Ezekiel 33:12-16

New Century Version

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.