Ezekiel 18
1The word of the Lord came unto me again, saying,
2What mean ye, that ye use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge?
3As I live, saith the Lord God, ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel.
4Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.
5But if a man be just, and do that…: Heb. judgment and justicethat which is lawful and right,
6And hathhas not eaten upon the mountains, neither hathhas lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, neither hathhas defiled his neighbour’s wife, neither hathhas come near to a menstruous woman,
7And hathhas not oppressed any, but hathhas restored to the debtor his pledge, hathhas spoiled none by violence, hathhas given his bread to the hungry, and hathhas covered the naked with a garment;
8He that hathhas not given forth upon usury, neither hathhas taken any increase, that hathhas withdrawn his hand from iniquity, hathhas executed true judgment between man and man,
9HathHas walked in my statutes, and hathhas kept my judgments, to deal truly; he is just, he shall surely live, saith the Lord God.
10If he beget a son that is a robber: or, breaker up of an houserobber, a shedder of blood, and that doeth…: or, that doeth to his brother besides any of thesethat doeth the like to any one of these things,
11And that doeth not any of those duties, but even hathhas eaten upon the mountains, and defiled his neighbour’s wife,
12HathHas oppressed the poor and needy, hathhas spoiled by violence, hathhas not restored the pledge, and hathhas lifted up his eyes to the idols, hathhas committed abomination,
13HathHas given forth upon usury, and hathhas taken increase: shall he then live? he shall not live: he hathhas done all these abominations; he shall surely die; his blood: Heb. bloodsblood shall be upon him.
14Now, lo, if he beget a son, that seeth all his father’s sins which he hathhas done, and considereth, and doeth not such like,
15That hathhas not eaten upon the mountains, neither hathhas lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, hathhas not defiled his neighbour’s wife,
16Neither hathhas oppressed any, hathhas not…: Heb. hathhas not pledged the pledge, or, taken to pledgehathhas not withholden the pledge, neither hathhas spoiled by violence, but hathhas given his bread to the hungry, and hathhas covered the naked with a garment,
17That hathhas taken off his hand from the poor, that hathhas not received usury nor increase, hathhas executed my judgments, hathhas walked in my statutes; he shall not die for the iniquity of his father, he shall surely live.
18As for his father, because he cruelly oppressed, spoiled his brother by violence, and did that which is not good among his people, lo, even he shall die in his iniquity.
19Yet say ye, Why? doth not the son bear the iniquity of the father? When the son hathhas done that which is lawful and right, and hathhas kept all my statutes, and hathhas done them, he shall surely live.
20The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.
21But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hathhas committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die.
22All his transgressions that he hathhas committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hathhas done he shall live.
23Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord God: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?
24But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hathhas done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hathhas trespassed, and in his sin that he hathhas sinned, in them shall he die.
25Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. Hear now, O house of Israel; Is not my way equal? are not your ways unequal?
26When a righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and dieth in them; for his iniquity that he hathhas done shall he die.
27Again, when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he hathhas committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive.
28Because he considereth, and turneth away from all his transgressions that he hathhas committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die.
29Yet saith the house of Israel, The way of the Lord is not equal. O house of Israel, are not my ways equal? are not your ways unequal?
30Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord God. Repent, and turn yourselves: or, othersyourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin.
31Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel?
32For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God: wherefore turn yourselves: or, othersyourselves, and live ye.