Yechezkel 18 יחזקאל י״ח

The word of the Lord came to me again, saying,

What mean you, that you use this proverb concerning the land of Yisra᾽el, saying, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge?

As I live, says the Lord God, you shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Yisra᾽el.

Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine; the soul that sins, it shall die.

But if a man be just, and do that which is lawful and right,

and has not eaten upon the mountains, nor lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Yisra᾽el, nor defiled his neighbour’s wife, nor comes near to a menstruous woman,

and does not oppress any, but restores to the debtor his pledge, commits no robbery, gives his bread to the hungry, and covers the naked with a garment;

does not give out money on interest, nor accepts any increase, withdraws his hand from iniquity, executes true judgment between man and man,

walks in my statutes, and keeps my judgments, to deal truly; he is just, he shall surely live, says the Lord God.

If he has begotten a son that is a robber, a shedder of blood, and that has done the like of any one of these things,

though he has not done any of these, yet the other has even eaten on the mountains, and defiled his neighbour’s wife,

has oppressed the poor and needy, has committed robbery, has not restored a pledge, and has lifted up his eyes to the idols, has committed abomination,

has given out money on interest, and has accepted increase: shall he then live? he shall not live: he has done all these abominations; he shall surely die; his blood shall be upon him.

Now, if he has begotten a son, that sees all his father’s sins which he has done, and considers, and does not like them,

that has not eaten upon the mountains, nor has lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Yisra᾽el, nor has defiled his neighbour’s wife,

nor has oppressed any, has not taken a pledge, nor has committed robbery, but has given his bread to the hungry, and has covered the naked with a garment,

has taken off his hand from the poor, has not accepted usury or interest, has executed my judgments, has walked in my statutes; he shall not die for the iniquity of his father, he shall surely live.

As for his father, because he cruelly oppressed, robbed his brother, and did that which is not good among his people, behold, he shall die in his iniquity.

Yet you say, Why? does not the son bear the iniquity of the father? When the son has done that which is lawful and right, and has kept all my statutes, and has done them, he shall surely live.

The soul that sins, 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.

But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he has committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die.

None of his transgressions that he has committed shall be remembered against him: in his righteousness that he has done he shall live.

Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? says the Lord God: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?

But when the righteous turns away from his righteousness, and commits iniquity, and does according to all the abominations that the wicked man does, shall he live? All his righteousness that he has done shall not be remembered: in his trespass that he has trespassed, and in his sin that he has sinned, in them shall he die.

Yet you say, The way of the Lord is unfair. Hear now, O house of Yisra᾽el; Is my way unfair? surely your ways are unfair!

When a righteous man turns away from his righteousness, and commits iniquity, and dies in them; for his iniquity that he has done he shall die.

Again, when the wicked man turns away from his wickedness that he has committed, and does that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive.

Because he considers, and turns away from all his transgressions that he has committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die.

Yet the house of Yisra᾽el says, The way of the Lord is not fair. O house of Yisra᾽el, are my ways unfair? surely your ways are unfair!

Therefore I will judge you, O house of Yisra᾽el, every one according to his ways, says the Lord God. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so that iniquity shall not be your ruin.

Cast away from you all your transgressions, in which you have transgressed; and make for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit: for why will you die, O house of Yisra᾽el?

For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dies, says the Lord God: therefore turn, and live.