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

And the word of the Lord came to 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 your people and say to them, ‘If I bring a sword upon a land, and the people of the land take one man from among them and make him their 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 sees the sword coming upon the land and blows on the trumpet and warns 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 he who hears the sound of the trumpet and does not take warning, and a sword comes and takes him away, his blood will be on 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 trumpet but did not take warning; his blood will be on himself. But had he taken warning, he would have delivered his life.

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 sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet and the people are not warned, and a sword comes and takes a person from them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require from 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.

“Now as for you, son of man, I have appointed you a watchman for the house of Israel; so you will hear a message from My mouth and give them warning 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 to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you will surely die,’ and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require from your 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.

But if you on your part warn a wicked man to turn from his way and he does not turn from his way, he will die in his iniquity, but you have delivered your life.

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?

“Now as for you, son of man, say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus you have spoken, saying, “Surely our transgressions and our sins are upon us, and we are rotting away in them; how then can we survive?”’

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 to them, ‘ As I live!’ declares the Lord God, ‘I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil ways! Why then will you 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 you, son of man, say to your fellow citizens, ‘The righteousness of a righteous man will not deliver him in the day of his transgression, and as for the wickedness of the wicked, he will not stumble because of it in the day when he turns from his wickedness; whereas a righteous man will not be able to live by his righteousness on the day when he commits sin.’

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 say to the righteous he will surely live, and he so trusts in his righteousness that he commits iniquity, none of his righteous deeds will be remembered; but in that same iniquity of his which he has committed he will die.

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,

But when I say to the wicked, ‘You will surely die,’ and he turns from his sin and practices justice 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 a wicked man restores a pledge, pays back what he has taken by robbery, walks by the statutes which ensure 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 will be remembered against him. He has practiced justice 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.

“Yet your fellow citizens say, ‘The way of the Lord is not right,’ when it is their own way that is not right.

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, then he shall die in it.

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

But when the wicked turns from his wickedness and practices justice and righteousness, he will live by them.

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 you say, ‘ The way of the Lord is not right.’ O house of Israel, I will judge each of you according to his ways.” Word of Jerusalem’s Capture

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.'

Now in the twelfth year of our exile, on the fifth of the tenth month, the refugees from Jerusalem came to me, saying, “ The city has been taken.”

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 had been upon me in the evening, before the refugees came. And He opened my mouth at the time they came to me in the morning; so my mouth was opened and I was no longer speechless.

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

Then the word of the Lord came to 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, they who live in these waste places in the land of Israel are saying, ‘ Abraham was only one, yet he possessed the land; so to us who are many the land has been given as 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 to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “You eat meat with the blood in it, lift up your eyes to your idols as you shed blood. Should you then possess the 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!

You rely on your sword, you commit abominations and each of you defiles his neighbor’s wife. Should you then 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.

Thus you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “As I live, surely those who are in the waste places will fall by the sword, and whoever is in the open field I will give to the beasts to be devoured, and those who are in the strongholds and in the caves will die of 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.

I will make the land a desolation and a waste, and the pride of her power will cease; and the mountains of Israel will be desolate so that no one will 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 will know that I am the Lord, when I make the land a desolation and a waste 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.

“But as for you, son of man, your fellow citizens who talk about you by the walls and in the doorways of the houses, speak to one another, each to his brother, saying, ‘ Come now and hear what the message is which 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.

They come to you as people come, and sit before you as My people and hear your words, but they do not do them, for they do the lustful desires expressed by their mouth, and their heart goes after their gain.

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.

Behold, you are to them like a sensual song by one who has a beautiful voice and plays well on an instrument; for they hear your words but they do not practice them.

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

So when it comes to pass— as surely it will—then they will know that a prophet has been in their midst.”