Ezekiel as a Watchman

16 Now at the end of seven days the word of the Lord came to me:(A) 17 “Son of man, I have made you a watchman over the house of Israel.(B) When you hear a word from my mouth, give them a warning from me.(C) 18 If I say to the wicked person,(D) ‘You will surely die,’ but you do not warn him—you don’t speak out to warn him about his wicked way in order to save his life—that wicked person will die for his iniquity. Yet I will hold you responsible for his blood. 19 But if you warn a wicked person and he does not turn from his wickedness or his wicked way, he will die for his iniquity, but you will have rescued yourself.(E) 20 Now if a righteous person turns from his righteousness and acts unjustly,(F) and I put a stumbling block in front of him, he will die.(G) If you did not warn him, he will die because of his sin, and the righteous acts he did will not be remembered. Yet I will hold you responsible for his blood. 21 But if you warn the righteous person that he should not sin, and he does not sin, he will indeed live because he listened to your warning, and you will have rescued yourself.”

Read full chapter

16 And then it happened[a] at the end of seven days, the word of Yahweh came[b] to me, saying, 17 “Son of man,[c] I have appointed you as a watchman for the house of Israel. When you hear a word from my mouth, then you must warn them from me. 18 When I say[d] to the wicked, ‘Surely you will die,’ and you do not warn him and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way so that he may live,[e] that wicked person will die because of his guilt, and from your hand I will seek his blood. 19 And you, if you do warn the wicked and he does not turn from his wickedness and from his wicked way, on account of his guilt he will die, and you yourself will have saved your life.[f] 20 And when the righteous turns from his righteousness[g] and does injustice, and I place[h] a stumbling block before him,[i] he will die, for you did not warn him. Because of his sin he will die, and his righteousness[j] that he did will not be remembered, and his blood I shall seek from your hand. 21 And if you warn him, the righteous, not to sin, and the righteous does not sin, surely he will live, for he heeded a warning. And you will have saved your life.”[k]

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 3:16 Or “was”
  2. Ezekiel 3:16 Literally “and it was the word of Yahweh to me to say saying
  3. Ezekiel 3:17 Or “mortal,” or “son of humankind”
  4. Ezekiel 3:18 Literally “at/in my saying”
  5. Ezekiel 3:18 Literally “so that you let him live”
  6. Ezekiel 3:19 Or “soul,” or “self”
  7. Ezekiel 3:20 Literally “and at the to turn of the righteous from his righteousness”
  8. Ezekiel 3:20 Or “give”
  9. Ezekiel 3:20 Literally “to the face of him”
  10. Ezekiel 3:20 Or “righteous deeds”
  11. Ezekiel 3:21 Or “soul,” or “self”