Old/New Testament
18 The Word of the Lord came to me saying, 2 “What do you mean by using this saying about the land of Israel: ‘The fathers eat the sour grapes, but the children get the sour taste’? 3 As I live,” says the Lord God, “you will never use this saying in Israel again. 4 For all souls belong to Me. Both the soul of the father and the soul of the son are Mine. The soul who sins will die. 5 But if a man is right and good and does what is right and good, 6 he does not eat at the altars on the mountains or look up to the false gods of Israel. He does not sin with his neighbor’s wife or go near a woman during the time she is unclean. 7 He does not make it hard for anyone. He keeps his promise to pay back what he owes. He does not steal, but gives his bread to the hungry, and gives clothing to those who have none. 8 He does not make others pay back more than they owe him. He keeps away from sin, and is an honest judge when men argue. 9 He walks in My Laws and is careful to obey them. This man is right and good, and will live for sure,” says the Lord God.
10 “But he may have a son who acts in anger and kills another man, or does any of these other things 11 that the father never did. He eats at the altars on the mountains, and sins with his neighbor’s wife. 12 He makes it hard for the poor and those in need, and he steals. He does not keep his promise to pay back what he owes. He looks up to false gods, and does sinful acts. 13 And he makes people pay back more than they owe him. Will this man live? He will not live! He has done all these sinful acts, and for sure he will die. He will be guilty for his own death.
14 “Now this man may have a son who has seen all the sins his father has done, but does not do the same. 15 He does not eat at the altars on the mountains or look to the false gods of Israel. He does not sin with his neighbor’s wife, 16 or make it hard for anyone. He does not keep what another man has given him in trust for a promise. He does not steal, but he gives his bread to the hungry and clothing to those who have none. 17 He keeps away from sin. He does not make a person pay back more than he owes him. But he walks in My Laws and obeys them. This man will not die for his father’s sin. He will live for sure. 18 As for his father, because he used his power to rob his brother, and did what was wrong among his people, he will die for his sin.
19 “Yet you say, ‘Why should the son not suffer for the father’s sin?’ Since the son has done what is right and good, and has kept and obeyed all My Laws, he will live for sure. 20 The person who sins will die. The son will not be punished for the father’s sin. And the father will not be punished for the son’s sin. The right and good man will receive good, and the sinful man will suffer for his sin.
21 “But if the sinful man turns from all the sins he has done and obeys all My Laws and does what is right and good, he will live for sure. He will not die. 22 None of the sins he has done will be remembered against him. Because of the right and good things he has done, he will live. 23 Am I pleased with the death of a sinful man?” says the Lord God. “No, instead I would like him to turn from his sinful ways and live.
24 “But when a right and good man turns away from doing what is right and good, and sins, doing all the bad things that a sinful man does, will he live? None of the right and good things he has done will be remembered. Because he has not been faithful and has sinned, he will die. 25 Yet you say, ‘The Lord is not doing what is right.’ Listen, O people of Israel! Is My way not right? Is it not your ways that are not right? 26 When a right and good man turns away from doing what is right and good, and sins, and dies because of it, he dies because of the sin he has done. 27 But when a sinful man turns away from his sin and does what is right and good, he will save his life. 28 Because he thought about it and turned away from all the sins he had done, he will live for sure. He will not die. 29 But the people of Israel say, ‘The Lord is not doing what is right.’ Are My ways not right, O people of Israel? Is it not your ways that are not right?
30 “So I will judge you, O people of Israel, each of you by what he has done,” says the Lord God. “Be sorry for all your sins and turn away from them, so sin will not destroy you. 31 Turn away from all the sins you have done, and get a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O people of Israel? 32 For I am not pleased with the death of anyone who dies,” says the Lord God. “So be sorry for your sins and turn away from them, and live.”
A Song of Sorrow for Israel’s Leaders
19 “As for you, sing a song of sorrow for the leaders of Israel, 2 and say: ‘What was your mother? A female lion among lions! She lay down with young lions. She raised her young ones. 3 She brought up one of her little ones, and he became a lion. He learned to catch his food. He ate men. 4 The nations heard about him, and he was caught in their trap. And they brought him with hooks to the land of Egypt. 5 Your mother waited until she saw that her hope was lost. Then she took another of her little ones and made him a young lion. 6 He walked up and down among the lions. He became a young lion and learned to catch his food. He ate men. 7 He wrecked their strong towers and destroyed their cities. The land and all who were in it were filled with fear because of the loud noise he made. 8 Then the nations came against him from their lands all around. They spread their net over him, and he was caught in their trap. 9 They put him in a prison with chains and brought him to the king of Babylon. They put him in prison so that his voice would never be heard again on the mountains of Israel.
10 Your mother was like a vine in your grape-field, planted by the water. It gave much fruit and was full of branches because there was much water. 11 Its branches were strong enough to be made into sticks held by rulers to show their power. It grew as high as the clouds. Everyone saw how high it was and that it had many branches. 12 But it was pulled up by the roots in anger and thrown down to the ground. The east wind dried up its fruit. Its strong branch was torn off so that it dried up. And fire destroyed it. 13 Now it is planted in the desert, in a dry and thirsty land. 14 Fire has spread from its largest branch and has destroyed its young branches and its fruit. No strong branch is left on it to be made into a stick for a ruler.’ This is a song of sorrow, and is to be used as a death song.”
4 What starts wars and fights among you? Is it not because you want many things and are fighting to have them? 2 You want something you do not have, so you kill. You want something but cannot get it, so you fight for it. You do not get things because you do not ask for them. 3 Or if you do ask, you do not receive because your reasons for asking are wrong. You want these things only to please yourselves.
4 You are as wives and husbands who are not faithful in marriage and do sex sins. Do you not know that to love the sinful things of the world and to be a friend to them is to be against God? Yes, I say it again, if you are a friend of the world, you are against God. 5 Do you think the Holy Writings mean nothing when they said, “The Holy Spirit Whom God has given to live in us has a strong desire for us to be faithful to Him”?
6 But He gives us more loving-favor. For the Holy Writings say, “God works against the proud but gives loving-favor to those who have no pride.” (A) 7 So give yourselves to God. Stand against the devil and he will run away from you. 8 Come close to God and He will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners. Clean up your hearts, you who want to follow the sinful ways of the world and God at the same time. 9 Be sorry for your sins and cry because of them. Be sad and do not laugh. Let your joy be turned to sorrow. 10 Let yourself be brought low before the Lord. Then He will lift you up and help you.
Do Not Talk Against Each Other
11 Christian brothers, do not talk against anyone or speak bad things about each other. If a person says bad things about his brother, he is speaking against him. And he will be speaking against God’s Law. If you say the Law is wrong, and do not obey it, you are saying you are better than the Law. 12 Only God can say what is right or wrong. He made the Law. He can save or put to death. How can we say if our brother is right or wrong?
13 Listen! You who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this city and stay a year and make money.” 14 You do not know about tomorrow. What is your life? It is like fog. You see it and soon it is gone. 15 What you should say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.” 16 But instead you are proud. You talk loud and big about yourselves. All such pride is sin. 17 If you know what is right to do but you do not do it, you sin.
Copyright © 1969, 2003 by Barbour Publishing, Inc.