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Ezekiel 18:1–4

A False Proverb Refuted

18 The word of the Lord came to me again, saying, “What do you mean when you use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying:

‘The afathers have eaten sour grapes,

And the children’s teeth are set on edge’?

As I live,” says the Lord God, “you shall no longer use this proverb in Israel.

4 “Behold, all souls are bMine;

The soul of the father

As well as the soul of the son is Mine;

cThe soul who sins shall die.

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Ezekiel 18:1–4 — The New International Version (NIV)

The word of the Lord came to me: “What do you people mean by quoting this proverb about the land of Israel:

“ ‘The parents eat sour grapes,

and the children’s teeth are set on edge’?

“As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, you will no longer quote this proverb in Israel. For everyone belongs to me, the parent as well as the child—both alike belong to me. The one who sins is the one who will die.

Ezekiel 18:1–4 — English Standard Version (ESV)

The word of the Lord came to me: “What do you mean by repeating this proverb concerning the land of Israel, ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge’? As I live, declares the Lord God, this proverb shall no more be used by you in Israel. Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: the soul who sins shall die.

Ezekiel 18:1–4 — King James Version (KJV 1900)

The word of the Lord came unto me again, saying, What mean ye, that ye use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge? As I live, saith the Lord God, ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel. Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.

Ezekiel 18:1–4 — New Living Translation (NLT)

Then another message came to me from the Lord: “Why do you quote this proverb concerning the land of Israel: ‘The parents have eaten sour grapes, but their children’s mouths pucker at the taste’? As surely as I live, says the Sovereign Lord, you will not quote this proverb anymore in Israel. For all people are mine to judge—both parents and children alike. And this is my rule: The person who sins is the one who will die.

Ezekiel 18:1–4 — New Century Version (NCV)

The Lord spoke his word to me, saying: “What do you mean by using this saying about the land of Israel:

‘The parents have eaten sour grapes,

and that caused the children to grind their teeth from the sour taste’?

“As surely as I live, says the Lord God, this is true: You will not use this saying in Israel anymore. Every living thing belongs to me. The life of the parent is mine, and the life of the child is mine. The person who sins is the one who will die.

Ezekiel 18:1–4 — American Standard Version (ASV)

The word of Jehovah came unto me again, saying, What mean ye, that ye use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge? As I live, saith the Lord Jehovah, ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel. Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.

Ezekiel 18:1–4 — 1890 Darby Bible (DARBY)

And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying, What mean ye, ye who use this proverb of the land of Israel, saying, The fathers eat sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge? As I live, saith the Lord Jehovah, ye shall not have any more to use this proverb in Israel. Behold, all the souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.

Ezekiel 18:1–4 — GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

The Lord spoke his word to me. He said, “What do you mean when you use this proverb about the land of Israel: ‘Fathers have eaten sour grapes, and their children’s teeth are set on edge’? As I live, declares the Almighty Lord, you will no longer use this proverb in Israel. The life of every person belongs to me. Fathers and their children belong to me. The person who sins will die. 

Ezekiel 18:1–4 — The Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

The word of the Lord came to me: “What do you mean by using this proverb concerning the land of Israel:

The fathers eat sour grapes,

and the children’s teeth are set on edge?

As I live”—this is the declaration of the Lord God—“you will no longer use this proverb in Israel. Look, every life belongs to Me. The life of the father is like the life of the son—both belong to Me. The person who sins is the one who will die.

Ezekiel 18:1–4 — The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

The word of the Lord came to me: What do you mean by repeating this proverb concerning the land of Israel, “The parents have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge”? As I live, says the Lord God, this proverb shall no more be used by you in Israel. Know that all lives are mine; the life of the parent as well as the life of the child is mine: it is only the person who sins that shall die.

Ezekiel 18:1–4 — The Lexham English Bible (LEB)

And the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, “What do you mean by quoting this proverb about the land of Israel, saying, ‘The fathers, they ate unripe fruit, and the teeth of the child became blunt.’ As I live, declares the Lord Yahweh, it will surely not any longer be appropriate for you to quote this proverb in Israel! Look! All lives are mine. The lives of father and son alike are mine. The person sinning will die.

Ezekiel 18:1–4 — New International Reader’s Version (1998) (NIrV)

A message came to me from the Lord. He said, “You people have a proverb about the land of Israel. What do you mean by it? It says,

“ ‘The parents eat sour grapes.

But the children have a bitter taste in their mouths.’

“You will not use that proverb in Israel anymore,” announces the Lord and King. “And that is just as sure as I am alive. Everyone belongs to me. Father and son alike belong to me. People will die because of their own sins.

Ezekiel 18:1–4 — New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (NASB95)

Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

What do you mean by using this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying,

‘The fathers eat the sour grapes,

But the children’s teeth are set on edge’?

“As I live,” declares the Lord God, “you are surely not going to use this proverb in Israel anymore.

Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine. The soul who sins will die.


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