Ezekiel 33
King James Version
33 Again the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman:
3 If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people;
4 Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head.
5 He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul.
6 But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand.
7 So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me.
8 When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
9 Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.
10 Therefore, O thou son of man, speak unto the house of Israel; Thus ye speak, saying, If our transgressions and our sins be upon us, and we pine away in them, how should we then live?
11 Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?
12 Therefore, thou son of man, say unto the children of thy people, The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression: as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall thereby in the day that he turneth from his wickedness; neither shall the righteous be able to live for his righteousness in the day that he sinneth.
13 When I shall say to the righteous, that he shall surely live; if he trust to his own righteousness, and commit iniquity, all his righteousnesses shall not be remembered; but for his iniquity that he hath committed, he shall die for it.
14 Again, when I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; if he turn from his sin, and do that which is lawful and right;
15 If the wicked restore the pledge, give again that he had robbed, walk in the statutes of life, without committing iniquity; he shall surely live, he shall not die.
16 None of his sins that he hath committed shall be mentioned unto him: he hath done that which is lawful and right; he shall surely live.
17 Yet the children of thy people say, The way of the Lord is not equal: but as for them, their way is not equal.
18 When the righteous turneth from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, he shall even die thereby.
19 But if the wicked turn from his wickedness, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall live thereby.
20 Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. O ye house of Israel, I will judge you every one after his ways.
21 And it came to pass in the twelfth year of our captivity, in the tenth month, in the fifth day of the month, that one that had escaped out of Jerusalem came unto me, saying, The city is smitten.
22 Now the hand of the Lord was upon me in the evening, afore he that was escaped came; and had opened my mouth, until he came to me in the morning; and my mouth was opened, and I was no more dumb.
23 Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
24 Son of man, they that inhabit those wastes of the land of Israel speak, saying, Abraham was one, and he inherited the land: but we are many; the land is given us for inheritance.
25 Wherefore say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Ye eat with the blood, and lift up your eyes toward your idols, and shed blood: and shall ye possess the land?
26 Ye stand upon your sword, ye work abomination, and ye defile every one his neighbour's wife: and shall ye possess the land?
27 Say thou thus unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; As I live, surely they that are in the wastes shall fall by the sword, and him that is in the open field will I give to the beasts to be devoured, and they that be in the forts and in the caves shall die of the pestilence.
28 For I will lay the land most desolate, and the pomp of her strength shall cease; and the mountains of Israel shall be desolate, that none shall pass through.
29 Then shall they know that I am the Lord, when I have laid the land most desolate because of all their abominations which they have committed.
30 Also, thou son of man, the children of thy people still are talking against thee by the walls and in the doors of the houses, and speak one to another, every one to his brother, saying, Come, I pray you, and hear what is the word that cometh forth from the Lord.
31 And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness.
32 And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them not.
33 And when this cometh to pass, (lo, it will come,) then shall they know that a prophet hath been among them.
Ezekiel 33
New Century Version
Ezekiel Is Watchman for Israel
33 The Lord spoke his word to me, saying: 2 “Human, speak to your people and say to them: ‘Suppose I bring a war against a land. The people of the land may choose one of their men and make him their watchman. 3 When he sees the enemy coming to attack the land, he will blow the trumpet and warn the people. 4 If they hear the sound of the trumpet but do nothing, the enemy will come and kill them. They will be responsible for their own deaths. 5 They heard the sound of the trumpet but didn’t do anything. So they are to blame for their own deaths. If they had done something, they would have saved their own lives. 6 But if the watchman sees the enemy coming to attack and does not blow the trumpet, the people will not be warned. Then if the enemy comes and kills any of them, they have died because of their own sin. But I will punish the watchman for their deaths.’
7 “You, human, are the one I have made a watchman for Israel. If you hear a word from my mouth, you must warn them for me. 8 Suppose I say to the wicked: ‘Wicked people, you will surely die,’ but you don’t speak to warn the wicked to stop doing evil. Then they will die because they were sinners, but I will punish you for their deaths. 9 But if you warn the wicked to stop doing evil and they do not stop, they will die because they were sinners. But you have saved your life.
10 “So you, human, say to Israel: ‘You have said: Surely our law-breaking and sins are hurting us. They will kill us. What can we do so we will live?’ 11 Say to them: ‘The Lord God says: As surely as I live, I do not want any who are wicked to die. I want them to stop doing evil and live. Stop! Stop your wicked ways! You don’t want to die, do you, people of Israel?’
12 “Human, say to your people: ‘The goodness of those who do right will not save them when they sin. The evil of wicked people will not cause them to be punished if they stop doing it. If good people sin, they will not be able to live by the good they did earlier.’ 13 If I tell good people, ‘You will surely live,’ they might think they have done enough good and then do evil. Then none of the good things they did will be remembered. They will die because of the evil they have done. 14 Or, if I say to the wicked people, ‘You will surely die,’ they may stop sinning and do what is right and honest. 15 For example, they may return what somebody gave them as a promise to repay a loan, or pay back what they stole. If they live by the rules that give life and do not sin, then they will surely live, and they will not die. 16 They will not be punished for any of their sins. They now do what is right and fair, so they will surely live.
17 “Your people say: ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ But it is their own ways that are not fair. 18 When the good people stop doing good and do evil, they will die for their evil. 19 But when the wicked stop doing evil and do what is right and fair, they will live. 20 You still say: ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ Israel, I will judge all of you by your own ways.”
The Fall of Jerusalem Explained
21 It was in the twelfth year of our captivity, on the fifth day of the tenth month. A person who had escaped from Jerusalem came to me and said, “Jerusalem has been captured.” 22 Now I had felt the power of the Lord on me the evening before. He had made me able to talk again before this person came to me. I could speak; I was not without speech anymore.
23 Then the Lord spoke his word to me, saying: 24 “Human, people who live in the ruins in the land of Israel are saying: ‘Abraham was only one person, yet he was given the land as his own. Surely the land has been given to us, who are many, as our very own.’ 25 So say to them: ‘This is what the Lord God says: You eat meat with the blood still in it, you ask your idols for help, and you murder people. Should you then have the land as your very own? 26 You depend on your sword and do terrible things which I hate. Each of you has sexual relations with his neighbor’s wife. So should you have the land?’
27 “Say to them: ‘This is what the Lord God says: As surely as I live, those who are among the city ruins in Israel will be killed in war. I will cause those who live in the country to be eaten by wild animals. People hiding in the strongholds and caves will die of disease. 28 I will make the land an empty desert. The people’s pride in the land’s power will end. The mountains of Israel will become empty so that no one will pass through them. 29 They will know that I am the Lord when I make the land an empty desert because of the things they have done that I hate.’
30 “But as for you, human, your people are talking about you by the walls and in the doorways of houses. They say to each other: ‘Come now, and hear the message from the Lord.’ 31 So they come to you in crowds as if they were really ready to listen. They sit in front of you as if they were my people and hear your words, but they will not obey them. With their mouths they tell me they love me, but their hearts desire their selfish profits. 32 To your people you are nothing more than a singer who sings love songs and has a beautiful voice and plays a musical instrument well. They hear your words, but they will not obey them.
33 “When this comes true, and it surely will happen, then the people will know that a prophet has been among them.”
Yechezkel 33
Orthodox Jewish Bible
33 Again the Devar Hashem came unto me, saying,
2 Ben Adam, speak to the Bnei Amecha, and say unto them, When I bring the cherev upon eretz, if the Am HaAretz take ish echad (one man) within their midst, and appoint him for their tzofeh (watchman, sentinel),
3 If when he seeth the cherev come upon HaAretz, he blow the shofar, and warn HaAm;
4 Then whosoever heareth the sound of the shofar, and taketh not warning; if the cherev come, and take him away, his dahm shall be upon his own rosh.
5 He heard the sound of the shofar, and took not warning; his dahm shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall save his nefesh.
6 But if the tzofeh (watchman, sentinel) see the cherev coming, and blow not the shofar, and HaAm be not warned; if the cherev come, and take any nefesh from among them, he is taken away in his avon (iniquity); but for his dahm will I require [an accounting] at the yad HaTzofeh.
7 So thou, O Ben Adam, I have set thee a tzofeh unto the Bais Yisroel; therefore thou shalt hear the Davar at My mouth, and give them warning from Me.
8 When I say unto the rashah (wicked man), O rashah, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the rashah from his derech, that rashah shall die in his avon (iniquity); but for his dahm will I require [an accounting] at thine yad.
9 Nevertheless, if thou warn the rashah of his derech to turn from it; if he does not turn from his derech, he shall die in his avon (iniquity); but thou hast saved thy nefesh.
10 Therefore, O thou Ben Adam, speak unto Bais Yisroel: Thus ye have spoken, saying, If peysha’einu (our transgressions, rebellions) and chattoteinu (our sins) be upon us, and because of them we are rotting away, how should we then live?
11 Say unto them, As I live, saith Adonoi Hashem, I have no pleasure in the mot of the rashah; but that the rashah make teshuvah from his derech and live; shuvu (turn ye), shuvu (turn ye) from your drakhim hara’im; for why will ye die, O Bais Yisroel?
12 Therefore, thou Ben Adam, say unto the Bnei Amecha, The tzidkat hatzaddik (righteousness of a righteous man) shall not save him in his Yom Peysha (Day of Rebellion, Day of his Transgession); as for the rishat harashah, he shall not fall thereby in his Yom Shuv (Day of Turning, Repentance) from his resha; neither shall the tzaddik be able to live his tzedakah in his Yom Chattot (day when he commits sin).
13 When I shall say to the tzaddik, that he shall surely live, if he trust in his own tzedakah, and commit evil, all his tzidkot (righteousnesses) shall not be remembered; but for his evil that he hath committed, he shall die in it.
14 Again, when I say unto the rashah, Thou shalt surely die and he turn from his chattat, and do that which is mishpat and tzedakah;
15 If the rashah give back the chavol (borrower’s pledge), give back what he has stolen, walk in the chukkot hachayyim, without committing evil; he shall surely live, he shall not die.
16 None of his chattot that he hath committed shall be remembered against him; he hath done that which is mishpat and tzedakah; he shall surely live.
17 Yet the Bnei Amecha say, The Derech Adonoi is not proper; but as for them, their derech is not proper.
18 When the tzaddik turneth from his tzedakah, and committeth evil, he shall even die thereby.
19 But if the rashah turn from his resha, and do that which is mishpat and tzedakah, he shall live thereby.
20 Yet ye say, The Derech Adonoi is not proper. O ye Bais Yisroel, I will judge you every one according to his drakhim.
21 And it came to pass in the twelfth shanah of our Golus, in the tenth month, on the fifth day of the month, that one that had escaped out of Yerushalayim came unto me, saying, The Ir (City, Jerusalem) has fallen [see Ezek. 24:26].
22 Now the Yad Hashem was upon me in the erev before he that was escaped arrived; and He had opened my mouth before he came to me in the boker; and my mouth was opened, and I was no more dumb.
23 Then the Devar Hashem came unto me, saying,
24 Ben Adam, they that inhabit those ruins of Admat Yisroel speak, saying, Avraham was one, and he inherited HaAretz; but we are rabbim; HaAretz is given to us for an inherited possession.
25 Therefore say unto them, Thus saith Adonoi Hashem; Ye eat al hadahm [Leviticus 19:26] and lift up your eyes toward your gillulim, and do shefach dahm—even so shall you inherit the possession of HaAretz?
26 Ye rely upon your cherev, ye work toevah, and ye defile every one his neighbor’s isha; and shall ye inherit as a possession HaAretz?
27 Say thou thus unto them, Thus saith Adonoi Hashem: As I live, surely they that are in the ruins shall fall by the cherev, and him that is in the open sadeh will I give to the wild animals to be devoured, and they that be in the metzudot (strongholds) and in the me’arot (caves) shall die of dever (plague).
28 For I will make HaAretz most desolate, and the ga’on (pride, pomp) of her oz (strength) shall cease; and the harim of Yisroel shall be desolate, that none pass through.
29 Then shall they know that I am Hashem, when I have made HaAretz a desolation and a waste because of all their to’avot which they have committed.
30 Also, thou Ben Adam, the Bnei Amecha still are talking against thee by the kirot (walls) and in the doorways of the batim (houses), and speak one to another, every one to achiv (his brother), saying, Come, now, and hear what is the Davar that cometh forth from Hashem.
31 And they come unto thee as Am cometh, and they sit before thee as Ami, and they hear thy devarim, but they will not practice them; for with their mouth there is agavim (lusts), but their lev pursueth after their betza (unjust gain).
32 And, hinei, thou art unto them nothing more than one with a kol yafeh (beautiful voice) who sings shir agavim (sensual love songs) and can play well on a musical instrument; for they hear thy devarim, but they do them not.
33 And when this cometh to pass‖hinei, it will come‖then shall they know that a navi hath been among them.
The Holy Bible, New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
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