Why Will You Die, Israel?

¹⁰ “And you, ^(A)son of man, say to the house of Israel, Thus have you said: ‘Surely our transgressions and our sins are upon us, and ^(B)we rot away because of them. ^(C)How then can we live?’ ¹¹ Say to them, ^(D)As I live, declares the Lord God, ^(E)I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; ^(F)turn back, turn back from your evil ways, ^(G)for why will you die, O house of Israel?

^12 (H)“And you, son of man, say to ^(I)your people, ^(J)The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him when he transgresses, ^(K)and as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall by it when he turns from his wickedness, ^(L)and the righteous shall not be able to live by his righteousness^[a] when he sins. ¹³ Though I say to the righteous that he shall surely live, yet ^(M)if he trusts in his righteousness and does injustice, none of his righteous deeds shall be remembered, but in his injustice that he has done he shall die. ¹⁴ Again, ^(N)though I say to the wicked, ^(O)‘You shall surely die,’ yet ^(P)if he turns from his sin and does what is just and right, ¹⁵ if the wicked ^(Q)restores the pledge, ^(R)gives back what he has taken by robbery, and walks ^(S)in the statutes of life, not doing injustice, he shall surely live; he shall not die. ^16 (T)None of the sins that he has committed shall be remembered against him. He has done what is just and right; he shall surely live.

¹⁷ “Yet ^(U)your people say, ^(V)‘The way of the Lord is not just,’ when it is their own way that is not just. ^18 (W)When the righteous turns from his righteousness and does injustice, he shall die for it. ¹⁹ And ^(X)when the wicked turns from his wickedness and does what is just and right, he shall live by this. ²⁰ Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ O house of Israel, ^(Y)I will judge each of you according to his ways.”

Jerusalem Struck Down

²¹ In the ^(Z)twelfth year ^(AA)of our exile, in the tenth month, on the fifth day of the month, ^(AB)a fugitive from Jerusalem came to me and said, ^(AC)“The city has been struck down.” ^22 (AD)Now ^(AE)the hand of the Lord had been upon me the evening before the fugitive came; and he had opened my mouth by the time the man came to me in the morning, so my mouth was opened, and I was no longer mute.

²³ The word of the Lord came to me: ^24 (AF)“Son of man, the inhabitants of these ^(AG)waste places in the land of Israel keep saying, ^(AH)‘Abraham was only one man, yet he got possession of the land; but ^(AI)we are many; the land is surely given us to possess.’ ²⁵ Therefore say to them, Thus says the Lord God: ^(AJ)You eat flesh with the blood and ^(AK)lift up your eyes to your idols and ^(AL)shed blood; shall you then possess the land? ^26 (AM)You rely on the sword, ^(AN)you commit abominations, and ^(AO)each of you defiles his neighbor's wife; shall you then possess the land? ²⁷ Say this to them, Thus says the Lord God: ^(AP)As I live, surely those who are in ^(AQ)the waste places shall fall by ^(AR)the sword, and whoever is in the open field I will give to ^(AS)the beasts to be devoured, and those who are in ^(AT)strongholds and in caves shall die by ^(AU)pestilence. ^28 (AV)And I will make the land a desolation and a waste, and ^(AW)her proud might shall come to an end, and ^(AX)the mountains of Israel shall be so desolate that none will pass through. ^29 (AY)Then they will know that I am the Lord, when I have made the land a desolation and a waste because of all their abominations that they have committed.

³⁰ “As for you, ^(AZ)son of man, ^(BA)your people who talk together about you by the walls and at the doors of the houses, say to one another, each to his brother, ‘Come, and hear what the word is that comes from the Lord.’ ^31 (BB)And they come to you as people come, and they sit before you as my people, and they hear what you say but they will not do it; for ^(BC)with lustful talk in their mouths they act; their heart is set on their gain. ³² And behold, you are to them like one who sings lustful songs with a beautiful voice and ^(BD)plays^[b] well on an instrument, for ^(BE)they hear what you say, but they will not do it. ^33 (BF)When this comes—and come it will!—^(BG)then they will know that a prophet has been among them.”

Your Name, O Lord, Endures Forever

Suffering as a Christian

¹² Beloved, do not be surprised at ^(A)the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. ¹³ But rejoice ^(B)insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad ^(C)when his glory is revealed. ^14 (D)If you are insulted ^(E)for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory^[a] and of God rests upon you. ¹⁵ But ^(F)let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or ^(G)as a meddler. ¹⁶ Yet ^(H)if anyone suffers as a ^(I)Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God ^(J)in that name. ¹⁷ For it is time for judgment ^(K)to begin at the household of God; and ^(L)if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who ^(M)do not obey the gospel of God? ¹⁸ And

¹⁹ Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will ^(O)entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.