King James VersionEzekiel18

Ezekiel

1 The word of the LORD came unto me again, say­ing, 2 What 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? 3 As I live, saith the Lord GOD, ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Is­rael. 4 Be­hold, 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. 5 But if a man be just, and do that which is law­ful and right, 6 And hath not eat­en upon the moun­tains, nei­ther hath lift­ed up his eyes to the idols of the house of Is­rael, nei­ther hath de­filed his neighbour's wife, nei­ther hath come near to a men­stru­ous wom­an, 7 And hath not op­pressed any, but hath re­stored to the debtor his pledge, hath spoiled none by vi­o­lence, hath giv­en his bread to the hun­gry, and hath cov­ered the naked with a gar­ment; 8 He that hath not giv­en forth upon usury, nei­ther hath tak­en any in­crease, that hath with­drawn his hand from in­iq­ui­ty, hath ex­e­cut­ed true judg­ment be­tween man and man, 9 Hath walked in my statutes, and hath kept my judg­ments, to deal tru­ly; he is just, he shall sure­ly live, saith the Lord GOD. 10 If he beget a son that is a rob­ber, a shed­der of blood, and that doeth the like to any one of these things, 11 And that doeth not any of those duties, but even hath eat­en upon the moun­tains, and de­filed his neighbour's wife, 12 Hath op­pressed the poor and needy, hath spoiled by vi­o­lence, hath not re­stored the pledge, and hath lift­ed up his eyes to the idols, hath com­mit­ted abom­i­na­tion, 13 Hath giv­en forth upon usury, and hath tak­en in­crease: shall he then live? he shall not live: he hath done all these abom­i­na­tions; he shall sure­ly die; his blood shall be upon him. 14 Now, lo, if he beget a son, that seeth all his father's sins which he hath done, and con­sid­ereth, and doeth not such like, 15 That hath not eat­en upon the moun­tains, nei­ther hath lift­ed up his eyes to the idols of the house of Is­rael, hath not de­filed his neighbour's wife, 16 Nei­ther hath op­pressed any, hath not with­hold­en the pledge, nei­ther hath spoiled by vi­o­lence, but hath giv­en his bread to the hun­gry, and hath cov­ered the naked with a gar­ment, 17 That hath tak­en off his hand from the poor, that hath not re­ceived usury nor in­crease, hath ex­e­cut­ed my judg­ments, hath walked in my statutes; he shall not die for the in­iq­ui­ty of his fa­ther, he shall sure­ly live. 18 As 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. 19 Yet say ye, Why? doth not the son bear the in­iq­ui­ty of the fa­ther? When the son hath done that which is law­ful and right, and hath kept all my statutes, and hath done them, he shall sure­ly live. 20 The 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. 21 But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath com­mit­ted, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is law­ful and right, he shall sure­ly live, he shall not die. 22 All his trans­gres­sions that he hath com­mit­ted, they shall not be men­tioned unto him: in his righ­teous­ness that he hath done he shall live. 23 Have 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? 24 But 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 hath done shall not be men­tioned: in his tres­pass that he hath tres­passed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die. 25 Yet 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? 26 When a righ­teous man tur­neth away from his righ­teous­ness, and com­mit­teth in­iq­ui­ty, and di­eth in them; for his in­iq­ui­ty that he hath done shall he die. 27 Again, when the wicked man tur­neth away from his wicked­ness that he hath com­mit­ted, and doeth that which is law­ful and right, he shall save his soul alive. 28 Be­cause he con­sid­ereth, and tur­neth away from all his trans­gres­sions that he hath com­mit­ted, he shall sure­ly live, he shall not die. 29 Yet 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? 30 There­fore I will judge you, O house of Is­rael, ev­ery one ac­cord­ing to his ways, saith the Lord GOD. Re­pent, and turn yourselves from all your trans­gres­sions; so in­iq­ui­ty shall not be your ru­in. 31 Cast 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? 32 For I have no plea­sure in the death of him that di­eth, saith the Lord GOD: where­fore turn yourselves, and live ye.