33 The Lord gave this message to me: 2 ‘Son of man, speak to your people. Say to them, “Think about what might happen if I send an army to attack a country. The people of that country might choose one of their own men to be a guard to warn them about danger. [ a ] 3 Then, if the guard sees that enemy soldiers are ready to attack, he must blow a trumpet to warn his people. 4 Someone might hear the sound of the trumpet, but he does nothing to keep himself safe. If enemy soldiers then come and kill that person, he is guilty of his own death. 5 He deserves to die because he heard the sound of the trumpet, but he did nothing. When the trumpet warned him of danger, he should have got ready. If he had done that, he would have saved his life. 6 But the guard might not blow the trumpet when he sees the enemy. He might not warn his people that the enemy is ready to attack them. Then enemy soldiers might kill some of his people. Those people will die because of their sins. But the guard will be guilty of their death, because he did not warn them of danger.”
7 Son of man, I have chosen you to be a guard for Israel's people. You must listen to the messages that I give you. Then you must use what I say to warn the Israelites. 8 I might say to a wicked person, “You will certainly die because of your sins.” Then you must warn that wicked person to stop doing wicked things. If you do not warn him, he will die because of his sins. But I will say that you are guilty of his death. 9 If you do warn him and he refuses to change, he will die because of his sins. But you will have saved your own life.
10 Son of man, give Israel's people this message: “You are saying, ‘The punishment for our sins is too much for us. We are dying because of all the bad things that we have done. What should we do so that we can continue to live?’ ”
11 Tell them, “It does not make me happy to punish wicked people with death. I, the Almighty Lord , promise you this, as surely as I live. I want wicked people to stop doing wrong things so that they may continue to live. So stop doing evil things! Israel's people, you do not have to die. Turn back to me!”
12 Son of man, you must say to your people, “If a righteous person refuses to obey me, I will punish him. The good things that he has done will not save him. And if a wicked person stops doing bad things, he will no longer be guilty. Righteous people will not continue to live if they start to do bad things.”
13 I may say to righteous people that they will certainly continue to live. But then they may trust in the good things that they have done. They may think that I will not punish them if they start to do evil things. But if they do that, I will destroy them because of their sins. I will not even think about the good things that they did at an earlier time.
14 Also, I may say to wicked people, “You will certainly die because of your sins.” But then they may stop doing bad things. They may start to do things that are good and right. 15 For example, a wicked person might give back something that he has taken from someone as a guarantee. Or he might give back things that he has robbed from people. A wicked person might start to obey the laws that give life. He might stop doing evil things. If wicked people change like that, then they will continue to live. They will not die as punishment for their sins. 16 I will not think about the sins that they have done. Now that they have started to do things that are good and right, they will certainly continue to live.
17 Your people, the Israelites, are saying: “The Lord is not fair in the things that he does!” But it is the people themselves who live in a way that is not fair. 18 If a righteous person stops doing good things and he starts to do evil things, he will die. He deserves to die because of his sins. 19 Also, if a wicked person stops doing bad things and he starts to do things that are good and right, he will continue to live. He deserves to live because he has changed. 20 But you Israelites continue to say, “The Lord is not fair!” But I will judge each of you in a way that you deserve for the things that you have done.’
21 This is what happened 12 years after we had come to Babylon as prisoners. It was on the 5th day of the 10th month of that year. A man who had escaped from Jerusalem came to me in Babylon. [ b ] He said, ‘Enemies have taken Jerusalem for themselves.’ 22 Before that man arrived, the Lord had taken hold of me in the night. He had opened my mouth so that I was able to speak again. [ c ]
23 Then the Lord gave this message to me:
24 ‘Son of man, there are people who continue to live in the places in Israel that have become heaps of stones. Those Israelites are saying, “Abraham was only one man, but God gave him the whole land of Israel. We are many people. So we can be sure that the land now belongs to us.”
25 Because they say that, you must tell them, “This is what the Almighty Lord says: You eat meat which still has blood in it. You worship your idols. You also murder people. So you do not deserve to have the land for yourselves. 26 You use violence to get the things that you want. You do disgusting things. You have sex with other men's wives. So you should certainly not have the land!”
27 Say to them, “This is what the Almighty Lord says: I promise you this, as surely as I live. Soldiers will kill the people who live among the heaps of stones. I will cause wild animals to eat the people who live in the fields. Diseases will kill the people who hide in strong buildings and in caves. 28 I will make the land become empty, like a desert. You will no longer be proud of your power. Israel's mountains will become empty places that nobody travels through. 29 I will cause the land to become heaps of stones where nobody lives. I will do that to punish the people for the disgusting things that they have done. Then they will know that I am the Lord .”
30 Son of man, the Israelites who are here with you in Babylon are talking about you. They meet together near the walls of the city and at the doors of their houses. They are saying to each other, “Come and hear the message that has come from the Lord .”
31 They are my people and they come as a crowd to listen to you. They sit and they listen to your words. But they do not obey what you say. They say that they love me. But really they like to cheat people to get things for themselves. 32 They like to hear your voice. For them, you are like someone who sings beautiful songs about love. They listen to your words but they do not obey them.
33 All these things that I have said will certainly happen. When my people see them happen, they will know that a prophet has lived among them.’
33 The word of the Lord came to me. He said, 2 “Son of man, [ a ] speak to your people. Say to them, ‘Whenever I bring enemy soldiers to fight against a country, the people choose someone to be a watchman. 3 If this guard sees enemy soldiers coming, he blows the trumpet and warns the people. 4 If people hear the warning but ignore it, the enemy will capture them and take them away as prisoners. They will be responsible for their own death. 5 They heard the trumpet, but they ignored the warning. So they are responsible for their own deaths. If they had paid attention to the warning, they could have saved their own lives.
6 “‘But what if the guard sees the enemy soldiers coming, but does not blow the trumpet? Since he doesn’t warn the people, the enemy will capture them and take them away as prisoners. They will be taken away because they sinned, but the guard will also be responsible for their deaths.’
7 “Now, son of man, I am choosing you to be a watchman for the family of Israel. If you hear a message from my mouth, you must warn the people for me. 8 I might say to you, ‘These evil people will die.’ Then you must go warn them for me. If you don’t warn them and tell them to change their lives, those evil people will die because they sinned. But I will make you responsible for their deaths. 9 But if you do warn the evil people to change their lives and stop sinning, and if they refuse to stop, they will die because they sinned. But you have saved your life.
10 “So, son of man, speak to the family of Israel for me. They might say, ‘We have sinned and broken the law. Our sins are too heavy to bear. We rot away because of them. What can we do to live?’
11 “You must say to them, ‘The Lord God says: By my life, I swear that I don’t enjoy seeing people die—not even evil people! I don’t want them to die. I want them to come back to me. I want them to change their lives so that they can really live. So come back to me! Stop doing bad things! Why must you die, family of Israel?’
12 “Son of man, tell your people: ‘The good things people did in the past will not save them if they become bad and begin to sin. In the same way the bad things people did in the past will not destroy them if they turn from their evil. So remember, the good things people did in the past will not save them if they begin to sin.’
13 “Maybe I will tell good people that they will live. But maybe those good people will begin to think that the good things they did in the past will save them. So they might begin to do bad things, but I will not remember the good things they did in the past! No, they will die because of the bad things they begin to do.
14 “Or maybe I will tell some evil people that they will die. But they might change their lives, stop sinning, and begin to live right. They might become good and fair. 15 They might give back the things they took when they loaned money. They might pay for the things they stole. They might begin to follow the laws that give life and stop doing bad things. Then they will surely live. They will not die. 16 I will not remember the bad things they did in the past, because now they live right and are fair. So they will live!
17 “But your people say, ‘That’s not fair! The Lord cannot be like that!’
“But they are the people who are not fair! They are the people who must change! 18 If good people stop doing good and begin to sin, they will die because of their sins. 19 And if evil people stop doing wrong and start living right and being fair, they will live. 20 You still say that I am not fair, but I am telling you the truth. Family of Israel, everyone will be judged for what they do!”
21 On the fifth day of the tenth month in the twelfth year of exile, [ b ] a person who had escaped from the battle in Jerusalem came to me and said, “The city has been taken!”
22 The evening before that person came to me, the power of the Lord came on me. The Lord opened my mouth. So when that person came, I could speak again. 23 Then the word of the Lord came to me. He said, 24 “Son of man, there are Israelites who live in the ruined cities in Israel. They are saying, ‘Abraham was only one man, and God gave him all this land. Now, we are many people, so surely this land belongs to us! It is our land!’
25 “You must tell them that this is what the Lord God says: ‘You eat meat with the blood still in it. You look to your idols for help. You murder people, so why should I give you this land? 26 You depend on your own sword. Each of you does terrible things. Each of you commits sexual sins with his neighbor’s wife, so you cannot have the land!’
27 “‘You must tell them that this is what the Lord God says: “By my life, I promise that the people living in the ruined cities will be killed with a sword! If any people are out in the country, I will let animals kill and eat them. If people are hiding in the fortresses and the caves, they will die from disease. 28 I will make the land empty and a waste. That country will lose all the things it was proud of. The mountains of Israel will become empty. No one will pass through that place. 29 The people have done many terrible things, so I will make that place an empty wasteland. Then they will know that I am the Lord .”
30 “‘And now about you, son of man. Your people lean against the walls and stand in their doorways talking about you. They tell each other, “Come on, let’s go hear what the Lord says.” 31 So they come to you as if they were my people. They sit in front of you as if they were my people. They hear your words, but they will not do the things you say. They only want to do what feels good. They only want to cheat people and make more money.
32 “‘You are nothing to these people but a singer singing love songs. You have a good voice. You play your instrument well. They listen to your words, but they will not do what you say. 33 But the things you sing about really will happen, and then the people will know that there was a prophet living among them.’”
33 Again the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman:
3 If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people;
4 Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head.
5 He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul.
6 But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand.
7 So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me.
8 When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
9 Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.
10 Therefore, O thou son of man, speak unto the house of Israel; Thus ye speak, saying, If our transgressions and our sins be upon us, and we pine away in them, how should we then live?
11 Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord God , I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?
12 Therefore, thou son of man, say unto the children of thy people, The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression: as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall thereby in the day that he turneth from his wickedness; neither shall the righteous be able to live for his righteousness in the day that he sinneth.
13 When I shall say to the righteous, that he shall surely live; if he trust to his own righteousness, and commit iniquity, all his righteousnesses shall not be remembered; but for his iniquity that he hath committed, he shall die for it.
14 Again, when I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; if he turn from his sin, and do that which is lawful and right;
15 If the wicked restore the pledge, give again that he had robbed, walk in the statutes of life, without committing iniquity; he shall surely live, he shall not die.
16 None of his sins that he hath committed shall be mentioned unto him: he hath done that which is lawful and right; he shall surely live.
17 Yet the children of thy people say, The way of the Lord is not equal: but as for them, their way is not equal.
18 When the righteous turneth from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, he shall even die thereby.
19 But if the wicked turn from his wickedness, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall live thereby.
20 Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. O ye house of Israel, I will judge you every one after his ways.
21 And it came to pass in the twelfth year of our captivity, in the tenth month, in the fifth day of the month, that one that had escaped out of Jerusalem came unto me, saying, The city is smitten.
22 Now the hand of the Lord was upon me in the evening, afore he that was escaped came; and had opened my mouth, until he came to me in the morning; and my mouth was opened, and I was no more dumb.
23 Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
24 Son of man, they that inhabit those wastes of 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 Wherefore say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God ; Ye eat with the blood, and lift up your eyes toward your idols, and shed blood: and shall ye possess the land?
26 Ye stand upon your sword, ye work abomination, and ye defile every one his neighbour's wife: and shall ye possess the land?
27 Say thou thus unto them, Thus saith the Lord God ; As I live, surely they that are in the wastes shall fall by the sword, and him that is in the open field will I give to the beasts to be devoured, and they that be in the forts and in the caves shall die of the pestilence.
28 For I will lay the land most desolate, and the pomp of her strength shall cease; and the mountains of Israel shall be desolate, that none shall pass through.
29 Then shall they know that I am the Lord , when I have laid the land most desolate because of all their abominations which they have committed.
30 Also, thou son of man, the children of thy people still are talking against thee by the walls and in the doors of the houses, and speak one to another, every one to his brother, saying, Come, I pray you, and hear what is the word that cometh forth from the Lord .
31 And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness.
32 And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them not.
33 And when this cometh to pass, (lo, it will come,) then shall they know that a prophet hath been among them.
33 Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, speak to the ( A ) sons of your people and say to them, ‘If I bring a sword upon a land, and the people of the land take one man from among them and make him their watchman, 3 and he sees the sword coming upon the land and ( B ) blows the [ a ] horn and warns the people, 4 then [ b ] someone who hears the sound of the horn but ( C ) does not take warning, and a sword comes and takes him away, his ( D ) blood will be on his own head. 5 He heard the sound of the horn but did not take warning; his blood will be on himself. But had he taken warning, he would have ( E ) saved his life. 6 But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the horn and the people are not warned, and a sword comes and takes a person from them, he is ( F ) taken away for his wrongdoing; but I will [ c ] require his ( G ) blood from the watchman’s hand.’
7 “Now as for you, son of man, I have [ d ] ( H ) appointed you as a watchman for the house of Israel; so you will hear a [ e ] message from My mouth and give them a ( I ) warning from Me. 8 When I say to the wicked, ‘You wicked person, you will ( J ) certainly die,’ and you do not speak to warn the wicked about his way, that wicked person shall die for his wrongdoing, but I will [ f ] require his blood from your hand. 9 But if you on your part warn a wicked person to turn from his way and he ( K ) does not turn from his way, he will die for his wrongdoing, but you have ( L ) saved your life.
10 “Now as for you, son of man, say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what you have [ g ] said: “Surely our offenses and our sins are upon us, and we are ( M ) rotting away in them; ( N ) how then can we [ h ] survive?”’ 11 Say to them, ‘ ( O ) As I live!’ declares the Lord [ i ] God , ‘I take ( P ) no pleasure at all in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked ( Q ) turn from his way and live. ( R ) Turn back, turn back from your evil ways! Why then should you die, house of Israel?’ 12 And you, son of man, say to [ j ] your fellow citizens, ‘The ( S ) righteousness of a righteous one will not save him on the day of his offense, and as for the wickedness of a wicked one, he will ( T ) not stumble because of it on the day when he turns from his wickedness; whereas a righteous one will not be able to live [ k ] by his righteousness on the day when he commits sin.’ 13 When I say to the righteous that he will certainly live, and he so trusts in his righteousness that he ( U ) commits injustice, none of his righteous deeds will be remembered; but for that same injustice of his which he has committed he will die. 14 But when I say to the wicked, ‘You will certainly die,’ and he ( V ) turns from his sin and practices ( W ) justice and righteousness, 15 if a wicked person returns a pledge, ( X ) pays back what he has taken by robbery, walks by the ( Y ) statutes [ l ] which ensure life without committing injustice, he shall certainly live; he shall not die. 16 ( Z ) None of his sins that he has committed will be remembered against him. He has practiced justice and righteousness; he shall certainly live.
17 “Yet [ m ] your fellow citizens say, ‘The way of the Lord is not right,’ when it is their own way that is not right. 18 When the righteous turns from his righteousness and ( AA ) commits injustice, then he shall die in [ n ] it. 19 But when the wicked turns from his wickedness and practices justice and righteousness, he will live by them. 20 Yet you say, ‘ ( AB ) The way of the Lord is not right.’ I will judge each of you according to his ways, house of Israel.”
21 Now ( AC ) in the ( AD ) twelfth year of our exile, on the fifth of the tenth month, the survivor from Jerusalem came to me, saying, “ ( AE ) The city has been [ o ] taken.” 22 Now the ( AF ) hand of the Lord had been upon me in the evening, before the survivors came. And He ( AG ) opened my mouth [ p ] at the time they came to me in the morning; so my mouth was ( AH ) opened and I was no longer [ q ] speechless.
23 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 24 “Son of man, they who ( AI ) live in these ruins in the land of Israel are saying, ‘ ( AJ ) Abraham was only one, yet he possessed the land; so to ( AK ) us who are many the land has been given as a possession.’ 25 Therefore say to them, ‘This is what the Lord God says: “You eat meat with the ( AL ) blood in it , raise your eyes to your idols as you shed blood. ( AM ) Should you then possess the land? 26 You [ r ] ( AN ) rely on your sword, you commit abominations, and each of you defiles his neighbor’s wife. Should you then possess the land?”’ 27 You shall say this to them: ‘This is what the Lord God says: “As I live, those who are in the places of ruins certainly will ( AO ) fall by the sword, and whoever is in the [ s ] open field I will give to the animals to be devoured, and those who are in the strongholds and in the ( AP ) caves will die of plague. 28 And I will ( AQ ) make the land a desolation and a waste, and the ( AR ) pride of her power will be brought to an end; and the mountains of Israel will be deserted so that no one will pass through. 29 Then they will know that I am the Lord , when I make the land a desolation and a waste because of all their abominations which they have committed.”’
30 “But as for you, son of man, [ t ] your fellow citizens who talk with one another about you by the walls and in the doorways of the houses, speak one with another, each with his brother, saying, ‘ ( AS ) Come now and hear what the [ u ] message is that comes from the Lord .’ 31 And they come to you as people come, and sit before you as My people and hear your words, but they do not do them; for they do the lustful desires expressed by their ( AT ) mouth, and their heart follows their unlawful ( AU ) gain. 32 And behold, you are to them like a love song by one who has a ( AV ) beautiful voice and plays well on an instrument; for they hear your words but they do not practice them. 33 So when it ( AW ) comes— [ v ] as it certainly will—then they will know that a prophet has been among them.”
33 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, speak to your people and say to them: ‘When I bring the sword ( A ) against a land, and the people of the land choose one of their men and make him their watchman, ( B ) 3 and he sees the sword coming against the land and blows the trumpet ( C ) to warn the people, 4 then if anyone hears the trumpet but does not heed the warning ( D ) and the sword comes and takes their life, their blood will be on their own head. ( E ) 5 Since they heard the sound of the trumpet but did not heed the warning, their blood will be on their own head. ( F ) If they had heeded the warning, they would have saved themselves. ( G ) 6 But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes someone’s life, that person’s life will be taken because of their sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for their blood.’ ( H )
7 “Son of man, I have made you a watchman ( I ) for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. ( J ) 8 When I say to the wicked, ‘You wicked person, you will surely die, ( K ) ’ and you do not speak out to dissuade them from their ways, that wicked person will die for [ a ] their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. ( L ) 9 But if you do warn the wicked person to turn from their ways and they do not do so, ( M ) they will die for their sin, though you yourself will be saved. ( N )
10 “Son of man, say to the Israelites, ‘This is what you are saying: “Our offenses and sins weigh us down, and we are wasting away ( O ) because of [ b ] them. How then can we live? ( P ) ”’ 11 Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord , I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. ( Q ) Turn! ( R ) Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, people of Israel?’ ( S )
12 “Therefore, son of man, say to your people, ( T ) ‘If someone who is righteous disobeys, that person’s former righteousness will count for nothing. And if someone who is wicked repents, that person’s former wickedness will not bring condemnation. The righteous person who sins will not be allowed to live even though they were formerly righteous.’ ( U ) 13 If I tell a righteous person that they will surely live, but then they trust in their righteousness and do evil, none of the righteous things that person has done will be remembered; they will die for the evil they have done. ( V ) 14 And if I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ but they then turn away from their sin and do what is just ( W ) and right— 15 if they give back what they took in pledge ( X ) for a loan, return what they have stolen, ( Y ) follow the decrees that give life, and do no evil—that person will surely live; they will not die. ( Z ) 16 None of the sins ( AA ) that person has committed will be remembered against them. They have done what is just and right; they will surely live. ( AB )
17 “Yet your people say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ But it is their way that is not just. 18 If a righteous person turns from their righteousness and does evil, ( AC ) they will die for it. ( AD ) 19 And if a wicked person turns away from their wickedness and does what is just and right, they will live by doing so. ( AE ) 20 Yet you Israelites say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ But I will judge each of you according to your own ways.” ( AF )
21 In the twelfth year of our exile, in the tenth month on the fifth day, a man who had escaped ( AG ) from Jerusalem came to me and said, “The city has fallen! ( AH ) ” 22 Now the evening before the man arrived, the hand of the Lord was on me, ( AI ) and he opened my mouth ( AJ ) before the man came to me in the morning. So my mouth was opened and I was no longer silent. ( AK )
23 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 24 “Son of man, the people living in those ruins ( AL ) in the land of Israel are saying, ‘Abraham was only one man, yet he possessed the land. But we are many; ( AM ) surely the land has been given to us as our possession.’ ( AN ) 25 Therefore say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Since you eat ( AO ) meat with the blood ( AP ) still in it and look to your idols and shed blood, should you then possess the land? ( AQ ) 26 You rely on your sword, you do detestable things, ( AR ) and each of you defiles his neighbor’s wife. ( AS ) Should you then possess the land?’
27 “Say this to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: As surely as I live, those who are left in the ruins will fall by the sword, those out in the country I will give to the wild animals to be devoured, and those in strongholds and caves will die of a plague. ( AT ) 28 I will make the land a desolate waste, and her proud strength will come to an end, and the mountains ( AU ) of Israel will become desolate so that no one will cross them. ( AV ) 29 Then they will know that I am the Lord , when I have made the land a desolate ( AW ) waste because of all the detestable things they have done.’ ( AX )
30 “As for you, son of man, your people are talking together about you by the walls and at the doors of the houses, saying to each other, ‘Come and hear the message that has come from the Lord .’ 31 My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before ( AY ) you to hear your words, but they do not put them into practice. Their mouths speak of love, but their hearts are greedy ( AZ ) for unjust gain. ( BA ) 32 Indeed, to them you are nothing more than one who sings love songs ( BB ) with a beautiful voice and plays an instrument well, for they hear your words but do not put them into practice. ( BC )
33 “When all this comes true—and it surely will—then they will know that a prophet has been among them. ( BD ) ”
