17 Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.

18 When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.

19 Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.

20 Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumbling-block before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand.

21 Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul.

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17 “Son of man,[a] 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[b] 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,[c] 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.[d] 20 And when the righteous turns from his righteousness[e] and does injustice, and I place[f] a stumbling block before him,[g] he will die, for you did not warn him. Because of his sin he will die, and his righteousness[h] 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.”[i]

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Footnotes

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