The Soul That Sins Shall Die

181 'And there is a word of Jehovah unto me, saying: 2 'What—to you, ye—using this simile Concerning the ground of Israel, saying: Fathers do eat unripe fruit, And the sons' teeth are blunted? 3 I live—an affirmation of the Lord Jehovah, Ye have no more the use of this simile in Israel. 4 Lo, all the souls are Mine, As the soul of the father, So also the soul of the son—they are Mine, The soul that is sinning—it doth die. 5 And a man, when he is righteous, And hath done judgment and righteousness, 6 On the mountains he hath not eaten, And his eyes he hath not lifted up Unto idols of the house of Israel, And the wife of his neighbour defiled not, And to a separated woman cometh not near, 7 A man—he doth not oppress, His pledge to the debtor he doth return, Plunder he doth not take away, His bread to the hungry he doth give, And the naked doth cover with a garment, 8 In usury he doth not give, and increase taketh not, From perversity he turneth back his hand, True judgment he doth between man and man. 9 In My statutes he doth walk, And My judgments he hath kept—to deal truly, Righteous 'is' he, he surely liveth, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah.

10 And—he hath begotten a son, A burglar—a shedder of blood, And he hath made a brother of one of these, 11 And he all those hath not done, For even on the mountains he hath eaten, And the wife of his neighbour he hath defiled, 12 The afflicted and needy he hath oppressed, Plunder he hath taken violently away, A pledge he doth not return, And unto the idols he hath lifted up his eyes, Abomination he hath done! 13 In usury he hath given, and increase taken, And he liveth: he doth not live, All these abominations he hath done, He doth surely die, his blood is on him. 14 And—lo, he hath begotten a son, And he seeth all the sins of his father, That he hath done, and he feareth, And doth not do like them, 15 On the mountains he hath not eaten, And his eyes he hath not lifted up Unto idols of the house of Israel, The wife of his neighbour he hath not defiled, 16 A man—he hath not oppressed, A pledge he hath not bound, And plunder he hath not taken away, His bread to the hungry he hath given, And the naked he covered with a garment, 17 From the afflicted he hath turned back his hand, Usury and increase he hath not taken, My judgments he hath done, In My statutes he hath walked, He doth not die for the iniquity of his father, He doth surely live. 18 His father—because he used oppression, Did violently Plunder a brother, And that which 'is' not good did in the midst of his people, And lo, he is dying in his iniquity. 19 And ye have said, Wherefore hath not the son, Borne of the iniquity of the father? And—the son judgment and righteousness hath done, All My statutes he hath kept, And he doeth them, he surely liveth. 20 The soul that doth sin—it doth die. A son doth not bear of the iniquity of the father, And a father doth not bear of the iniquity of the son, The righteousness of the righteous is on him, And the wickedness of the wicked is on him.

God's Way Is Just

21 And the wicked—when he turneth back From all his sins that he hath done, And he hath kept all My statutes, And hath done judgment and righteousness, He doth surely live, he doth not die. 22 All his transgressions that he hath done Are not remembered to him, In his righteousness that he hath done he liveth. 23 Do I at all desire the death of the wicked? An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah, Is it not in his turning back from his way—And he hath lived? 24 And in the turning back of the righteous from his righteousness, And he hath done perversity, According to all the abominations That the wicked hath done, he doth—thus he liveth, All his righteousnesses that he hath done are not remembered, For his trespass that he hath trespassed, And for his sin that he hath sinned, For them he doth die. 25 And ye have said, Not pondered is the way of the Lord. Hear, I pray you, O house of Israel, My way—is it not pondered? Are not your ways unpondered? 26 In the turning back of the righteous from his righteousness, And he hath done perversity, And he is dying by them, for his perversity That he hath done he dieth. 27 And in the turning back of the wicked From his wickedness that he hath done, And he doth judgment and righteousness, He his soul doth keep alive. 28 And he seeth and turneth back, From all his transgressions that he hath done, He doth surely live, he doth not die, 29 And the house of Israel have said, Not pondered is the way of the Lord, My ways—are they not pondered? O house of Israel—are not your ways unpondered?

30 Therefore, each according to his ways I judge you, O house of Israel? An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah, Turn ye back, yea, turn yourselves back, From all your transgressions, And iniquity is not to you for a stumbling-block, 31 Cast from off you all your transgressions, By which ye have transgressed, And make to you a new heart, and a new spirit, And why do ye die, O house of Israel? 32 For I have no pleasure in the death of the dying, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah, And turn ye back and live!

31 And He saith unto me, 'Son of man, that which thou findest eat, eat this roll, and go, speak unto the house of Israel.' 2 And I open my mouth, and He causeth me to eat this roll. 3 And He saith unto me, 'Son of man, thy belly thou dost feed, and thy bowels thou dost fill with this roll that I am giving unto thee;' and I eat it, and it is in my mouth as honey for sweetness. 4 And He saith unto me, 'Son of man, go, enter in unto the house of Israel, and thou hast spoken with My words unto them. 5 For, not unto a people deep of lip and heavy of tongue 'art' thou sent—unto the house of Israel; 6 not unto many peoples, deep of lip and heavy of tongue, whose words thou dost not understand. If I had not sent thee unto them—they, they do hearken unto thee, 7 but the house of Israel are not willing to hearken unto thee, for they are not willing to hearken unto Me, for all the house of Israel are brazen-faced and strong-hearted. 8 'Lo, I have made thy face strong against their face, and thy forehead strong against their forehead. 9 As an adamant harder than a rock I have made thy forehead; thou dost not fear them, nor art thou affrighted before them, for a rebellious house 'are' they.' 10 And He saith unto me, 'Son of man, all My words, that I speak unto thee, receive with thy heart, and with thine ears hear; 11 and go, enter in unto the Removed, unto the sons of thy people, and thou hast spoken unto them, and hast said unto them: Thus said the Lord Jehovah: whether they hear, or whether they forbear.' 12 And lift me up doth a spirit, and I hear behind me a noise, a great rushing—'Blessed 'is' the honour of Jehovah from His place!'— 13 even a noise of the wings of the living creatures touching one another, and a noise of the wheels over-against them, even a noise of a great rushing. 14 And a spirit hath lifted me up, and doth take me away, and I go bitterly, in the heat of my spirit, and the hand of Jehovah on me 'is' strong. 15 And I come in unto the Removed, at Tel-Ahib, who are dwelling at the river Chebar, and where they are dwelling I also dwell seven days, causing astonishment in their midst.

A Watchman to Israel

16 And it cometh to pass, at the end of seven days, 17 that there is a word of Jehovah unto me, saying, 'Son of man, a watchman I have given thee to the house of Israel, and thou hast heard from My mouth a word, and hast warned them from Me. 18 In My saying to the wicked: Thou dost surely die; and thou hast not warned him, nor hast spoken to warn the wicked from his wicked way, so that he doth live; he—the wicked—in his iniquity dieth, and his blood from thy hand I require. 19 And thou, because thou hast warned the wicked, and he hath not turned back from his wickedness, and from his wicked way, he in his iniquity dieth, and thou thy soul hast delivered. 20 'And in the turning back of the righteous from his righteousness, and he hath done perversity, and I have put a stumbling-block before him, he dieth; because thou hast not warned him, in his sin he dieth, and not remembered is his righteousness that he hath done, and his blood from thy hand I require. 21 And thou, because thou hast warned him—the righteous—that the righteous sin not, and he hath not sinned, he surely liveth, because he hath been warned; and thou thy soul hast delivered.'

The Prophet Made Dumb

22 And there is on me there a hand of Jehovah, and He saith to me, 'Rise, go forth to the valley, and there I do speak with thee.' 23 And I rise and go forth unto the valley, and lo, there the honour of Jehovah is standing as the honour that I had seen by the river Chebar, and I fall on my face. 24 And come into me doth a spirit, and causeth me to stand on my feet, and He speaketh with me, and saith unto me, 'Go in, be shut up in the midst of thy house. 25 'And thou, son of man, lo, they have put on thee thick bands, and have bound thee with them, and thou goest not forth in their midst; 26 and thy tongue I cause to cleave unto thy palate, and thou hast been dumb, and art not to them for a reprover, for a rebellious house 'are' they. 27 And in My speaking with thee, I do open thy mouth, and thou hast said unto them: Thus said the Lord Jehovah; the hearer doth hear, and the forbearer doth forbear; for a rebellious house 'are' they.