Ezekiel 33
New American Standard Bible
The Watchman’s Duty
33 Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, speak to the (A)sons of your people and say to them, ‘If I bring a sword upon a land, and the people of the land take one man from among them and make him their watchman, 3 and he sees the sword coming upon the land and (B)blows the [a]horn and warns the people, 4 then [b]someone who hears the sound of the horn but (C)does not take warning, and a sword comes and takes him away, his (D)blood will be on his own head. 5 He heard the sound of the horn but did not take warning; his blood will be on himself. But had he taken warning, he would have (E)saved his life. 6 But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the horn and the people are not warned, and a sword comes and takes a person from them, he is (F)taken away for his wrongdoing; but I will [c]require his (G)blood from the watchman’s hand.’
7 “Now as for you, son of man, I have [d](H)appointed you as a watchman for the house of Israel; so you will hear a [e]message from My mouth and give them a (I)warning from Me. 8 When I say to the wicked, ‘You wicked person, you will (J)certainly die,’ and you do not speak to warn the wicked about his way, that wicked person shall die for his wrongdoing, but I will [f]require his blood from your hand. 9 But if you on your part warn a wicked person to turn from his way and he (K)does not turn from his way, he will die for his wrongdoing, but you have (L)saved your life.
10 “Now as for you, son of man, say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what you have [g]said: “Surely our offenses and our sins are upon us, and we are (M)rotting away in them; (N)how then can we [h]survive?”’ 11 Say to them, ‘(O)As I live!’ declares the Lord [i]God, ‘I take (P)no pleasure at all in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked (Q)turn from his way and live. (R)Turn back, turn back from your evil ways! Why then should you die, house of Israel?’ 12 And you, son of man, say to [j]your fellow citizens, ‘The (S)righteousness of a righteous one will not save him on the day of his offense, and as for the wickedness of a wicked one, he will (T)not stumble because of it on the day when he turns from his wickedness; whereas a righteous one will not be able to live [k]by his righteousness on the day when he commits sin.’ 13 When I say to the righteous that he will certainly live, and he so trusts in his righteousness that he (U)commits injustice, none of his righteous deeds will be remembered; but for that same injustice of his which he has committed he will die. 14 But when I say to the wicked, ‘You will certainly die,’ and he (V)turns from his sin and practices (W)justice and righteousness, 15 if a wicked person returns a pledge, (X)pays back what he has taken by robbery, walks by the (Y)statutes [l]which ensure life without committing injustice, he shall certainly live; he shall not die. 16 (Z)None of his sins that he has committed will be remembered against him. He has practiced justice and righteousness; he shall certainly live.
17 “Yet [m]your fellow citizens say, ‘The way of the Lord is not right,’ when it is their own way that is not right. 18 When the righteous turns from his righteousness and (AA)commits injustice, then he shall die in [n]it. 19 But when the wicked turns from his wickedness and practices justice and righteousness, he will live by them. 20 Yet you say, ‘(AB)The way of the Lord is not right.’ I will judge each of you according to his ways, house of Israel.”
Word of Jerusalem’s Capture
21 Now (AC)in the (AD)twelfth year of our exile, on the fifth of the tenth month, the survivor from Jerusalem came to me, saying, “(AE)The city has been [o]taken.” 22 Now the (AF)hand of the Lord had been upon me in the evening, before the survivors came. And He (AG)opened my mouth [p]at the time they came to me in the morning; so my mouth was (AH)opened and I was no longer [q]speechless.
23 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 24 “Son of man, they who (AI)live in these ruins in the land of Israel are saying, ‘(AJ)Abraham was only one, yet he possessed the land; so to (AK)us who are many the land has been given as a possession.’ 25 Therefore say to them, ‘This is what the Lord God says: “You eat meat with the (AL)blood in it, raise your eyes to your idols as you shed blood. (AM)Should you then possess the land? 26 You [r](AN)rely on your sword, you commit abominations, and each of you defiles his neighbor’s wife. Should you then possess the land?”’ 27 You shall say this to them: ‘This is what the Lord God says: “As I live, those who are in the places of ruins certainly will (AO)fall by the sword, and whoever is in the [s]open field I will give to the animals to be devoured, and those who are in the strongholds and in the (AP)caves will die of plague. 28 And I will (AQ)make the land a desolation and a waste, and the (AR)pride of her power will be brought to an end; and the mountains of Israel will be deserted so that no one will pass through. 29 Then they will know that I am the Lord, when I make the land a desolation and a waste because of all their abominations which they have committed.”’
30 “But as for you, son of man, [t]your fellow citizens who talk with one another about you by the walls and in the doorways of the houses, speak one with another, each with his brother, saying, ‘(AS)Come now and hear what the [u]message is that comes from the Lord.’ 31 And they come to you as people come, and sit before you as My people and hear your words, but they do not do them; for they do the lustful desires expressed by their (AT)mouth, and their heart follows their unlawful (AU)gain. 32 And behold, you are to them like a love song by one who has a (AV)beautiful voice and plays well on an instrument; for they hear your words but they do not practice them. 33 So when it (AW)comes—[v]as it certainly will—then they will know that a prophet has been among them.”
Notas al pie
- Ezekiel 33:3 Heb shofar; i.e., ram’s horn
- Ezekiel 33:4 Lit the one who hears the sound...hears it but
- Ezekiel 33:6 I.e., hold the watchman responsible
- Ezekiel 33:7 Or given
- Ezekiel 33:7 Lit word
- Ezekiel 33:8 I.e., hold you responsible
- Ezekiel 33:10 Lit said, saying
- Ezekiel 33:10 Lit live
- Ezekiel 33:11 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord, and so throughout the ch
- Ezekiel 33:12 Lit the sons of your people
- Ezekiel 33:12 Lit by it
- Ezekiel 33:15 Lit of life
- Ezekiel 33:17 Lit the sons of your people
- Ezekiel 33:18 Lit them
- Ezekiel 33:21 Lit struck
- Ezekiel 33:22 Lit until he came
- Ezekiel 33:22 Or mute
- Ezekiel 33:26 Lit stand
- Ezekiel 33:27 Lit faces of the field
- Ezekiel 33:30 Lit the sons of your people
- Ezekiel 33:30 Lit word
- Ezekiel 33:33 Lit behold, it is coming
Ezekiel 33
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Ezekiel, Israel’s Sentry
33 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 O Mortal, speak to your people and say to them: If I bring the sword upon a land and the people of the land take one of their number as their sentinel,(A) 3 and if the sentinel sees the sword coming upon the land and blows the trumpet and warns the people,(B) 4 then if any who hear the sound of the trumpet do not take warning and the sword comes and takes them away, their blood shall be upon their own heads.(C) 5 They heard the sound of the trumpet and did not take warning; their blood shall be upon themselves. But if they had taken warning, they would have saved their lives.(D) 6 But if the sentinel sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet so that the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any of them, they are taken away in their iniquity, but their blood I will require at the sentinel’s hand.(E)
7 So you, mortal, I have made a sentinel for the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me.(F) 8 If I say to the wicked, “O wicked ones, you shall surely die,” and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from their ways, the wicked shall die in their iniquity, but their blood I will require at your hand. 9 But if you warn the wicked to turn from their ways and they do not turn from their ways, the wicked shall die in their iniquity, but you will have saved your life.(G)
God’s Justice and Mercy
10 Now you, mortal, say to the house of Israel: Thus you have said: “Our transgressions and our sins weigh upon us, and we waste away because of them; how then can we live?”(H) 11 Say to them: As I live, says the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked but that the wicked turn from their ways and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?(I) 12 And you, mortal, say to your people: The righteousness of the righteous shall not save them when they transgress, and as for the wickedness of the wicked, it shall not make them stumble when they turn from their wickedness, and the righteous shall not be able to live by their righteousness[a] when they sin.(J) 13 Though I say to the righteous that they shall surely live, yet if they trust in their righteousness and commit iniquity, none of their righteous deeds shall be remembered, but in the iniquity that they have committed they shall die.(K) 14 Again, though I say to the wicked, “You shall surely die,” yet if they turn from their sin and do what is lawful and right(L)— 15 if the wicked restore the pledge, give back what they have taken by robbery, and walk in the statutes of life, committing no iniquity—they shall surely live; they shall not die.(M) 16 None of the sins that they have committed shall be remembered against them; they have done what is lawful and right; they shall surely live.(N)
17 Yet your people say, “The way of the Lord is not just,” when it is their own way that is not just. 18 When the righteous turn from their righteousness and commit iniquity, they shall die for it.[b](O) 19 And when the wicked turn from their wickedness and do what is lawful and right, they shall live by it.[c] 20 Yet you say, “The way of the Lord is not just.” O house of Israel, I will judge all of you according to your ways!(P)
The Fall of Jerusalem
21 In the twelfth year of our exile, in the tenth month, on the fifth day of the month, someone who had escaped from Jerusalem came to me and said, “The city has fallen.”(Q) 22 Now the hand of the Lord had been upon me the evening before the fugitive came, and he opened my mouth when the fugitive came in the morning, so my mouth was opened, and I was no longer unable to speak.(R)
The Survivors in Judah
23 The word of the Lord came to me: 24 Mortal, the inhabitants of these waste places in the land of Israel keep saying, “Abraham was only one man, yet he got possession of the land, but we are many; the land is surely given us to possess.”(S) 25 Therefore say to them: Thus says the Lord God: You eat flesh with the blood and lift up your eyes to your idols and shed blood; shall you then possess the land?(T) 26 You depend on your swords, you commit abominations, and each of you defiles his neighbor’s wife; shall you then possess the land?(U) 27 Say this to them: Thus says the Lord God: As I live, surely those who are in the waste places shall fall by the sword, and those who are in the open field I will give to the wild animals to be devoured, and those who are in strongholds and in caves shall die by pestilence.(V) 28 I will make the land a desolation and a waste, and its proud might shall come to an end, and the mountains of Israel shall be so desolate that no one will pass through.(W) 29 Then they shall know that I am the Lord, when I have made the land a desolation and a waste because of all their abominations that they have committed.(X)
30 As for you, mortal, your people who talk together about you by the walls and at the doors of the houses say to one another, each to a neighbor, “Come and hear what the word is that comes from the Lord.” 31 They come to you as people come, and they sit before you as my people, and they hear your words, but they will not obey them. For flattery is on their lips, but their heart is set on their gain.[d](Y) 32 To them you are like a singer of love songs,[e] one who has a beautiful voice and plays well on an instrument; they hear what you say, but they will not do it. 33 When this comes—and come it will!—then they shall know that a prophet has been among them.(Z)
Ezekiel 33
Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition
33 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:
2 Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say to them: When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man, one of their meanest, and make him a watchman over them:
3 And he see the sword coming upon the land, and sound the trumpet, and tell the people:
4 Then he that heareth the sound of the trumpet, whosoever he be, and doth not look to himself, if the sword come, and cut him off: his blood shall be upon his own head.
5 He heard the sound of the trumpet and did not look to himself, his blood shall be upon him: but if he look to himself, he shall save his life.
6 And if the watchman see the sword coming, and sound not the trumpet: and the people look not to themselves, and the sword come, and cut off a soul from among them: he indeed is taken away in his iniquity, but I will require his blood at the hand of the watchman.
7 So thou, O son of man, I have made thee a watchman to the house of Israel: therefore thou shalt hear the word from my mouth, and shalt tell it them from me.
8 When I say to the wicked: O wicked man, thou shalt surely die: if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked man from his way: that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but I will require his blood at thy hand.
9 But if thou tell the wicked man, that he may be converted from his ways, and he be not converted from his way: he shall die in his iniquity: but thou hast delivered thy soul.
10 Thou therefore, O son of man, say to the house of Israel: Thus you have spoken, saying: Our iniquities, and our sins are upon us, and we pine away in them: how then can we live?
11 Say to them: As I live, saith the Lord God, I desire not the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way, and live. Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways: and why will you die, O house of Israel?
12 Thou therefore, O son of man, say to the children of thy people: The justice of the just shall not deliver him, in what day soever he shall sin: and the wickedness of the wicked shall not hurt him, in what day soever he shall turn from his wickedness: and the just shall not be able to live in his justice, in what day soever he shall sin.
13 Yea, if I shall say to the just that he shall surely live, and he, trusting in his justice, commit iniquity: all his justices shall be forgotten, and in his iniquity, which he hath committed, in the same shall he die.
14 And if I shall say to the wicked: Thou shalt surely die: and he do penance for his sin, and do judgment and justice,
15 And if that wicked man restore the pledge, and render what he had robbed, and walk in the commandments of life, and do no unjust thing: he shall surely live, and shall not die.
16 None of his sins, which he hath committed, shall be imputed to him: he hath done judgment and justice, he shall surely live.
17 And the children of thy people have said: The way of the Lord is not equitable: whereas their own way is unjust.
18 For when the just shall depart from his justice, and commit iniquities, he shall die in them.
19 And when the wicked shall depart from his wickedness, and shall do judgments, and justice: he shall live in them.
20 And you say: The way of the Lord is not right, I will judge every one of you according to his ways, O house of Israel.
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 there came to me one that was fled from Jerusalem, saying: The city is laid waste.
22 And the hand of the Lord had been upon me in the evening, before he that was fled came: and he opened my mouth till he came to me in the morning, and my mouth being opened, I was silent no more.
23 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:
24 Son of man, they that dwell in these ruinous places in the land of Israel, speak, saying: Abraham was one, and he inherited the land, but we are many, the land is given us in possession.
25 Therefore say to them: Thus saith the Lord God, You that eat with the blood and lift up your eyes to your uncleannesses, and that shed blood: shall you possess the land by inheritance?
26 You stood on your swords, you have committed abominations, and every one hath defiled his neighbour's wife; and shall you possess the land by inheritance?
27 Say thou thus to them: Thus saith the Lord God: As I live, they that dwell in the ruinous places, shall fall by the sword: and he that is in the field, shall be given to the beasts to be devoured: and they that are in holds, and caves, shall die of the pestilence.
28 And I will make the land a wilderness, and a desert, and the proud strength thereof shall fail, and the mountains of Israel shall be desolate, because there is none to pass by them.
29 And they shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall have made their land waste and desolate, for all their abominations which they have committed.
30 And thou son of man: the children of thy people, that talk of thee by the walls, and in the doors of the houses, and speak one to another each man to his neighbour, saying: Come, and let us hear what is the word that cometh forth from the Lord.
31 And they come to thee, as if a people were coming in, and my people sit before thee: and hear thy words, and do them not: for they turn them into a song of their mouth, and their heart goeth after their covetousness.
32 And thou art to them as a musical song which is sung with a sweet and agreeable voice: and they hear thy words, and do them not.
33 And when that which was foretold shall come to pass, (for behold it is coming,) then shall they know that a prophet hath been among them.
Ezekiel 33
The Message
You Are the Watchman
33 1-5 God’s Message came to me: “Son of man, speak to your people. Tell them, ‘If I bring war on this land and the people take one of their citizens and make him their watchman, and if the watchman sees war coming and blows the trumpet, warning the people, then if anyone hears the sound of the trumpet and ignores it and war comes and takes him off, it’s his own fault. He heard the alarm, he ignored it—it’s his own fault. If he had listened, he would have saved his life.
6 “‘But if the watchman sees war coming and doesn’t blow the trumpet, warning the people, and war comes and takes anyone off, I’ll hold the watchman responsible for the bloodshed of any unwarned sinner.’
7-9 “You, son of man, are the watchman. I’ve made you a watchman for Israel. The minute you hear a message from me, warn them. If I say to the wicked, ‘Wicked man, wicked woman, you’re on the fast track to death!’ and you don’t speak up and warn the wicked to change their ways, the wicked will die unwarned in their sins and I’ll hold you responsible for their bloodshed. But if you warn the wicked to change their ways and they don’t do it, they’ll die in their sins well-warned and at least you will have saved your own life.
10 “Son of man, speak to Israel. Tell them, ‘You’ve said, “Our rebellions and sins are weighing us down. We’re wasting away. How can we go on living?”’
11 “Tell them, ‘As sure as I am the living God, I take no pleasure from the death of the wicked. I want the wicked to change their ways and live. Turn your life around! Reverse your evil ways! Why die, Israel?’
12-13 “There’s more, son of man. Tell your people, ‘A good person’s good life won’t save him when he decides to rebel, and a bad person’s bad life won’t prevent him from repenting of his rebellion. A good person who sins can’t expect to live when he chooses to sin. It’s true that I tell good people, “Live! Be alive!” But if they trust in their good deeds and turn to evil, that good life won’t amount to a hill of beans. They’ll die for their evil life.
14-16 “‘On the other hand, if I tell a wicked person, “You’ll die for your wicked life,” and he repents of his sin and starts living a righteous and just life—being generous to the down-and-out, restoring what he had stolen, cultivating life-nourishing ways that don’t hurt others—he’ll live. He won’t die. None of his sins will be kept on the books. He’s doing what’s right, living a good life. He’ll live.
17-19 “‘Your people say, “The Master’s way isn’t fair.” But it’s the way they’re living that isn’t fair. When good people turn back from living good lives and plunge into sin, they’ll die for it. And when a wicked person turns away from his wicked life and starts living a just and righteous life, he’ll come alive.
20 “‘Still, you keep on saying, “The Master’s way isn’t fair.” We’ll see, Israel. I’ll decide on each of you exactly according to how you live.’”
* * *
21 In the twelfth year of our exile, on the fifth day of the tenth month, a survivor from Jerusalem came to me and said, “The city’s fallen.”
22 The evening before the survivor arrived, the hand of God had been on me and restored my speech. By the time he arrived in the morning I was able to speak. I could talk again.
23-24 God’s Message came to me: “Son of man, those who are living in the ruins back in Israel are saying, ‘Abraham was only one man and he owned the whole country. But there are lots of us. Our ownership is even more certain.’
25-26 “So tell them, ‘God the Master says, You eat flesh that contains blood, you worship no-god idols, you murder at will—and you expect to own this land? You rely on the sword, you engage in obscenities, you indulge in sex at random—anyone, anytime. And you still expect to own this land?’
27-28 “Tell them this, Ezekiel: ‘The Message of God, the Master. As sure as I am the living God, those who are still alive in the ruins will be killed. Anyone out in the field I’ll give to wild animals for food. Anyone hiding out in mountain forts and caves will die of disease. I’ll make this country an empty wasteland—no more arrogant bullying! Israel’s mountains will become dangerously desolate. No one will dare pass through them.’
29 “They’ll realize that I am God when I devastate the country because of all the obscenities they’ve practiced.
30-32 “As for you, son of man, you’ve become quite the talk of the town. Your people meet on street corners and in front of their houses and say, ‘Let’s go hear the latest news from God.’ They show up, as people tend to do, and sit in your company. They listen to you speak, but don’t do a thing you say. They flatter you with compliments, but all they care about is making money and getting ahead. To them you’re merely entertainment—a country singer of sad love songs, playing a guitar. They love to hear you talk, but nothing comes of it.
33 “But when all this happens—and it is going to happen!—they’ll realize that a prophet was among them.”
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