יחזקאל 18

1 ויהי דבר יהוה אלי לאמר

Yahweh gave me another message. [He said, ]

2 מה לכם אתם משלים את המשל הזה על אדמת ישראל לאמר אבות יאכלו בסר ושני הבנים תקהינה

“You people quote [RHQ] this proverb [and say that it is] about Israel: ‘Parents/People eat sour grapes, but it is their children who have a very sour taste in their mouths', [which means that you think that it is not fair for you to be punished for your ancestors’ sins].

3 חי אני נאם אדני יהוה אם יהיה לכם עוד משל המשל הזה--בישראל

But [I], Yahweh the Lord, declare that [as surely] as I am alive, you Israeli people will no longer quote that proverb.

4 הן כל הנפשות לי הנה כנפש האב וכנפש הבן לי הנה הנפש החטאת היא תמות

Everyone [who is alive] belongs to me. That includes children and their parents; they all belong to me. And it is those who sin who will [because of their sins].

5 ואיש כי יהיה צדיק ועשה משפט וצדקה

[So, ] suppose there is a righteous person [always] does what is fair and right [DOU].

6 אל ההרים לא אכל ועיניו לא נשא אל גלולי בית ישראל ואת אשת רעהו לא טמא ואל אשה נדה לא יקרב

He does not [meat sacrificed to idols] on the hilltops, he does not request help from idols. He does not have sex with someone else’s wife or have sex with a woman during her monthly menstrual period.

7 ואיש לא יונה--חבלתו חוב ישיב גזלה לא יגזל לחמו לרעב יתן ועירם יכסה בגד

He does not mistreat/oppress people; if [borrows money from him and gives him his cloak to guarantee that he will pay the money back], he always gives the cloak back to that [before the sun goes down]. He does not rob people. He gives food to hungry people. He gives clothing to people who need clothes.

8 בנשך לא יתן ותרבית לא יקח--מעול ישיב ידו משפט אמת יעשה בין איש לאיש

When he lends money to people, he does not [do it just to] charge big interest. He does not do [SYN] things that are evil. He [always] decides things fairly.

9 בחקותי יהלך ומשפטי שמר לעשות אמת צדיק הוא חיה יחיה נאם אדני יהוה

He faithfully obeys all [DOU] my laws. That man is truly righteous; he will remain alive. [That is what I, ] Yahweh the Lord, promise.

10 והוליד בן פריץ שפך דם ועשה אח מאחד מאלה

But suppose that man has a son who acts violently, who murders people and does any of these other things, even though his father has not done any of them:

11 והוא את כל אלה לא עשה--כי גם אל ההרים אכל ואת אשת רעהו טמא

He [meat sacrificed to idols] on the hilltops. He has sex with other people’s wives.

12 עני ואביון הונה--גזלות גזל חבל לא ישיב ואל הגלולים נשא עיניו תועבה עשה

He mistreats/oppresses poor and needy people. He robs people. If someone gives him his cloak to [that he will pay the money back], he never gives the cloak back to [before the sun goes down]. He seeks help from idols. He does [other] detestable things.

13 בנשך נתן ותרבית לקח וחי לא יחיה את כל התועבות האלה עשה--מות יומת דמיו בו יהיה

When he lends money, he [very big] interest. If you think that such a person [be allowed to] remain alive [RHQ], you are certainly wrong. Because he has done those detestable things, he will surely be executed, and it will be his own fault [IDM].

14 והנה הוליד בן וירא את כל חטאת אביו אשר עשה ויראה ולא יעשה כהן

But suppose that man has a son who sees all the sins that his father commits, but he does not do those things:

15 על ההרים לא אכל ועיניו לא נשא אל גלולי בית ישראל את אשת רעהו לא טמא

He does not [meat sacrificed to idols] on the hilltops. He does not request help from idols. He does not have sex with other people’s wives.

16 ואיש לא הונה--חבל לא חבל וגזלה לא גזל לחמו לרעב נתן וערום כסה בגד

He does not mistreat/oppress people. If he lends money to someone, he does not require that person to give him his cloak to guarantee that he will pay the money back. He does not rob anyone. He gives food to those who need it. He gives clothes to those who need clothes.

17 מעני השיב ידו נשך ותרבית לא לקח--משפטי עשה בחקותי הלך הוא לא ימות בעון אביו--חיה יחיה

He does not commit sins, [like his father did], and does not charge big interest [DOU] when he lends money. He faithfully obeys [all] [DOU] my laws. That person will not be executed for his father’s sins; he will surely remain alive.

18 אביו כי עשק עשק גזל גזל אח ואשר לא טוב עשה בתוך עמיו והנה מת בעונו

But his father will be executed for the sins that he committed, because he cheated people and robbed people and did [other] things that are evil.

19 ואמרתם מדע לא נשא הבן בעון האב והבן משפט וצדקה עשה את כל חקותי שמר ויעשה אתם--חיה יחיה

[If] you ask, ‘Why should the [man’s] son not (suffer/be punished) for the evil things that his father did?’, [I will answer that] the son has done what is fair and right [DOU] and has obeyed all my laws, so he will surely remain alive.

20 הנפש החטאת היא תמות בן לא ישא בעון האב ואב לא ישא בעון הבן--צדקת הצדיק עליו תהיה ורשעת רשע (הרשע) עליו תהיה

It is those who sin who will [because of their sins]. People will not be punished for the sins of their parents, or for the sins of their children. Good/Righteous people will be rewarded for their being good/righteous, and evil people will be punished for [doing] evil.

21 והרשע כי ישוב מכל חטאתו אשר עשה ושמר את כל חקותי ועשה משפט וצדקה--חיה יחיה לא ימות

But if a wicked person (turns away from/quits) doing all the evil things that he did previously, and if he starts to obey faithfully all my laws, and does what is fair and right [DOU], he will surely remain alive; he will not be executed.

22 כל פשעיו אשר עשה לא יזכרו לו בצדקתו אשר עשה יחיה

He will not be punished for the sins he committed [previously]. Because of the good/righteous things that he has done [since that time], he [be allowed to] remain alive.

23 החפץ אחפץ מות רשע נאם אדני יהוה הלוא בשובו מדרכיו וחיה

[I], Yahweh the Lord, declare that I certainly am not [RHQ] happy about wicked people dying. Instead, I am happy when they turn away from their wicked behavior, [because of that, they] remain alive.

24 ובשוב צדיק מצדקתו ועשה עול ככל התועבות אשר עשה הרשע יעשה וחי--כל צדקתו אשר עשה לא תזכרנה במעלו אשר מעל ובחטאתו אשר חטא בם ימות

But if a righteous person stops doing righteous things and [starts to] commit sins and does the same detestable things that wicked people do, he will certainly not [RHQ] [be allowed to] remain alive. I will not think about the righteous things that he did previously. Because he did not [do what pleases me], and because of [all] the sins that he has committed, he will be executed.

25 ואמרתם לא יתכן דרך אדני שמעו נא בית ישראל הדרכי לא יתכן הלא דרכיכם לא יתכנו

But you say, ‘Yahweh does not act fairly!’ You Israeli people, listen to what I say: It is certainly not [RHQ] what I do that is unfair, it is what you continually do that is not fair/right!

26 בשוב צדיק מצדקתו ועשה עול ומת עליהם בעולו אשר עשה ימות

If a righteous person (turns away from/quits) doing what is righteous and commits sins, he will [for committing those sins].

27 ובשוב רשע מרשעתו אשר עשה ויעש משפט וצדקה--הוא את נפשו יחיה

But if a wicked person turns away from doing wicked things and does what is just and right [DOU], he will save [from being executed/punished].

28 ויראה וישוב (וישב) מכל פשעיו אשר עשה--חיו יחיה לא ימות

Because he has thought about all the evil things that he did and has turned away from doing them, he will [be allowed to] live. He will not be executed [for having done evil things].

29 ואמרו בית ישראל לא יתכן דרך אדני הדרכי לא יתכנו בית ישראל--הלא דרכיכם לא יתכן

But [you] Israeli people [MTY] say, ‘Yahweh does not act fairly.’ You people of Israel, my behavior is certainly not [RHQ] unfair! It is your behavior that is not right.

30 לכן איש כדרכיו אשפט אתכם בית ישראל--נאם אדני יהוה שובו והשיבו מכל פשעיכם ולא יהיה לכם למכשול עון

Therefore, you Israeli people [MTY], I, Yahweh the Lord, will judge each of you according to what you have done. Repent! Turn [away] from all your wicked behavior! Then you will not be destroyed [PRS] because of your sins.

31 השליכו מעליכם את כל פשעיכם אשר פשעתם בם ועשו לכם לב חדש ורוח חדשה ולמה תמתו בית ישראל

Get rid of all your wicked behavior, and get a new way of thinking [IDM, DOU]. You Israeli people [MTY], (do you really want to be executed for your sins?/you act as though you want to be executed [for your sins]) [RHQ].

32 כי לא אחפץ במות המת נאם אדני יהוה והשיבו וחיו

[I], Yahweh the Lord, declare that I am not pleased about your dying. So repent, and remain alive!”