1 T he word of the Lord came to me again, saying,

`And there is a word of Jehovah unto me, saying:

2 W hat do you mean by using this proverb concerning the land of Israel, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge?

`What -- to you, ye -- using this simile Concerning the ground of Israel, saying: Fathers do eat unripe fruit, And the sons' teeth are blunted?

3 A s I live, says the Lord God, you shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel.

I live -- an affirmation of the Lord Jehovah, Ye have no more the use of this simile in Israel.

4 B ehold, all souls are Mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is Mine; the soul that sins, it shall die.

Lo, all the souls are Mine, As the soul of the father, So also the soul of the son -- they are Mine, The soul that is sinning -- it doth die.

5 B ut if a man is righteous (upright and in right standing with God) and does what is lawful and right,

And a man, when he is righteous, And hath done judgment and righteousness,

6 A nd has not eaten upon the mountains nor lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, has not defiled his neighbor’s wife nor come near to a woman in her time of impurity,

On the mountains he hath not eaten, And his eyes he hath not lifted up Unto idols of the house of Israel, And the wife of his neighbour defiled not, And to a separated woman cometh not near,

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

A man -- he doth not oppress, His pledge to the debtor he doth return, Plunder he doth not take away, His bread to the hungry he doth give, And the naked doth cover with a garment,

8 W ho does not charge interest or percentage of increase on what he lends, who withholds his hand from iniquity, who executes true justice between man and man,

In usury he doth not give, and increase taketh not, From perversity he turneth back his hand, True judgment he doth between man and man.

9 W ho has walked in My statutes and kept My ordinances, to deal justly; he is righteous; he shall surely live, says the Lord God.

In My statutes he doth walk, And My judgments he hath kept -- to deal truly, Righteous he, he surely liveth, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah.

10 I f he begets a son who is a robber or a shedder of blood, who does to a brother either of these sins of violence,

And -- he hath begotten a son, A burglar -- a shedder of blood, And he hath made a brother of one of these,

11 A nd leaves undone all of the duties, and has even eaten on the mountains and defiled his neighbor’s wife,

And he all those hath not done, For even on the mountains he hath eaten, And the wife of his neighbour he hath defiled,

12 H as wronged the poor and needy, has taken by robbery, has not restored his pledge, has lifted up his eyes to the idols, has committed abomination (things hateful and exceedingly vile in the eyes of God),

The afflicted and needy he hath oppressed, Plunder he hath taken violently away, A pledge he doth not return, And unto the idols he hath lifted up his eyes, Abomination he hath done!

13 A nd has charged interest or percentage of increase on what he has loaned; shall he then live? He shall not live! He has done all these abominations; he shall surely die; his blood shall be upon him.

In usury he hath given, and increase taken, And he liveth: he doth not live, All these abominations he hath done, He doth surely die, his blood is on him.

14 B ut if this wicked man begets a son who sees all the sins which his father has committed, and considers and fears and does not do like his father,

And -- lo, he hath begotten a son, And he seeth all the sins of his father, That he hath done, and he feareth, And doth not do like them,

15 W ho has not eaten upon the mountains nor has lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, has not defiled his neighbor’s wife,

On the mountains he hath not eaten, And his eyes he hath not lifted up Unto idols of the house of Israel, The wife of his neighbour he hath not defiled,

16 N or wronged anyone, nor has taken anything in pledge, nor has taken by robbery but has given his bread to the hungry and has covered the naked with a garment,

A man -- he hath not oppressed, A pledge he hath not bound, And plunder he hath not taken away, His bread to the hungry he hath given, And the naked he covered with a garment,

17 W ho has withdrawn his hand from the poor, who has not received interest or increase but has executed My ordinances and has walked in My statutes; he shall not die for the iniquity of his father; he shall surely live.

From the afflicted he hath turned back his hand, Usury and increase he hath not taken, My judgments he hath done, In My statutes he hath walked, He doth not die for the iniquity of his father, He doth surely live.

18 A s for his father, because he cruelly oppressed, robbed his brother, and did that which is not good among his people, behold, he shall die for his iniquity and guilt.

His father -- because he used oppression, Did violently Plunder a brother, And that which not good did in the midst of his people, And lo, he is dying in his iniquity.

19 Y et do you say, Why does not 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 shall surely live.

And ye have said, Wherefore hath not the son, Borne of the iniquity of the father? And -- the son judgment and righteousness hath done, All My statutes he hath kept, And he doeth them, he surely liveth.

20 T he soul that sins, it shall die. The son shall not bear and be punished for the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear and be punished for the iniquity of the son; the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him only, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon the wicked only.

The soul that doth sin -- it doth die. A son doth not bear of the iniquity of the father, And a father doth not bear of the iniquity of the son, The righteousness of the righteous is on him, And the wickedness of the wicked is on him.

21 B ut if the wicked man 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.

And the wicked -- when he turneth back From all his sins that he hath done, And he hath kept all My statutes, And hath done judgment and righteousness, He doth surely live, he doth not die.

22 N one of his transgressions which he has committed shall be remembered against him; for his righteousness which he has executed, he shall live.

All his transgressions that he hath done Are not remembered to him, In his righteousness that he hath done he liveth.

23 H ave I any pleasure in the death of the wicked? says the Lord, and not rather that he should turn from his evil way and return and live?

Do I at all desire the death of the wicked? An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah, Is it not in his turning back from his way -- And he hath lived?

24 B ut if the righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity and does according to all the abominations that the wicked man does, shall he live? None of his righteous deeds which he has done shall be remembered. In his trespass that he has trespassed and in his sin that he has sinned, in them shall he die.

And in the turning back of the righteous from his righteousness, And he hath done perversity, According to all the abominations That the wicked hath done, he doth -- thus he liveth, All his righteousnesses that he hath done are not remembered, For his trespass that he hath trespassed, And for his sin that he hath sinned, For them he doth die.

25 Y et you say, The way of the Lord is not fair and just. Hear now, O house of Israel: Is not My way fair and just? Are not your ways unfair and unjust?

And ye have said, Not pondered is the way of the Lord. Hear, I pray you, O house of Israel, My way -- is it not pondered? Are not your ways unpondered?

26 W hen a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity and dies in his sins, for his iniquity that he has done he shall die.

In the turning back of the righteous from his righteousness, And he hath done perversity, And he is dying by them, for his perversity That he hath done he dieth.

27 A gain, when the wicked man turns away from his wickedness which he has committed and does that which is lawful and right, he shall save his life.

And in the turning back of the wicked From his wickedness that he hath done, And he doth judgment and righteousness, He his soul doth keep alive.

28 B ecause he considers and turns away from all his transgressions which he has committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die.

And he seeth and turneth back, From all his transgressions that he hath done, He doth surely live, he doth not die,

29 Y et says the house of Israel, The way of the Lord is not fair and just! O house of Israel, are not My ways fair and just? Are not your ways unfair and unjust?

And the house of Israel have said, Not pondered is the way of the Lord, My ways -- are they not pondered? O house of Israel -- are not your ways unpondered?

30 T herefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, says the Lord God. Repent and turn from all your transgressions, lest iniquity be your ruin and so shall they not be a stumbling block to you.

Therefore, each according to his ways I judge you, O house of Israel? An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah, Turn ye back, yea, turn yourselves back, From all your transgressions, And iniquity is not to you for a stumbling-block,

31 C ast away from you all your transgressions by which you have transgressed against Me, and make you a new mind and heart and a new spirit. For why will you die, O house of Israel?

Cast from off you all your transgressions, By which ye have transgressed, And make to you a new heart, and a new spirit, And why do ye die, O house of Israel?

32 F or I have no pleasure in the death of him who dies, says the Lord God. Therefore turn (be converted) and live!

For I have no pleasure in the death of the dying, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah, And turn ye back and live!