Historical
The Soul Who Sins Will Die
18 Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 2 “(A)What do you mean by using this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying,
3 As I live,” declares Lord Yahweh, “you are surely not going to use this proverb in Israel anymore. 4 Behold, (C)all [b]souls are Mine; the [c]soul of the father as well as the [d]soul of the son is Mine. The [e]soul who (D)sins will die.
5 “But if a man is righteous and does justice and righteousness, 6 and does not (E)eat at the mountain shrines or (F)lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, or (G)defile his neighbor’s wife or approach a woman during her menstrual period— 7 if a man does not mistreat anyone, but (H)returns to the debtor his pledge, (I)does not commit robbery, but (J)gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with clothing, 8 if he does not lend money on (K)interest or take (L)increase, if he turns his hand from injustice and (M)does true justice between man and man, 9 if he walks in (N)My statutes and My judgments and is careful to do the truth—(O)he is righteous and will surely (P)live,” declares Lord Yahweh.
10 “Then he may [f]have a violent son who sheds blood and who does any of these things to a brother 11 (though he himself did not do any of these things), that is, he even eats at the mountain shrines and (Q)defiles his neighbor’s wife; 12 he mistreats the (R)afflicted and needy, (S)commits robbery, does not return a pledge, but lifts up his eyes to the idols and (T)does abominations; 13 he (U)lends money on interest and takes increase; will he live? He will not live! He has done all these abominations; he will surely be put to death; his (V)blood will be on himself.
14 “Now behold, he [g]has a son who has seen all his father’s sins which he has done. And he (W)saw this but does not do likewise. 15 He does not eat at the mountain shrines or lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, or defile his neighbor’s wife 16 or mistreat anyone, or retain a pledge or commit robbery, but he (X)gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with clothing; 17 he turns his hand away from [h]the afflicted, does not take interest or increase, but does My judgments and walks in My statutes; (Y)he will not die for his father’s iniquity; he will surely live. 18 As for his father, because he practiced extortion, robbed his brother, and did what was not good among his people, behold, he will die for his iniquity.
19 “Yet you say, ‘(Z)Why should the son not bear the punishment for the father’s iniquity?’ But the son has done (AA)justice and righteousness and has kept all My statutes and done them. He shall surely live. 20 The soul who (AB)sins will die. The (AC)son will not bear the iniquity of the father, nor will the father bear the iniquity of the son; the (AD)righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself.
21 “But if the (AE)wicked man turns from all his sins which he has done and keeps all My statutes and does justice and righteousness, he shall surely live; he shall not die. 22 (AF)All his transgressions which he has done will not be remembered against him; because of his (AG)righteousness which he has done, he will live. 23 (AH)Do I have any pleasure in the death of the wicked,” declares Lord Yahweh, “is it not that he should (AI)turn from his ways and live?
24 “But when a righteous man (AJ)turns away from his righteousness, does injustice, and does according to all the abominations that a wicked man does, will he live? (AK)All his righteous deeds which he has done will not be remembered for his (AL)unfaithfulness which he has committed and his sin which he has committed; for them he will die. 25 Yet you say, ‘(AM)The way of the Lord is not right.’ Hear now, O house of Israel! Is (AN)My way not right? Is it not your ways that are not right? 26 When a righteous man turns away from his righteousness, does injustice, and dies because of it, for his injustice which he has done he will die. 27 Again, when a wicked man turns away (AO)from his wickedness which he has done and does justice and righteousness, he will preserve his life. 28 Again, he considered and turned away from all his transgressions which he had done; he shall surely live; he shall not die. 29 But the house of Israel says, ‘The way of the Lord is not right.’ Are My ways not right, O house of Israel? Is it not your ways that are not right?
30 “Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, each according to his way,” declares Lord Yahweh. “[i](AP)Turn back and turn away from all your transgressions, so that iniquity may not become a stumbling block to you. 31 (AQ)Cast away from yourselves all your transgressions which you have committed and [j]make yourselves a (AR)new heart and a new spirit! Now why will you die, O house of Israel? 32 For I have (AS)no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies,” declares Lord Yahweh. “Therefore, [k]turn back and live.”
A Lament for the Princes of Israel
19 “As for you, take up a (AT)lamentation for the (AU)princes of Israel 2 and say,
‘[l]What was your mother?
A lioness among lions!
She lay down among young lions;
She reared her cubs.
3 So she brought up one of her cubs;
He became a lion,
And he learned to tear his prey;
He devoured men.
4 Then nations heard about him;
He was captured in their pit,
And they (AV)brought him with hooks
To the land of Egypt.
5 Then she saw, as she waited,
That her hope was lost,
So she took [m]another of her cubs
And made him a young lion.
6 And he (AW)walked about among the lions;
He became a young lion;
He learned to tear his prey;
He devoured men.
7 He [n]knew how to destroy their [o]fortified towers
And laid waste their cities;
And the land was in desolation, as well as its fullness
Because of the sound of his roaring.
8 Then (AX)nations put themselves against him
All around from their provinces,
And they spread their net over him;
He was captured in their pit.
9 (AY)They put him in a cage with hooks
And (AZ)brought him to the king of Babylon;
They brought him in hunting nets
So that his voice would be heard no more
On the mountains of Israel.
10 Your mother was (BA)like a vine in your [p]vineyard,
Planted by the waters;
It was fruitful and full of branches
Because of abundant waters.
11 And it had [q](BB)strong thick branches fit for scepters of rulers,
And its (BC)height was exalted above the clouds
So that it was seen in its exaltedness with the mass of its foliage.
12 But it was (BD)uprooted in wrath;
It was (BE)cast down to the ground;
And the (BF)east wind dried up its fruit.
Its [r](BG)strong thick branch [s]was torn off
So that [t]it dried up;
The fire consumed it.
13 So now it is planted in the (BH)wilderness,
In a dry and thirsty land.
14 And (BI)fire has gone out from its thick branch;
It has consumed its shoots and fruit,
So that there is not in it a [u]strong thick branch,
A scepter to rule.’”
This is a lamentation and has become a lamentation.
The Abominations of the Fathers of Israel
20 Now it happened in the seventh year, in the fifth month, on the tenth of the month, that [v]some of the (BJ)elders of Israel came to inquire of Yahweh and sat before me. 2 And the word of Yahweh came to me saying, 3 “Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel and say to them, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “Do you come to inquire of Me? As I live,” declares Lord Yahweh, “(BK)I will not be inquired of by you.”’ 4 Will you judge them, will you judge them, son of man? (BL)Make them know the abominations of their fathers 5 and say to them, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “On the day when I (BM)chose Israel and [w]swore to the seed of the house of Jacob and made Myself known to them in the land of Egypt, when I swore to them, saying, (BN)I am Yahweh your God, 6 on that day I swore to them, (BO)to bring them out from the land of Egypt into a land that I had [x]selected for them, (BP)flowing with milk and honey, which is (BQ)the glory of all lands. 7 I said to them, ‘(BR)Cast away, each of you, the detestable things of his eyes, and (BS)do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt; (BT)I am Yahweh your God.’ 8 But they (BU)rebelled against Me and were not willing to listen to Me; each one did not cast away the detestable things of their eyes, nor did they forsake the (BV)idols of Egypt.
Then I said I would (BW)pour out My wrath on them, to [y]spend My anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt. 9 But I acted (BX)for the sake of My name, that it should (BY)not be profaned in the sight of the nations among whom they lived, in whose sight I made Myself known to them by bringing them out of the land of Egypt. 10 So I took them out of the land of Egypt and brought them into the (BZ)wilderness. 11 I gave them My (CA)statutes and made them know My judgments, (CB)which, if a man does them, he will live by them. 12 And I also gave them My sabbaths to be a (CC)sign between Me and them, that they might know that I am Yahweh who sanctifies them. 13 But the house of Israel (CD)rebelled against Me in the wilderness. They did not walk in My statutes, and they rejected My judgments, (CE)which, if a man does them, he will live by them; and My (CF)sabbaths they greatly profaned. Then I said I would (CG)pour out My wrath on them in the wilderness, to completely destroy them. 14 But I acted for the sake of My name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, before whose sight I had brought them out. 15 Also (CH)I swore to them in the wilderness that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands, 16 because they rejected My judgments, and as for My statutes, they did not walk in them; they even profaned My sabbaths, for their (CI)heart continually walked after their idols. 17 Yet My eye had pity on them rather than bringing them to ruin, and I did not make of them a (CJ)complete destruction in the wilderness.
18 “I said to their [z](CK)children in the wilderness, ‘(CL)Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers and do not keep their judgments and do not defile yourselves with their idols. 19 (CM)I am Yahweh your God; (CN)walk in My statutes and keep My judgments and do them. 20 (CO)Keep My sabbaths holy; and they shall be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am Yahweh your God.’ 21 But the (CP)children rebelled against Me; they did not walk in My statutes, nor were they careful to do My judgments, which, if a man does them, he will live by them; they profaned My sabbaths. So I said I would pour out My wrath on them, to spend My anger against them in the wilderness. 22 But I (CQ)turned back My hand and acted (CR)for the sake of My name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations in whose sight I had brought them out. 23 Also I swore to them in the wilderness that I would (CS)scatter them among the nations and [aa]disperse them among the lands 24 because they had not done My judgments, but had rejected My statutes and had profaned My sabbaths, and (CT)their eyes were going after the idols of their fathers. 25 And I also gave them statutes that were (CU)not good and judgments by which they could not live; 26 and I pronounced them (CV)unclean because of their gifts, in that they (CW)caused all [ab]their firstborn to pass through the fire so that I might make them desolate, in order that they might (CX)know that I am Yahweh.”’
27 “Therefore, son of man, (CY)speak to the house of Israel and say to them, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “Yet in this your fathers have (CZ)blasphemed Me by (DA)acting unfaithfully against Me. 28 Indeed, I (DB)brought them into the land which I swore to give to them, and they saw every (DC)high hill and every leafy tree, and they offered there their sacrifices, and there they gave the provocation of their offering. There also they made their soothing aroma, and there they poured out their drink offerings. 29 Then I said to them, ‘What is the high place to which you are going?’ So its name is called [ac]Bamah to this day.”’ 30 Therefore, say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “Will you defile yourselves in the way of your (DD)fathers and play the harlot after their detestable things? 31 [ad]And when you offer your gifts, when you (DE)cause your sons to pass through the fire, you are defiling yourselves with all your idols to this day. And shall I be inquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live,” declares Lord Yahweh, “I will not be inquired of by you. 32 And what (DF)comes upon your spirit will not happen, when you say: ‘We will be like the nations, like the families of the lands, (DG)to minister to wood and stone.’
Yahweh Judges His People
33 “As I live,” declares Lord Yahweh, “surely with a strong hand and with an (DH)outstretched arm and with wrath poured out, I shall be (DI)king over you. 34 And I will (DJ)bring you out from the peoples and gather you from the lands where you are scattered, with a strong hand and with an outstretched arm and with (DK)wrath poured out; 35 and I will bring you into the (DL)wilderness of the peoples, and there I will enter into judgment with you face to face. 36 As I (DM)entered into judgment with your fathers in the (DN)wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will enter into judgment with you,” declares Lord Yahweh. 37 “And I will make you (DO)pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant; 38 and I will (DP)purge from you the rebels and those who transgress against Me; I will bring them out of the land where they sojourn, but they will (DQ)not enter the [ae]land of Israel. Thus you will know that I am Yahweh.
39 “As for you, O house of Israel,” thus says Lord Yahweh, “(DR)Go, serve everyone his idols; [af]but after this you will surely listen to Me, and My holy name you will (DS)profane no longer with your gifts and with your idols. 40 For on My holy mountain, on the high mountain of Israel,” declares Lord Yahweh, “there the whole house of Israel, (DT)all of them, will serve Me in the land; there I will (DU)accept them, and there I will [ag]seek your contributions and the choicest of your gifts, with all your holy things. 41 [ah]As a soothing aroma I will accept you when I (DV)bring you out from the peoples and gather you from the lands where you are scattered; and I will prove Myself (DW)holy among you in the sight of the nations. 42 And (DX)you will know that I am Yahweh, (DY)when I bring you onto the ground of Israel, into the (DZ)land which I swore to give to your fathers. 43 And there you will (EA)remember your ways and all your deeds with which you have defiled yourselves; and you will (EB)loathe yourselves to your own faces for all the evil things that you have done. 44 Then (EC)you will know that I am Yahweh when I have dealt with you (ED)for My name’s sake, not according to your evil ways or according to your corrupt deeds, O house of Israel,” declares Lord Yahweh.’”
45 [ai]Now the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 46 “Son of man, set your face toward [aj]Teman and speak, dripping out words, against the (EE)south and (EF)prophesy against the (EG)forest [ak]land of the Negev 47 and say to the forest of the Negev, ‘Hear the word of Yahweh: thus says Lord Yahweh, “Behold, I am about to (EH)kindle a fire in you, and it will consume every [al]green tree in you, as well as every dry tree; the blazing flame will not be quenched, and [am](EI)the whole surface from south to north will be scorched by it. 48 And all flesh will see that I, Yahweh, have made it burn; it shall (EJ)not be quenched.”’” 49 Then I said, “Ah Lord Yahweh! They are saying of me, ‘Is he not just speaking (EK)parables?’”
Legacy Standard Bible Copyright ©2021 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org For Permission to Quote Information visit https://www.LSBible.org.