Ezekiel 18:5-9
New English Translation
5 “Suppose a man is righteous. He practices what is just and right, 6 does not eat pagan sacrifices on the mountains[a] or pray to the idols[b] of the house of Israel, does not defile his neighbor’s wife, does not approach a woman for marital relations[c] during her period, 7 does not oppress anyone, but gives the debtor back whatever was given in pledge,[d] does not commit robbery,[e] but gives his bread to the hungry and clothes the naked, 8 does not engage in usury or charge interest,[f] but refrains[g] from wrongdoing, promotes true justice[h] between men, 9 and follows my statutes and observes my regulations by carrying them out.[i] That man[j] is righteous; he will certainly live,[k] declares the Sovereign Lord.
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- Ezekiel 18:6 tn Heb “on the mountains he does not eat.” The mountains are often mentioned as the place where idolatrous sacrifices were eaten (Ezek 20:28; 22:9; 34:6).
- Ezekiel 18:6 tn Heb “does not lift up his eyes.” This refers to looking to idols for help.
- Ezekiel 18:6 tn The expression קָרַב אֶל (qarav ʾel) means “draw near to” or “approach,” but is also used as a euphemism for the intended purpose of sexual relations (Lev 18:14; Deut 22:14; Isa 8:3).
- Ezekiel 18:7 tn Heb “restores to the debtor his pledge.” The root occurs in Exod 22:25 in reference to restoring a man’s garment as a pledge before nightfall.
- Ezekiel 18:7 tn The Hebrew term refers to seizure of property, usually by the rich (Isa 3:14; 10:2; Mic 2:2; see Lev 5:21, 22 HT [6:2, 3 ET]).
- Ezekiel 18:8 sn This law was given in Lev 25:36.
- Ezekiel 18:8 tn Heb, “turns back his hand.”
- Ezekiel 18:8 tn Heb “justice of truth.”
- Ezekiel 18:9 tc The MT reads לַעֲשׂוֹת אֱמֶת (laʿasot ʾemet, “to do with integrity”), while the LXX reads “to do them,” presupposing לַעֲשׂוֹת אֹתָם (laʿasot ʾotam). The ם (mem) and ת (tav) have been reversed in the MT. The LXX reflects the original, supported by similar phrasing in Ezekiel 11:20; 20:19.
- Ezekiel 18:9 tn Heb “he.”
- Ezekiel 18:9 tn Heb “living, he will live.” The infinitive absolute precedes the finite verb for emphasis.
Ezekiel 18:5-9
English Standard Version
5 “If a man is righteous and does (A)what is just and right— 6 if he (B)does not eat upon the mountains or (C)lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, (D)does not defile his neighbor's wife (E)or approach (F)a woman in her time of menstrual impurity, 7 (G)does not oppress anyone, but (H)restores to the debtor his pledge, (I)commits no robbery, (J)gives his bread to the hungry (K)and covers the naked with a garment, 8 (L)does not lend at interest (M)or take any profit,[a] withholds his hand from injustice, (N)executes true justice between man and man, 9 (O)walks in my statutes, and keeps my rules by acting faithfully—he is righteous; (P)he shall surely live, declares the Lord God.
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- Ezekiel 18:8 That is, profit that comes from charging interest to the poor; also verses 13, 17 (compare Leviticus 25:36)
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