Ezekiel 18
1 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 Son of man, what mean ye by this parable among the children of Israel, saying, The fathers have eaten unripe grapes, and the children’s teeth have been set on edge?
3 As I live, saith the Lord, surely this parable shall no more be spoken in Israel. 4 For all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son, they are mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.
5 But the man who shall be just, who executeth judgment and righteousness, 6 who shall not eat upon the mountains, and shall not at all lift up his eyes to the devices of the house of Israel, and shall not defile his neighbour’s wife, and shall not draw nigh to her that is removed, 7 and shall not oppress any man, but shall return the pledge of the debtor, and shall be guilty of no plunder, shall give his bread to the hungry, and clothe the naked; 8 and shall not lend his money upon usury, and shall not receive usurious increase, and shall turn back his hand from injustice, shall execute righteous judgment between a man and his neighbour, 9 and hath walked in my commandments and kept mine ordinances, to do them; he is righteous, he shall surely live, saith the Lord.
10 And if he beget a mischievous son, shedding blood and committing sins, 11 who hath not walked in the way of his righteous father, but hath even eaten upon the mountains, and hath defiled his neighbour’s wife, 12 and hath oppressed the poor and needy, and hath committed robbery, and not restored a pledge, and hath set his eyes upon idols, hath wrought iniquities, 13 hath lent upon usury, and taken usurious increase; he shall by no means live: he hath wrought all these iniquities; he shall surely die; his blood shall be upon him.
14 And if he beget a son, and the son see all his father’s sins which he hath wrought, and fear, and not do according to them, 15 and if he hath not eaten on the mountains, and hath not set his eyes on the devices of the house of Israel, and hath not defiled his neighbour’s wife, 16 and hath not oppressed a man, and hath not retained the pledge, nor committed robbery, hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath clothed the naked, 17 and hath turned back his hand from unrighteousness, hath not received interest or usurious increase, hath wrought righteousness, and walked in mine ordinances; he shall not die for the iniquities of his father, he shall surely live. 18 But if his father grievously afflict, or plunder, he hath wrought [1]enmity in the midst of my people, and shall die in his iniquity.
19 But ye will say, Why hath not the son borne the iniquity of the father? Because the son hath wrought judgment and mercy, hath kept all my statutes, and done them, he shall surely live. 20 But the soul that sinneth shall die: and the son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, nor shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the iniquity of the transgressor shall be upon him.
21 And if the transgressor turn away from all his iniquities which he hath committed, and keep all my commandments, and do justice and mercy, he shall surely live, and shall by no means die. 22 None of his trespasses which he hath committed shall be remembered: in his righteousness which he hath done he shall live. 23 Shall I at all desire the death of the sinner, saith the Lord, as I desire that he should turn from his evil way, and live?
24 But when the righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, according to all the transgressions which the transgressor hath wrought, none of his righteousness which he hath wrought shall be at all remembered: in his trespass wherein he hath trespassed, and in his sins wherein he hath sinned, in them shall he die.
25 Yet ye have said, The way of the Lord is not straight. Hear now, all the house of Israel; will not my way be straight? [2]Is your way straight? 26 When the righteous turneth away from his righteousness and committeth a trespass, and dieth in the trespass which he hath committed, he shall even die in it. 27 And when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and shall do judgment and justice, he hath kept his soul, 28 and hath turned away from all his ungodliness which he hath committed: he shall surely live, he shall not die.
29 Yet the house of Israel say, The way of the Lord is not right. Is not my way right, O house of Israel? is not your way wrong? 30 [3]Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, saith the Lord, each one according to his way: be converted, and turn from all your ungodliness, and it shall not become to you the punishment of iniquity. 31 Cast away from yourselves all your ungodliness wherein ye have sinned against me; and make to yourselves a new heart and a new spirit: for why [4]should ye die, O house of Israel? 32 For I desire not the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord: [5]therefore turn and live.