Ezekiel 18

18The word of the Lord came unto me again, saying, ²What mean ye, that ^aye use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, ^bThe fathers have eaten sour grapes, ^band the children’s teeth are set on edge? ^3cAs I live, saith the Lord God, ye shall not have occasion any more to use ^athis proverb in Israel. ⁴Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: ^dthe soul that sinneth, it shall die.

⁵But if a man be just, and do ^†ethat which is lawful and right, ⁶And hath not ^featen upon the mountains, neither ^ghath lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, neither ^hhath defiled his neighbour’s wife, neither ⁱhath come near to ^ka menstruous woman, ⁷And hath not ^loppressed any, but ^mhath restored to the debtor his pledge, ⁿhath spoiled none by violence, ^ohath given his bread to the hungry, and ^ophath covered the naked with a garment; ^8qHe that hath not given forth upon ^rusury, neither ^qhath taken any ^sincrease, that hath withdrawn his hand from iniquity, ^thath executed true judgment between man and man, ^9uHath walked in my statutes, and hath kept my judgments, to deal truly; he is just, ^vhe shall surely live, saith the Lord God.

¹⁰If he beget a son that is a ^||robber, ^wa shedder of blood, and ^||that doeth the like to any one of these things, ¹¹And that doeth not any of those duties, but even ^fhath eaten upon the mountains, and ^hdefiled his neighbour’s wife, ^12lxHath oppressed the poor and needy, ^nxhath spoiled by violence, hath not ^mrestored the pledge, and ^ghath lifted up his eyes to the idols, ^xxhath committed abomination, ^13qHath given forth upon usury, and hath taken increase: shall he then live? he shall not live: he hath done all these abominations; he shall surely die; ^yhis ^†blood shall be upon him.

¹⁴Now, lo, if he beget a son, that seeth all his father’s sins which he hath done, and ^yyconsidereth, and doeth not such like, ¹⁵That ^fhath not eaten upon the mountains, neither ^ghath lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, ^hhath not defiled his neighbour’s wife, ¹⁶Neither ^lhath oppressed any, ^†mhath not withholden the pledge, neither ⁿhath spoiled by violence, but ^ohath given his bread to the hungry, and ^ohath covered the naked with a garment, ¹⁷That ^zhath taken off his hand from the poor, ^qthat hath not received usury nor increase, hath executed my judgments, ^uhath walked in my statutes; he shall not die for the iniquity of his father, ^vhe shall surely live. ¹⁸As for his father, because ^ahe cruelly oppressed, ^anspoiled his brother by violence, and did that which is not good among his people, lo, even ^bhe shall die in his iniquity.

¹⁹Yet say ye, Why? ^cdoth not the son bear the iniquity of the father? When the son hath done ^dthat which is lawful and right, and ^ddhath kept all my statutes, and hath done them, ^ehe shall surely live. ^20fThe soul that sinneth, it shall die. ^gThe son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: ^hthe righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and ^hithe wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him. ²¹But ^kif the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and ^ddkeep all my statutes, and ^ddo that which is lawful and right, ^ehe shall surely live, he shall not die. ^22lAll his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live. ^23mHave I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord God: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?

²⁴But ⁿwhen the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? ^noAll his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in ^phis trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die. ^25qYet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. Hear now, O house of Israel; Is not my way equal? are not your ways unequal? ²⁶ⁿWhen a righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and dieth in them; for his iniquity that he hath done shall he die. ²⁷Again, ^kwhen the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and ^ddoeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive. ²⁸Because he ^rconsidereth, and turneth away from all his transgressions that he hath committed, ^ehe shall surely live, he shall not die. ^29qYet saith the house of Israel, The way of the Lord is not equal. O house of Israel, are not my ways equal? are not your ways unequal?

³⁰Therefore I ^swill judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord God. ^tRepent, and turn ^||uyourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ^vruin. ^31wCast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you ^xa new heart and a new spirit: ^yfor why will ye die, O house of Israel? ³²For ^zI have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God: wherefore turn ^||uyourselves, and live ye.