Ezekiel 18
1 The word of the LORD came to me:
2 “What do you mean by repeating this proverb about the land of Israel: ‘The fathers eat sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge’?
3 As surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, you will no longer repeat this proverb in Israel.
4 Look, every life is mine: the life of the father and the life of the son are mine alike. The person who sins will die.
5 A man who is righteous acts justly and does what is right.
6 He does not eat at the mountain shrines, or lift his eyes to the detestable idols of the house of Israel. He does not defile his neighbor’s wife or approach a woman during her menstrual period.
7 He does not oppress anyone. He returns a debtor’s pledge, commits no robbery, gives his bread to the hungry, and covers the naked with clothing.
8 He does not lend at interest or take a profit. He turns his hand away from injustice and judges fairly between one person and another.
9 He follows my statutes and keeps my ordinances, acting faithfully. Such a man is righteous; he will surely live, declares the Lord GOD.
10 Suppose he fathers a violent son who sheds blood and does any of these things to his brother.
11 That son does none of those things. Yet he eats at the mountain shrines and defiles his neighbor’s wife.”
12 “He oppresses the poor and needy, commits robbery, does not return a pledge, lifts his eyes to the detestable idols, and commits abominations.
13 He lends at interest and takes a profit. Will he live? He will not live! He has done all these abominations. He will surely die, and his blood will be on him.
14 Suppose this man fathers a son who sees all the sins his father has committed. He sees them, but does not do the same.
15 He does not eat at the mountain shrines, lift his eyes to the detestable idols of the house of Israel, or defile his neighbor’s wife.
16 He oppresses no one, keeps no pledge, commits no robbery, gives his bread to the hungry, and covers the naked with clothing.
17 He turns his hand away from harming the poor, takes no interest or profit, and keeps my ordinances and follows my statutes. He will not die for his father’s guilt; he will surely live.
18 His father, because he practiced oppression, robbed his brother, and did what was wrong among his people, died for his own guilt.
19 But you say, ‘Why does the son not bear the father’s guilt?’ The son has acted justly and done what is right; he has kept all my statutes and obeyed them. He will surely live.
20 The person who sins will die. A son will not bear his father’s guilt, and a father will not bear his son’s guilt. The righteousness of the righteous will be credited to him, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged to him.
21 If the wicked person turns away from all the sins he has committed, keeps all my statutes, and acts justly and does what is right, he will surely live; he will not die.”
22 “None of the transgressions he committed will be held against him. He will live because of the righteousness he has practiced.
23 Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord GOD? Don’t I take pleasure when they turn from their ways and live?
24 But if the righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does wrong, following all the abominations the wicked commit, will he live? None of the righteous acts he did will be remembered. He will die because of his unfaithfulness and the sin he has committed.
25 But you say, ‘The Lord’s way is not right.’ Listen now, house of Israel: Is my way not right? Is it not your ways that are not right?
26 When a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does wrong, he will die for it. He will die because of the wrong he has done.
27 When a wicked person turns away from the wickedness he has committed and acts justly and does what is right, he preserves his own life.
28 He sees this and turns away from all the transgressions he has committed. He will surely live; he will not die.
29 Yet the house of Israel says, ‘The Lord’s way is not right.’ Are my ways not right, house of Israel? Is it not your ways that are not right?
30 Therefore I will judge each of you, house of Israel, according to your ways, declares the Lord GOD. Turn back and turn away from all your transgressions, so that guilt will not become a stumbling block for you.
31 Throw away from yourselves all the transgressions you have committed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. Why should you die, house of Israel?
32 For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies, declares the Lord GOD. So turn back and live!”
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