1 A nd the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,

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

2 S on of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take one man from among them all, and set him for their watchman:

`Son of man, speak unto the sons of thy people, and thou hast said unto them: A land -- when I bring in against it a sword, And the people of the land have taken one man out of their borders, And made him to them for a watchman.

3 i f he see the sword coming upon the land, and blow the trumpet, and warn the people;

And he hath seen the sword coming against the land, And hath blown with a trumpet, and hath warned the people,

4 t hen whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning, if the sword come and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head.

And the hearer hath heard the voice of the trumpet, and he hath not taken warning, And come in doth the sword, and taketh him away, His blood is on his head.

5 H e heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood is upon him: whereas had he taken warning, he would have delivered his soul.

The voice of the trumpet he heard, And he hath not taken warning, his blood is on him, And he who took warning his soul hath delivered.

6 B ut if the watchman see the sword coming, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned, if the sword come and take a person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand.

And the watchman, when he seeth the sword coming in, And he hath not blown with a trumpet, And the people hath not been warned, And come in doth a sword, And taketh away of them -- a soul, He in his iniquity is taken away, And his blood from the hand of the watchman I require.

7 S o thou, son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; and thou shalt hear the word from my mouth, and warn them from me.

And thou, son of man, A watchman I gave thee to the house of Israel, And thou hast heard from My mouth a word, And thou hast warned them from Me.

8 W hen I say unto the wicked, Wicked, thou shalt certainly die; and thou speakest not to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thy hand.

In My saying to the wicked, O wicked one -- thou dost surely die, And thou hast not spoken to warn the wicked from his way, He -- the wicked -- in his iniquity doth die, And his blood from thy hand I require.

9 B ut if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it, and he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.

And thou, when thou hast warned the wicked of his way, to turn back from it, And he hath not turned back from his way, He in his iniquity doth die, And thou thy soul hast delivered.

10 A nd thou, son of man, say unto the house of Israel, Thus ye speak, saying, Our transgressions and our sins are upon us, and we waste away in them, how then should we live?

And thou, son of man, say unto the house of Israel: Rightly ye have spoken, saying: Surely our transgressions and our sins on us, And in them we are wasting away, How, then, do we live?

11 S ay unto them, As I live, saith the Lord Jehovah, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?

Say unto them, I live -- an affirmation of the Lord Jehovah, I delight not in the death of the wicked, But -- in the turning of the wicked from his way, And he hath lived, Turn back, turn back, from your evil ways, Yea, why do ye die, O house of Israel?

12 A nd thou, son of man, say unto the children of thy people, The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression; and as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall thereby in the day that he turneth from his wickedness; neither shall the righteous be able to live thereby in the day that he sinneth.

And thou, son of man, say unto the sons of thy people: The righteousness of the righteous doth not deliver him in the day of his transgression, And the wickedness of the wicked, He doth not stumble for it in the day of his turning from his wickedness, And the righteous is not able to live in it in the day of his sinning.

13 W hen I say to the righteous that he shall certainly live, and he trusteth to his righteousness and doeth what is wrong, none of his righteous acts shall be remembered; but in his unrighteousness which he hath done, in it shall he die.

In My saying of the righteous: He surely liveth, And -- he hath trusted on his righteousness, And he hath done perversity, All his righteous acts are not remembered, And for his perversity that he hath done, For it he doth die.

14 A nd when I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt certainly die, and he turneth from his sin, and doeth judgment and justice;

And in My saying to the wicked: Thou surely diest, And -- he hath turned back from his sin, And hath done judgment and righteousness,

15 i f the wicked restore the pledge, give again that he had taken by robbery, walk in the statutes of life, doing nothing that is wrong; he shall certainly live, he shall not die.

(The pledge the wicked restoreth, plunder he repayeth,) In the statutes of life he hath walked, So as not to do perversity, He surely liveth -- he doth not die.

16 N one of his sins which he hath committed shall be remembered against him: he hath done judgment and justice; he shall certainly live.

None of his sin that he hath sinned is remembered to him, Judgment and righteousness he hath done, He doth surely live.

17 Y et the children of thy people say, The way of the Lord is not equal: but as for them, their way is not equal.

And the sons of thy people have said: The way of the Lord is not pondered, As to them -- their way is not pondered.

18 W hen the righteous turneth from his righteousness, and doeth what is wrong, then he shall die therein.

In the turning back of the righteous from his righteousness, And he hath done perversity -- he dieth for it.

19 A nd when the wicked turneth from his wickedness, and doeth judgment and justice, he shall live for these things.

And in the turning back of the wicked from his wickedness, And he hath done judgment and righteousness, by them he liveth.

20 Y et ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. O house of Israel, I will judge you every one after his ways.

And ye have said: The way of the Lord is not pondered, Each according to his ways do I judge you, O house of Israel.'

21 A nd it came to pass in the twelfth year of our captivity, in the tenth, on the fifth of the month, that one who had escaped out of Jerusalem came unto me, saying, The city is smitten!

And it cometh to pass, in the twelfth year -- in the tenth, in the fifth of the month -- of our removal, come in unto me doth one who is escaped from Jerusalem, saying, `The city hath been smitten.'

22 N ow the hand of Jehovah had been upon me in the evening, before he that had escaped came; and he had opened my mouth against his coming to me in the morning; and my mouth was opened, and I was no more dumb.

And the hand of Jehovah hath been unto me in the evening, before the coming in of the escaped one, and He openeth my mouth till the coming in unto me in the morning, and opened is my mouth, and I have not been silent again.

23 A nd the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,

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

24 S on of man, they that inhabit those waste places in the land of Israel speak, saying, Abraham was one, and he inherited this land, and we are many: the land is given us for a possession.

`Son of man, the inhabitants of these wastes on the ground of Israel are speaking, saying: Alone hath been Abraham -- and he possesseth the land, and we many -- to us hath the land been given for a possession.

25 T herefore say unto them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Ye eat with the blood, and lift up your eyes toward your idols, and shed blood; and shall ye possess the land?

Therefore say unto them: Thus said the Lord Jehovah: With the blood ye do eat, And your eyes ye lift up unto your idols, And blood ye shed, and the land ye inherit!

26 Y e stand upon your sword, ye work abomination, and ye defile every one his neighbour's wife; and shall ye possess the land?

Ye have stood on your sword, Ye have done abomination, Each the wife of his neighbour ye have defiled, And the land ye possess!

27 S ay thou thus unto them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: I live, verily they that are in the waste places shall fall by the sword, and him that is in the open field will I give to the beasts to be devoured, and they that are in the strongholds and in the caves shall die of the pestilence.

Thus dost thou say unto them: Thus said the Lord Jehovah: I live -- do not they who in the wastes by the sword fall? And they who on the face of the field, To the beast I have given for food, And they who are in strongholds and in caves by pestilence die.

28 A nd I will make the land a desolation and an astonishment, and the pride of her strength shall cease; and the mountains of Israel shall be desolated, so that none shall pass through.

And I have made the land a desolation and an astonishment, And ceased hath the excellency of its strength, And desolated have been mountains of Israel, Without any one passing through.

29 A nd they shall know that I Jehovah, when I have made the land a desolation and an astonishment because of all their abominations which they have committed.

And they have known that I Jehovah, In My making the land a desolation and an astonishment, For all their abominations that they have done.

30 A nd as for thee, son of man, the children of thy people keep talking of thee by the walls and in the doors of the houses, and speak one to another, every one to his brother, saying, Come, I pray you, and hear what is the word that cometh forth from Jehovah.

And thou, son of man, the sons of thy people who are speaking about thee, By the walls, and in openings of the houses, Have spoken one with another, each with his brother, Saying: Come in, I pray you, And hear what the word that cometh out from Jehovah.

31 A nd they come unto thee as a people cometh, and they sit before thee my people, and they hear thy words, but they do them not; for with their mouth they shew much love, their heart goeth after their dishonest gain.

And they come in unto thee as the coming in of a people, And they sit before thee -- My people, And have heard thy words, and they do them not, For doting loves with their mouth they are making, After their dishonest gain their heart is going.

32 A nd behold, thou art unto them as a lovely song, a pleasant voice, and one that playeth well on an instrument; and they hear thy words, but they do them not.

And lo, thou to them as a singer of doting loves, A pleasant voice, and playing well on an instrument, And they have heard thy words, and they are not doing them.

33 A nd when this cometh to pass (behold, it will come), then shall they know that a prophet hath been among them.

And in its coming in -- lo, it hath come, And they have known that a prophet hath been in their midst!'