Ezekiel 33:1-9

Lexham English Bible

Ezekiel Appointed as a Watchman and His Responsibility

33 And the word of Yahweh came^[a] to me, saying,^{[b] 2} “Son of man,^[c] speak to your people,^[d] and you must say to them, ‘A land, if I bring over it a sword and the people of the land take a man, one from their number, and they appoint him for them as a watchman, ³ and he sees the sword coming against the land, and he blows on the horn and he warns the people, ⁴ and anyone who listens^[e] hears the sound of the horn and he does not take warning^[f] and the sword comes and it takes him, his blood will be on his own head. ⁵ For he heard the sound of the horn and he did not take warning; his blood will be on him. But if he took warning, he saved his life. ⁶ And as for the watchman, if he sees the sword coming and he does not blow^[g] the horn, and the people are not warned, and the sword comes and it takes their lives,^[h] he will be taken through his guilt, but his blood from the hand of the watchman I will seek.’

⁷ “And you, son of man,^[i] I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; if you hear a word from my mouth, then you must warn them from me. ⁸ When I say^[j] to the wicked, ‘Wicked one, you will certainly die,’ and you did not speak^[k] to warn the wicked from his way, he, the wicked, will die by his guilt, but his blood I will seek from your hand. ⁹ But, you, if you warn the wicked from his way, to turn from it, and he does not turn^[l] from his way, he will die by his guilt, and you will have saved your life.