Ezekiel 33:1-20

American Standard Version

33 And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying, ² Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man from among them, and set him for their watchman; ³ if, when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people; ⁴ then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning, if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. ⁵ He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him; whereas if he had taken warning, he would have delivered his soul. ⁶ But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned, and the sword come, and take any person from among them; he is taken away ^[a]in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at the watchman’s hand.

⁷ So thou, son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me. ⁸ When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die, and thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way; that wicked man shall die ^[b]in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at thy hand. ⁹ Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it, and he turn not from his way; he shall die ^[c]in his iniquity, but thou hast delivered thy soul.

¹⁰ And thou, son of man, say unto the house of Israel: Thus ye speak, saying, ^[d]Our transgressions and our sins are upon us, and we pine away ^[e]in them; how then can we live? ¹¹ Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord Jehovah, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel? ¹² And thou, son of man, say unto the children of thy people, The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression; and as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall thereby in the day that he turneth from his wickedness; neither shall he that is righteous be able to live thereby in the day that he sinneth. ¹³ When I say to the righteous, that he shall surely live; if he trust to his righteousness, and commit iniquity, none of his righteous deeds shall be remembered; but ^[f]in his iniquity that he hath committed, ^[g]therein shall he die. ¹⁴ Again, when I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; if he turn from his sin, and do that which is lawful and right; ¹⁵ if the wicked restore the pledge, give again that which he had taken by robbery, walk in the statutes of life, committing no iniquity; he shall surely live, he shall not die. ¹⁶ None of his sins that he hath committed shall be remembered against him: he hath done that which is lawful and right; he shall surely live.

¹⁷ Yet the children of thy people say, The way of the Lord is not equal: but as for them, their way is not equal. ¹⁸ When the righteous turneth from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, he shall even die ^[h]therein. ¹⁹ And when the wicked turneth from his wickedness, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall live thereby. ²⁰ Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. O house of Israel, I will judge you every one after his ways.