The Prophet Ezekiel

⭑ Unlocked Dynamic Bible :: World English Bible Catholic ⭑

- Chapter 18 -

Yahweh gave me another message. He said,

“You people quote this proverb and say that it is about Israel: ’Parents eat sour grapes, but it is their children who have a very sour taste in their mouths.’ This means that you think that you must suffer for the sins that your ancestors committed.

But I, Yahweh the Lord, declare that as surely as I am alive, you Israelite people will no longer say this proverb.

Everyone who is alive belongs to me. That includes children and their parents; they all belong to me. And it is those who sin who will die because of their sins.

So suppose that there is a righteous person, one who always does what is fair and right.

He does not eat meat sacrificed to idols on the hilltops; he does not request help from idols as the rest of Israel has been doing. He does not sleep with someone else’s wife or with a woman during her monthly menstrual period.

He does not mistreat people; if a person borrows money from him and gives him something to guarantee that he will pay the money back, this man always gives it back to that person before the sun goes down. He does not rob people. He gives food to hungry people. He gives clothing to people who need clothes.

When he lends money to people, he does not do it to make him pay interest. He does not do things that are evil. He always decides things fairly.

He faithfully obeys all my laws. That man is truly righteous; he will remain alive. That is what I, Yahweh the Lord, promise.

But suppose that man has a son who acts violently, who murders people and does any of these other things, even though his father has not done any of them.

He eats meat sacrificed to idols on the hilltops. He sleeps with other people’s wives.

He mistreats poor and needy people. He robs people. If someone gives him something to guarantee that he will pay back money that he has borrowed, the unrighteous man never gives it back to him before the sun goes down. He seeks help from idols. He does other disgusting things.

When he lends money, he charges interest. If you think that I will keep such a person alive, you are certainly wrong. Because he has done all those detestable things, I will certainly make him die, and it will be his own fault.

But suppose that man has a son who sees all the sins that his father commits, but he himself does not do those things.

The son does not eat meat sacrificed to idols on the hilltops. He does not request help from idols. He does not sleep with other people’s wives.

He does not mistreat people. If he lends money to someone, he does not require that person to give him something to guarantee that he will pay the money back. He does not rob anyone. He gives food to those who need it. He gives clothes to those who need clothes.

He does not commit sins, unlike his father, and does not charge interest when he lends money. He faithfully obeys all my laws. I will make sure that that person does not die for his father’s sins; he will certainly stay alive.

But I will ensure that his father will die for the sins that he committed, because the father cheated and robbed people, and did other things that are evil.

If you ask, ‘Why should the man’s son not suffer for the evil things that his father did?’, I will answer that the son has done what is fair and right and has obeyed all my laws, so he will surely remain alive.

It is those who sin who will die because of their sins. I will not punish people because their parents have sinned, or because their children have sinned. I will reward people who live rightly, and I will punish the wicked people, those who live wrongly.

But if a wicked person stops doing all the evil things that he did previously, and if he starts to obey faithfully all my laws, and if he does what is fair and right, he will surely remain alive; I will not kill him.

I will not punish him for the sins he committed previously. Because of the good things that he has done since that time, I will allow him to stay alive.

I, Yahweh the Lord, declare that I certainly am not happy about wicked people dying. Instead, I am happy when they stop doing wicked things and remain alive as a result.

But if a righteous person stops doing right things and starts to commit sins and does the same disgusting things that wicked people do, I will certainly not allow him to remain alive. I will not think about the righteous things that he did previously. Because he did not faithfully do what pleases me, and because of all the sins that he has committed, he will certainly die.

But you say that I, Yahweh, do not act fairly. You Israelite people, listen to what I say: It is certainly not what I do that is unfair; it is what you continually do that is not fair.

If a righteous person turns away from doing what is right and commits sins, he will die for committing those sins.

But if a wicked person turns away from doing wicked things and does what is just and right, he will save himself from dying.

Because he has thought about all the evil things that he did and has turned away from doing them, I will certainly allow him to live. I will not kill him.

But you, the Israelites, say that I do not act fairly. You people of Israel, I always actly fairly. It is you who are acting wickedly.

Therefore, you Israelite people, I, Yahweh the Lord, will judge each of you according to what you have done. Repent! Turn away from all your wicked behavior! Then I will not destroy you because of the wrong things you have done.

Stop doing wicked things; start thinking in a new way. You Israelite people, do you really want me to kill you because you have sinned?

I, Yahweh the Lord, declare that I am not pleased if you die. So turn away from your sins and stay alive!”

The LORD’s word came to me again, saying,

“What do you mean, that you use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge’?

“As I live,” says the Lord GOD, “you shall not use this proverb any more in Israel.

Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine. The soul who sins, he shall die.

“But if a man is just, and does that which is lawful and right,

and has not eaten on the mountains, hasn’t lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, hasn’t defiled his neighbor’s wife, hasn’t come near a woman in her impurity,

and has not wronged any, but has restored to the debtor his pledge, has taken nothing by robbery, has given his bread to the hungry, and has covered the naked with a garment;

he who hasn’t lent to them with interest, hasn’t taken any increase from them, who has withdrawn his hand from iniquity, has executed true justice between man and man,

has walked in my statutes, and has kept my ordinances, to deal truly; he is just, he shall surely live,” says the Lord GOD.

“If he fathers a son who is a robber who sheds blood, and who does any one of these things,

or who does not do any of those things but has eaten at the mountain shrines and defiled his neighbor’s wife,

has wronged the poor and needy, has taken by robbery, has not restored the pledge, and has lifted up his eyes to the idols, has committed abomination,

has lent with interest, and has taken increase from the poor, shall he then live? He shall not live. He has done all these abominations. He shall surely die. His blood will be on him.

“Now, behold, if he fathers a son who sees all his father’s sins which he has done, and fears, and doesn’t do likewise,

who hasn’t eaten on the mountains, hasn’t lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, hasn’t defiled his neighbor’s wife,

hasn’t wronged any, hasn’t taken anything to pledge, hasn’t taken by robbery, but has given his bread to the hungry, and has covered the naked with a garment;

who has withdrawn his hand from the poor, who hasn’t received interest or increase, has executed my ordinances, has walked in my statutes; he shall not die for the iniquity of his father. He shall surely live.

As for his father, because he cruelly oppressed, robbed his brother, and did that which is not good among his people, behold, he will die in his iniquity.

“Yet you say, ‘Why doesn’t the son bear the iniquity of the father?’ When the son has done that which is lawful and right, and has kept all my statutes, and has done them, he will surely live.

The soul who sins, he shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be on him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be on him.

“But if the wicked turns from all his sins that he has committed, and keeps all my statutes, and does that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live. He shall not die.

None of his transgressions that he has committed will be remembered against him. In his righteousness that he has done, he shall live.

Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked?” says the Lord GOD, “and not rather that he should return from his way, and live?

“But when the righteous turns away from his righteousness, and commits iniquity, and does according to all the abominations that the wicked man does, should he live? None of his righteous deeds that he has done will be remembered. In his trespass that he has trespassed, and in his sin that he has sinned, in them he shall die.

“Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not equal.’ Hear now, house of Israel: Is my way not equal? Aren’t your ways unequal?

When the righteous man turns away from his righteousness, and commits iniquity, and dies in it, then he dies in his iniquity that he has done.

Again, when the wicked man turns away from his wickedness that he has committed, and does that which is lawful and right, he will save his soul alive.

Because he considers, and turns away from all his transgressions that he has committed, he shall surely live. He shall not die.

Yet the house of Israel says, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ House of Israel, aren’t my ways fair? Aren’t your ways unfair?

“Therefore I will judge you, house of Israel, everyone according to his ways,” says the Lord GOD. “Return, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions, so iniquity will not be your ruin.

Cast away from you all your transgressions in which you have transgressed; and make yourself a new heart and a new spirit. For why will you die, house of Israel?

For I have no pleasure in the death of him who dies,” says the Lord GOD. “Therefore turn yourselves, and live!