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Individual Retribution
18 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 What do you mean by repeating this proverb concerning the land of Israel, “The parents have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge”?(A) 3 As I live, says the Lord God, this proverb shall no more be used by you in Israel. 4 Know that all lives are mine; the life of the parent as well as the life of the child is mine: it is only the person who sins who shall die.(B)
5 If a man is righteous and does what is lawful and right— 6 if he does not eat upon the mountains or lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, does not defile his neighbor’s wife or approach a woman during her menstrual period,(C) 7 does not oppress anyone but restores to the debtor his pledge, commits no robbery, gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with a garment,(D) 8 does not take advance or accrued interest, withholds his hand from iniquity, executes true justice between contending parties,(E) 9 follows my statutes, and is careful to observe my ordinances, acting faithfully—such a one is righteous; he shall surely live, says the Lord God.(F)
10 If he has a son who is violent, a shedder of blood,(G) 11 who does any of these things (though his father[a] does none of them), who eats upon the mountains, defiles his neighbor’s wife, 12 oppresses the poor and needy, commits robbery, does not restore the pledge, lifts up his eyes to the idols, commits abomination,(H) 13 takes advance or accrued interest, shall he then live? He shall not. He has done all these abominable things; he shall surely be put to death; his blood shall be upon himself.(I)
14 But if this son has a son who sees all the sins that his father has done, considers, and does not do likewise,(J) 15 who does not eat upon the mountains or lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, does not defile his neighbor’s wife, 16 does not wrong anyone, exacts no pledge, commits no robbery but gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with a garment,(K) 17 withholds his hand from iniquity,[b] takes no advance or accrued interest, observes my ordinances, and follows my statutes, he shall not die for his father’s iniquity; he shall surely live. 18 As for his father, because he practiced extortion, robbed his brother, and did what is not good among his people, he died for his iniquity.
19 Yet you say, “Why should not the son suffer for the iniquity of the father?” When the son has done what is lawful and right and has been careful to observe all my statutes, he shall surely live.(L) 20 The person who sins shall die. A child shall not suffer for the iniquity of a parent nor a parent suffer for the iniquity of a child; the righteousness of the righteous shall be their own, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be their own.(M)
21 But if the wicked turn away from all their sins that they have committed and keep all my statutes and do what is lawful and right, they shall surely live; they shall not die.(N) 22 None of the transgressions that they have committed shall be remembered against them, for the righteousness that they have done they shall live.(O) 23 Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, says the Lord God, and not rather that they should turn from their ways and live?(P) 24 But when the righteous turn away from their righteousness and commit iniquity and do the same abominable things that the wicked do, shall they live? None of the righteous deeds that they have done shall be remembered, for the treachery of which they are guilty and the sin they have committed, they shall die.(Q)
25 Yet you say, “The way of the Lord is unfair.” Hear now, O house of Israel: Is my way unfair? Is it not your ways that are unfair?(R) 26 When the righteous turn away from their righteousness and commit iniquity, they shall die for it; for the iniquity that they have committed, they shall die. 27 Again, when the wicked turn away from the wickedness they have committed and do what is lawful and right, they shall save their life. 28 Because they considered and turned away from all the transgressions that they had committed, they shall surely live; they shall not die. 29 Yet the house of Israel says, “The way of the Lord is unfair.” O house of Israel, are my ways unfair? Is it not your ways that are unfair?
30 Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, all of you according to your ways, says the Lord God. Repent and turn from all your transgressions; otherwise iniquity will be your ruin.[c](S) 31 Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed against me, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel?(T) 32 For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, says the Lord God. Turn, then, and live.(U)
Israel Degraded
19 As for you, raise up a lamentation for the princes of Israel,(V) 2 and say:
What a lioness was your mother
among lions!
She lay down among young lions,
rearing her cubs.(W)
3 She raised up one of her cubs;
he became a young lion,
and he learned to catch prey;
he devoured humans.(X)
4 The nations heard about him;
he was caught in their pit,
and they brought him with hooks
to the land of Egypt.(Y)
5 When she saw that she was thwarted,
that her hope was lost,
she took another of her cubs
and made him a young lion.(Z)
6 He prowled among the lions;
he became a young lion,
and he learned to catch prey;
he devoured people.(AA)
7 And he ravaged their strongholds[d]
and laid waste their towns;
the land was appalled, and all in it,
at the sound of his roaring.(AB)
8 The nations set upon him
from the provinces all around;
they spread their net over him;
he was caught in their pit.(AC)
9 With hooks they put him in a neck collar
and brought him to the king of Babylon;
they brought him into custody,
so that his voice should be heard no more
on the mountains of Israel.(AD)
10 Your mother was like a vine in a vineyard[e]
transplanted by the water,
fruitful and full of branches
from abundant water.(AE)
11 Its strongest stem became
a ruler’s scepter;[f]
it towered aloft
among the clouds;
it stood out in its height
with its mass of branches.(AF)
12 But it was plucked up in fury,
cast down to the ground;
the east wind dried it up;
its fruit was stripped off;
its strong stem was withered;
the fire consumed it.(AG)
13 Now it is transplanted into the wilderness,
into a dry and thirsty land.(AH)
14 And fire has gone out from its stem,
has consumed its branches and fruit,
so that there remains in it no strong stem,
no scepter for ruling.
This is a lamentation, and it is used as a lamentation.(AI)
The Earthly and the Heavenly Sanctuaries
9 Now[a] the first covenant had regulations for worship and an earthly sanctuary. 2 For a tent[b] was constructed, the first one, in which were the lampstand, the table, and the bread of the Presence;[c] this is called the holy place.(A) 3 Behind the second curtain was a tent[d] called the holy of holies.(B) 4 In it stood the golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold, in which there were a golden urn holding the manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant;(C) 5 above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat.[e] Of these things we cannot speak now in detail.(D)
6 These preparations having thus been made, the priests go continually into the first tent[f] to carry out their ritual duties, 7 but only the high priest goes into the second, and he but once a year and not without taking the blood that he offers for himself and for the sins committed unintentionally by the people.(E) 8 By this the Holy Spirit indicates that the way into the sanctuary has not yet been disclosed as long as the first tent[g] is still standing.(F) 9 This is a symbol[h] of the present time, indicating that gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the conscience of the worshiper(G) 10 but deal only with food and drink and various baptisms, regulations for the body imposed until the time comes to set things right.(H)
32 They angered the Lord[a] at the waters of Meribah,
and it went ill with Moses on their account,(A)
33 for they made his spirit bitter,
and he spoke words that were rash.(B)
34 They did not destroy the peoples,
as the Lord had commanded them,(C)
35 but they mingled with the nations
and learned to do as they did.(D)
36 They served their idols,
which became a snare to them.(E)
37 They sacrificed their sons
and their daughters to the demons;(F)
38 they poured out innocent blood,
the blood of their sons and daughters,
whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan,
and the land was polluted with blood.(G)
39 Thus they became unclean by their acts
and prostituted themselves in their doings.(H)
40 Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against his people,
and he abhorred his heritage;(I)
41 he gave them into the hand of the nations,
so that those who hated them ruled over them.(J)
42 Their enemies oppressed them,
and they were brought into subjection under their power.
43 Many times he delivered them,
but they were rebellious in their purposes
and were brought low through their iniquity.(K)
44 Nevertheless, he regarded their distress
when he heard their cry.(L)
45 For their sake he remembered his covenant
and showed compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love.(M)
46 He caused them to be pitied
by all who held them captive.(N)
47 Save us, O Lord our God,
and gather us from among the nations,
that we may give thanks to your holy name
and glory in your praise.(O)
48 Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting.
And let all the people say, “Amen.”
Praise the Lord!(P)
10 Do not forsake your friend or the friend of your parent;
do not go to the house of your kindred in the day of your calamity.
Better is a neighbor who is nearby
than kindred who are far away.(A)
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.