Ezekiel 33
1 And the word of the Lord was maad to me,
The LORD’s word came to me, saying,
2 and he seide, Thou, sone of man, speke to the sones of thi puple, and thou schalt seie to hem, A lond whanne Y bringe in a swerd on it, and the puple of the lond takith o man of hise laste men, and makith hym aspiere on hym,
“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,
3 and he seeth a swerd comynge on the lond, and sowneth with a clarioun, and tellith to the puple,
if, when he sees the sword come on the land, he blows the trumpet and warns the people,
4 forsothe a man that herith, who euer he is, the sowne of the clarioun, and kepith not him silf, and the swerd cometh, and takith hym awei, the blood of hym schal be on the heed of hym.
then whoever hears the sound of the trumpet and does not heed the warning, if the sword comes and takes him away, his blood will be on his own head.
5 He herde the sown of the clarioun, and kepte not hym silf, his blood schal be in hym; forsothe if he kepith hym silf, he schal saue his lijf.
He heard the sound of the trumpet and did not take warning. His blood will be on him; whereas if he had heeded the warning, he would have delivered his soul.
6 That if the aspiere seeth a swerd comynge, and sowneth not with a clarioun, and the puple kepith not hym silf, and the swerd cometh, and takith awei a man of hem, sotheli he is takun in his wickidnesse; but Y schal seke the blood of hym of the hond of the aspiere.
But if the watchman sees the sword come and does not blow the trumpet, and the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at the watchman’s hand.’
7 And, thou, sone of man, Y yaf thee aspiere to the hous of Israel; therfor thou schalt here of my mouth a word, and schalt telle to hem of me.
“So you, son of man, I have set you a watchman to the house of Israel. Therefore hear the word from my mouth, and give them warnings from me.
8 If whanne Y seie to the wickid man, Thou, wickid man, schalt die bi deth, thou spekist not, that the wickid man kepe hym silf fro his weie, thilke wickid man schal die in his wickidnesse, but Y schal seke his blood of thin hond.
When I tell the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you will surely die,’ and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man will die in his iniquity, but I will require his blood at your hand.
9 Forsothe if whanne thou tellist to the wickid man, that he be conuertid fro his weies, he is not conuertid fro his weie, he schal die in his wickidnesse; certis thou hast delyuered thi soule.
Nevertheless, if you warn the wicked of his way to turn from it, and he does not turn from his way; he will die in his iniquity, but you have delivered your soul.
10 Therfore thou, sone of man, seie to the hous of Israel, Thus ye spaken, seiynge, Oure wickidnessis and oure synnes ben on vs, and we failen in tho; hou therfor moun we lyue? seie thou to hem,
“You, son of man, tell the house of Israel: ‘You say this, “Our transgressions and our sins are on us, and we pine away in them. How then can we live?”’
11 Y lyue, seith the Lord God, Y nyle the deth of the wickid man, but that the wickid man be conuertid fro his weie, and lyue; be ye conuertid fro youre worste weies, and whi schulen ye die, the hous of Israel?
Tell them, ‘“As I live,” says the Lord GOD, “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?”’
12 Therfor thou, sone of man, seie to the sones of thi puple, The riytfulnesse of a riytful man schal not delyuere hym, in whateuer dai he doith synne; and the wickidnesse of a wickid man schal not anoye him, in what euere dai he is conuertid fro his wickidnesse; and a iust man schal not mowe lyue in his riytfulnesse, in what euer dai he doith synne.
“You, son of man, tell the children of your people, ‘The righteousness of the righteous will not deliver him in the day of his disobedience. And as for the wickedness of the wicked, he will not fall by it in the day that he turns from his wickedness; neither will he who is righteous be able to live by it in the day that he sins.
13 Also if Y seie to a iust man, that he schal lyue bi lijf, and he tristith in his riytfulnesse, and doith wickidnesse, alle his riytfulnessis schulen be youun to foryetyng, and in his wickidnesse which he wrouyte, in that he schal die.
When I tell the righteous that he will surely live, if he trusts in his righteousness and commits iniquity, none of his righteous deeds will be remembered; but he will die in his iniquity that he has committed.
14 Forsothe if Y seie to the wickid man, Thou schalt die bi deth, and he doith penaunce for his synne, and doith dom and riytfulnesse,
Again, when I say to the wicked, “You will surely die,” if he turns from his sin and does that which is lawful and right,
15 and if thilke wickid man restorith a wed, and yeldith raueyn, and goith in comaundementis of lijf, and doith not ony vniust thing, he schal lyue bi lijf, and schal not die.
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 will surely live. He will not die.
16 Alle hise synnes which he synnede, schulen not be arettid to hym; he dide doom and riytfulnesse, he schal lyue bi lijf.
None of his sins that he has committed will be remembered against him. He has done that which is lawful and right. He will surely live.
17 And the sones of thi puple seiden, The weie of the Lord is not euene weiyte; and the weie of hem is vniust.
“‘Yet the children of your people say, “The way of the Lord is not fair;” but as for them, their way is not fair.
18 For whanne a iust man goith awei fro his riytfulnesse, and doith wickidnessis, he schal die in tho;
When the righteous turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, he will even die therein.
19 and whanne a wickid man goith awei fro his wickidnesse, and doith dom and riytfulnes, he schal lyue in tho.
When the wicked turns from his wickedness and does that which is lawful and right, he will live by it.
20 And ye seien, The weie of the Lord is not riytful. Y schal deme ech man bi hise weies of you, the hous of Israel.
Yet you say, “The way of the Lord is not fair.” House of Israel, I will judge every one of you after his ways.’”
21 And it was doon in the tweluethe yeer, in the tenthe monethe, in the fyuethe dai of the monethe of our passyng ouer, he that fledde fro Jerusalem cam to me, and seide, The citee is distried.
In the twelfth year of our captivity, in the tenth month, in the fifth day of the month, one who had escaped out of Jerusalem came to me, saying, “The city has been defeated!”
22 Forsothe the hond of the Lord was maad to me in the euentid, bifore that he cam that fledde, and he openyde my mouth, til he cam to me eerli; and whanne my mouth was openyd, Y was no more stille.
Now the LORD’s hand had been on me in the evening, before he who had 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 longer mute.
23 And the word of the Lord was maad to me, and he seide,
The LORD’s word came to me, saying,
24 Thou, sone of man, thei that dwellen in `thingis in poynt to falle doun on the erthe of Israel, seien, spekynge, Abraham was oon, and bi eritage he hadde the lond in possessioun; forsothe we ben manye, the lond is youun to vs in to possessioun.
“Son of man, those who inhabit the 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.’
25 Therfor thou schalt seie to hem, The Lord God seith these thingis, Whether ye that eten in blood, and reisen youre iyen to youre vnclennessis, and scheden blood, schulen haue in possessioun the lond bi eritage?
Therefore tell them, ‘The Lord GOD says: “You eat with the blood, and lift up your eyes to your idols, and shed blood. So should you possess the land?
26 Ye stoden in youre swerdis, ye diden youre abhomynaciouns, and ech man defoulide the wijf of his neiybore; and schulen ye welde the lond bi eritage?
You stand on your sword, you work abomination, and every one of you defiles his neighbor’s wife. So should you possess the land?”’
27 Thou schalt seie these thingis to hem, Thus seith the Lord God, Y lyue, for thei that dwellen in `thingis redi to falle doun, schulen falle doun bi swerd, and he that is in the feld, schal be youun to beestis to be deuourid; but thei that ben in stronge holdis and in dennes, schulen die bi pestilence.
“You shall tell them, ‘The Lord GOD says: “As I live, surely those who are in the waste places will fall by the sword. I will give whoever is in the open field to the animals to be devoured, and those who are in the strongholds and in the caves will die of the pestilence.
28 And Y schal yyue the lond in to wildirnesse, and in to desert, and the pryde and strengthe therof schal faile; and the hillis of Israel schulen be maad desolat, for noon is that schal passe bi tho.
I will make the land a desolation and an astonishment. The pride of her power will cease. The mountains of Israel will be desolate, so that no one will pass through.
29 And thei schulen wite, that Y am the Lord, whanne Y schal yyue her lond desolat and desert, for alle her abhomynaciouns whiche thei wrouyten.
Then they will know that I am the LORD, when I have made the land a desolation and an astonishment because of all their abominations which they have committed.”’
30 And thou, sone of man, the sones of thi puple that speken of thee bisidis wallis, and in the doris of housis, and seien, oon to an other, a man to his neiybore, and speken, Come ye, and here we, what is the word goynge out fro the Lord;
“As for you, son of man, the children of your people talk about you by the walls and in the doors of the houses, and speak to one another, everyone to his brother, saying, ‘Please come and hear what the word is that comes out from the LORD.’
31 and thei comen to thee, as if my puple entrith, and my puple sitten bifore thee, and thei heren thi wordis, and doon not tho; for thei turnen tho in to the song of her mouth, and her herte sueth her auerice;
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.
32 and it is to hem as a song of musik, which is songun bi soft and swete sown; and thei heren thi wordis, and thei doon not tho;
Behold, 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.
33 and whanne that that is bifore seide cometh, for lo! it cometh, thanne thei schulen wite, that `profetis weren among hem.
“When this comes to pass—behold, it comes—then they will know that a prophet has been among them.”
