Ezekiel 18-19
Tree of Life Version
No More Sour Grapes
18 The word of Adonai came to me saying: 2 “What do you mean by using this proverb in the land of Israel saying,
‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes,
so the children’s teeth are set on edge?’
3 As I live”—it is a declaration of Adonai—“you will never again use this proverb in Israel. 4 Behold, every living soul is Mine—the soul of father as well as the soul of son—both are Mine. Behold, the soul who sins is the one who will die.
5 “Suppose a man is just and does what is lawful and right: 6 He has not eaten at mountain shrines or lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel. He has not defiled his neighbor’s wife or come near to a woman during niddah. 7 He does not wrong anyone, returns his pledge for a debt, does not commit robbery, gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with a garment. 8 He does not loan with interest or take unjust gain. He keeps his hand from iniquity, executes true justice between people, 9 walks in My laws and keeps My statutes, behaving honestly. Such a person is just—he will surely live.” It is a declaration of Adonai.
10 “Now suppose he fathers a son who is violent, who sheds blood and does any of these things to a brother 11 (though the father himself does none of these things). He has even eaten at mountain shrines, defiled his neighbor’s wife, 12 wronged the poor and needy, taken by robbery, not restored the pledge, lifted up his eyes to the idols, committed abomination, 13 loaned with interest and taken unjust gain. Will he then live? He will not live! He has done all these detestable things. He will surely be put to death and his blood will be on him.
14 “Now behold, suppose he fathers a son who sees all his father’s sins that he committed, and observing, does not do likewise. 15 He does not eat at mountain shrines, or lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, or defile his neighbor’s wife, 16 nor does he wrong anyone, take pledged property or commit robbery, but he gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with a garment, 17 withholds his hand from mistreating the poor, does not take interest or increase, practices My laws and walks in My statutes—he will not die for the iniquity of his father, he will surely live.
18 “As for his father, because he cruelly oppressed, committed robbery from his brother and did what is not good among his people—behold, he will die for his iniquity. 19 Yet you say, ‘Why does the son not bear the iniquity of the father with him?’ When the son has done what is lawful and right, has kept all My statutes and has done them, he will surely live. 20 The soul that sins, he will die. The son will not bear the iniquity of the father with him, nor will the father bear the iniquity of the son with him. The righteousness of the righteous will be on him and the wickedness of the wicked will be on him. 21 But if the wicked turns from all his sins that he has committed, and keeps all My laws and does what is lawful and right, he will surely live, he will not die. 22 None of his transgressions that he committed will be remembered; because of his righteousness that he practiced, he will live.
23 “Do I delight at all in the death of the wicked?” It is a declaration of Adonai. “Rather, should he not return from his ways, and live? 24 But when the righteous turns away from his righteousness, and commits iniquity and does according to all the detestable acts that the wicked man does, will he live? None of his righteous deeds that he has done will be remembered; for his trespass that he trespassed and for his sin that he has sinned, for them he will die.[a]
25 “Yet you say, ‘Adonai’s way is unfair!’ Hear now, house of Israel! Is My way not fair? Is it not your ways that are unfair? 26 When the righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity, he will die for it; because of his iniquity that he did, he will die. 27 But when the wicked man turns away from his wickedness that he committed and does what is lawful and right, his soul will live. 28 Because he considers and turns away from all his transgressions that he committed, he will surely live, not die. 29 Yet the house of Israel says, ‘The way of Adonai is unfair!’ House of Israel, are My ways not fair? Is it not your ways that are unfair?
30 “Therefore I will judge you, house of Israel, each one according to his ways.” It is a declaration of Adonai. “Return, and turn away from all your transgressions, so they would not be a stumbling block of iniquity for you. 31 Cast off from you all your transgressions that you have committed. Make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, house of Israel? 32 For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies”—it is a declaration of Adonai—“so return, and live!”
Two Lamentation Songs
19 “As for you, raise a lamentation for the princes of Israel,
2 and say: ‘What was your mother?
A lioness!
Among lions she couched,
among young lions she reared her cubs.
3 When she raised up one of her cubs,
he became a young lion.
When he learned to tear prey,
he devoured people.
4 When the nations heard about him,
he was caught in their pit.
They brought him with hooks
to the land of Egypt.
5 When she saw that she waited in vain,
her hope was lost.
So she took another cub
and made him a young lion.
6 He prowled among the lions.
He became a young lion,
learned to catch prey,
devoured men.
7 He ravaged their widows
and laid waste their cities.
The land and all who were in it
were terrified from his roaring.
8 The nations gathered against him
on every side from the provinces.
They spread their net over him.
He was caught in their pit.
9 They put him in a cage with hooks
and brought him to the king of Babylon.
They brought him in hunting nets.
So his roar was no longer heard
on the mountains of Israel.
10 “Your mother was like a vine in your blood,
planted by the water.
It was fruitful and full of branches
because of abundant water.
11 Its strong rods became rulers’ scepters.
Its height was exalted above the clouds.
It was seen in its height
with the mass of its branches.
12 But it was uprooted in fury.
It was cast down to the ground.
The east wind dried up its fruit.
Its strong branches were broken off and dried up—
fire consumed it.
13 Now it is planted in the wilderness,
in a dry and thirsty land.
14 Fire has spread from its main branch
and devoured its fruit.
No strong branch is left on it
to become a ruler’s scepter.”
This is a lamentation, and it is to be used as a lamentation.
Footnotes
Hebrews 9:1-10
Tree of Life Version
Messiah Enters the Heavenly Holies
9 Now even the first one had regulations for worship and the earthly sanctuary. [a] 2 For a tent was prepared: in the outer[b] part were the menorah, the table, and the presentation of the bread[c]—this is called the Holy Place. 3 Beyond the second curtain[d] was a dwelling called the Holy of Holies. [e] 4 It held a golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant, completely covered with gold. In the ark was a golden jar holding the manna, Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant[f]— 5 and above it, cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat.[g] But it is not now possible to speak in detail about these things.
6 Now with these things prepared this way,
the kohanim
do continually enter
into the outer tent[h]
while completing the services;
7 but into the inner,[i]
once a year,
the kohen gadol alone[j]—and not without blood which he offers for himself and for the unintentional sins[k] of the people. 8 By this the Ruach ha-Kodesh makes clear that the way into the Holies has not yet been revealed while the first tent is still standing. 9 It is a symbol for the present time. Accordingly, gifts and sacrifices are being offered that cannot make the worshiper perfect with respect to conscience. 10 These relate only to food and drink and various washings[l]—regulations for the body imposed until a time of setting things straight.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Hebrews 9:2 cf. Exod. 25:8, 23-29.
- Hebrews 9:2 Lit. first.
- Hebrews 9:2 cf. Lev. 24:5-9.
- Hebrews 9:3 Heb. parokhet.
- Hebrews 9:4 cf. Exod. 26:31-33; 40:3.
- Hebrews 9:4 cf. Exod. 25:10-16; 1 Kings 8:7.
- Hebrews 9:5 cf. Exod. 25:18-19.
- Hebrews 9:6 Lit. first tent, i.e. the Holy Place; cf. Exod. 27:20-21.
- Hebrews 9:7 Lit. second, i.e. the Holy of Holies; cf. Lev. 16:2, 34.
- Hebrews 9:7 cf. Exod. 30:10; Lev. 16:15, 34.
- Hebrews 9:7 cf. Num. 15:22, 30.
- Hebrews 9:10 cf. Lev. 11; Num. 6:3; 19:13.
Psalm 106:32-48
Tree of Life Version
32 By the waters of Meribah they angered Him,
and trouble came on Moses because of them.
33 For they embittered his spirit
and he spoke rashly with his lips.
34 They did not destroy the peoples,
as Adonai had commanded them.
35 Instead they mingled with the nations
and learned their practices.
36 They worshipped their idols,
which became a snare to them.
37 They even sacrificed their sons
and their daughters to demons.
38 They shed innocent blood—
the blood of their sons and their daughters,
sacrificed to the idols of Canaan.
So the land was desecrated with blood.
39 So they defiled themselves by their deeds,
and prostituted themselves by their practices.
40 Therefore the anger of Adonai was kindled against His people,
and He abhorred His inheritance.
41 He handed them to the nations—
those who hated them ruled over them.
42 Their enemies oppressed them,
so they were subdued under their hand.
43 Many times He delivered them,
but they kept rebelling deliberately,
and so sank low into their iniquity.
44 Yet He saw their distress,
when He heard their cry,
45 remembered His covenant to them,[a]
and relented in the greatness of His mercy.
46 He caused them to be pitied
in the presence of all their captors.
47 Save us, Adonai our God,
and gather us from the nations,
so we may praise Your holy Name
and triumph in Your praise.
48 Blessed be Adonai, the God of Israel,
from everlasting even to everlasting!
Let all the people say, “Amen!”
Halleluyah!
Footnotes
- Psalm 106:45 cf. Luke 1:67-79.
Proverbs 27:10
Tree of Life Version
10 Do not forsake your friend, or your father’s friend,
nor go to your brother’s house in the day of your disaster—
better a neighbor nearby than a brother far off.
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.