, whiche he dide, and dredith, and doith noon lijk tho;

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 etith not on hillis, and reisith not hise iyen to the idols of the hous of Israel; and defoulith not the wijf of his neiybore,

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 makith not sori a man, witholdith not a wed, and rauyschith not raueyn, yyueth his breed to the hungri, and hilith the nakid with a cloth;

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 turneth a wei his hond fro the wrong of a pore man, takith not vsure and ouerhabundaunce, `that is, no thing more than he lente, and doith my domes, and goith in my comaundementis; this sone schal not die in the wickidnesse of his fadir, but he schal lyue in lijf.

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 For his fadir made fals caleng, and dide violence to his brother, and wrouyte yuel in the myddis of his puple, lo! he is deed in his wickidnesse.

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 And ye seien, Whi berith not the sone the wickidnesse of the fadir? That is to seie, for the sone wrouyte doom and riytfulnesse, he kepte alle my comaundementis, and dide tho, he schal lyue in lijf.

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 Thilke soule that doith synne, schal die; the sone schal not bere the wickidnesse of the fadir, and the fadir schal not bere the wickednesse of the sone; the riytfulnesse of a iust man schal be on hym, and the wickidnesse of a wickid man schal be on hym.

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 Forsothe if a wickid man doith penaunce of alle hise synnes whiche he wrouyte, and kepith alle myn heestis, and doith dom and riytfulnesse, he schal lyue bi lijf, and schal 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 Y schal not haue mynde of alle his wickidnessis whiche he wrouyte; he schal lyue in his riytfulnesse which he wrouyte.

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

23 Whether the deth of the wickid man is of my wille, seith the Lord God, and not that he be conuertid fro his weies, and lyue?

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 Forsothe if a iust man turneth awey hym silf fro his riytfulnesse, and doith wickidnesse bi alle hise abhomynaciouns, which a wickid man is wont to worche, whether he schal lyue? Alle hise riytfulnessis whiche he dide, schulen not be had in mynde; in his trespassyng bi which he trespasside, and in his synne which he synnede, he schal die in tho.

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 And ye seiden, The weie of the Lord is not euene. Therfor, the hous of Israel, here ye, whether my weie is not euene, and not more youre weies ben schrewid?

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 For whanne a riytful man turneth awei hym silf fro his riytfulnesse, and doith wickidnesse, he schal die in it, he schal die in the vnriytwisnesse which he wrouyte.

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 And whanne a wickid man turneth awei him silf fro his wickidnesse which he wrouyte, and doith dom and riytfulnesse, he schal quykene his soule.

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 For he biholdinge and turnynge awei hym silf fro alle hise wickidnessis which he wrouyte, schal lyue in lijf, and schal 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 And the sones of Israel seien, The weie of the Lord is not euene. Whether my weies ben not euene, ye hous of Israel, and not more youre weies ben schrewid?

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 Therfor, thou hous of Israel, Y schal deme ech man bi hise weies, seith the Lord God. Turne ye togidere, and do ye penaunce for alle youre wickidnessis, and wickidnesse schal not be to you in to falling.

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 Caste awei fro you alle youre trespassingis, bi whiche ye trespassiden, and make ye a newe herte and a newe spirit to you, and whi schulen ye die, the hous 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 Y nyle the deeth of hym that dieth, seith the Lord God; turne ye ayen, and lyue ye.

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