1 A nd there is a word of Jehovah unto me, saying,

¶ And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

2 ` 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.

Son of man, speak to the sons of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring a sword upon the land and the people of the land take a man from within their borders and set him up as a watchman;

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

and he should see the sword coming upon the land, if he should blow the shofar, and warn the people,

4 A nd 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.

then whoever hears the sound of the shofar and does not take warning; and the coming of the sword should take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head.

5 T he 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.

He heard the sound of the shofar and did not take warning; his blood shall be upon himself. But he that takes warning shall deliver his soul.

6 A nd 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.

But if the watchman should see the sword coming and not blow the shofar and the people not be warned, if the sword comes and takes any person from among them, he is taken away because of his iniquity; but his blood I will require at the watchman’s hand.

7 A nd 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.

So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth and warn them from me.

8 I n 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.

When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die for his sin; but I will require his blood at thine hand.

9 A nd 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.

Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it, if he does not turn from his way, he shall die for his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.

10 A nd 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?

¶ Therefore, O thou son of man, speak unto the house of Israel: Ye speak thus, saying, Our transgressions and our sins are upon us, and we are consumed because of them. How should we then live?

11 S ay 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?

Say unto them, As I live, said the Lord GOD, I do not desire the death of the wicked but that the wicked turn from his way and that he live; turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?

12 A nd 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.

And thou, son of man, say unto the sons of thy people, The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him the day that he rebels; and the wickedness of the wicked shall not impede him in the day that he turns from his wickedness; and the righteous shall not be able to live by his righteousness in the day that he sins.

13 I n 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.

When I am saying to the righteous, Thou shalt shall surely live and he trusting in his own righteousness commits iniquity, all his righteousnesses shall not be remembered; but for his iniquity that he has committed, he shall die for it.

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

And, when I am saying unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; if he turns from his sin, and does judgment and righteousness

15 ( 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.

if the wicked restores the pledge, returns that which he had robbed, walks in the statutes of life, without committing iniquity he shall surely live; he shall not die.

16 N one of his sin that he hath sinned is remembered to him, Judgment and righteousness he hath done, He doth surely live.

None of his sins that he has committed shall be mentioned unto him. Has he lived according to judgment and righteousness? He shall surely live.

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

Then the sons of thy people shall say, The way of the Lord is not straight: but their way is the one that is not straight.

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

When the righteous turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, he shall die thereby.

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

And when the wicked turns from his wickedness and does judgment and righteousness, he shall live thereby.

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

Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not straight. O ye house of Israel, I will judge you each one after his ways.

21 A nd 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.'

¶ And it came to pass in the twelfth year of our captivity, in the tenth month, in the fifth day of the month, that one that had escaped out of Jerusalem came unto me, saying, The city is smitten.

22 A nd 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.

Now the hand of the LORD was upon me in the evening before he that was escaped came, and had opened my mouth, until he came to me in the morning; and he opened my mouth, and I was never dumb again.

23 A nd there is a word of Jehovah unto me, saying,

And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

24 ` 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.

Son of man, those that inhabit these wastes in the land of Israel speak, saying, Abraham was one, and he possessed the land; but we are many; the land is given us for a possession.

25 T herefore 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!

Therefore say unto them, Thus hath the Lord GOD said; Ye eat with the blood and lift up your eyes toward your idols and shed blood, and shall ye possess this land?

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

Ye stand upon your sword, ye work abomination, and ye defile each one his neighbour’s wife, and shall ye possess the land?

27 T hus 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.

Thou shalt speak unto them like this, Thus hath the Lord GOD said; As I live, surely those that are in those wastes shall fall by the sword, and he that is in the open field I will give to the beasts to be devoured, and those that are in the forts and in the caves shall die of the pestilence.

28 A nd 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.

For I will make the land into desert and solitude, and the pride of her strength shall cease; and the mountains of Israel shall be desolate, that no one shall pass through.

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

Then they shall know that I am the LORD, when I have made the land into solitude and desert because of all their abominations which they have committed.

30 A nd 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.

¶ And thou, son of man, the sons of thy people are still talking against thee by the walls and in the doors of the houses and speak one to another, each one to his brother, saying, Come, I pray you, and hear what is the word that comes forth from the LORD.

31 A nd 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.

And they shall come unto thee as the people come, and they shall be before thee, my people, and they shall hear thy words, but they shall not do them; for with their mouth they flatter, but their heart goes after their covetousness.

32 A nd 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.

And, behold, thou art unto them as a singer of love songs, one that has a good voice and can sing well: and they shall hear thy words, but they will not do them.

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

But when this comes to pass (behold, it comes), then they shall know that a prophet has been among them.