² “Son of man, speak to ^(A)the children of your people, and say to them: ^(B)‘When I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man from their territory and make him their ^(C)watchman,

Hearing and Not Doing

³⁰ “As for you, son of man, the children of your people are talking about you beside the walls and in the doors of the houses; and they ^(A)speak to one another, everyone saying to his brother, ‘Please come and hear what the word is that comes from the Lord.’

^17 (A)“Yet the children of your people say, ‘The way of the Lord is not ^[a]fair.’ But it is their way which is not fair!

¹⁷ “Or if ^(A)I bring a sword on that land, and say, ‘Sword, go through the land,’ and I ^(B)cut off man and beast from it,

¹¹ And go, get to the captives, to the children of your people, and speak to them and tell them, ^(A)‘Thus says the Lord God,’ whether they hear, or whether they refuse.”

The Shepherd Savior

^27 (A)But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth, and you shall say to them, ^(B)‘Thus says the Lord God.’ He who hears, let him hear; and he who refuses, let him refuse; for they are a rebellious house.

¹⁸ “And when the children of your people speak to you, saying, ^(A)‘Will you not show us what you mean by these?’—

The Fairness of God’s Judgment

¹² “Therefore you, O son of man, say to the children of your people: ‘The ^(A)righteousness of the righteous man shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression; as for the wickedness of the wicked, ^(B)he shall not fall because of it in the day that he turns from his wickedness; nor shall the righteous be able to live because of his righteousness in the day that he sins.’