Again the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 2 Son of man, speak to athe children of thy people, and say unto them, b†When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their cwatchman: 3 If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and dwarn the people; 4 Then †whosoever heareth ethe sound of the trumpet, and dtaketh not warning; if the sword come, and take him away, fhis blood shall be upon his own head. 5 He heard ethe sound of the trumpet, and dtook not warning; fhis blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul. 6 But if cthe watchman see the sword come, and eblow not the trumpet, and the people dbe not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, ghe is taken away in his iniquity; but hhis blood will I require at the watchman’s hand. 7 iSo thou, O son of man, I have kset thee ca watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and dwarn them from me. 8 hWhen I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak dto warn the wicked from his way, ghthat wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but hhis blood will I require at thine hand. 9 lNevertheless, if thou dwarn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, ghe shall die in his iniquity; lmbut thou hast delivered thy soul.

10 Therefore, O thou son of man, speak unto the house of Israel; Thus ye speak, saying, If our transgressions and our sins be upon us, and nwe pine away in them, ohow should we then live? 11 Say unto them, pAs I live, saith the Lord God, qI 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 rwhy will ye die, O house of Israel? 12 Therefore, thou son of man, say unto athe children of thy people, sThe righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression: as for the wickedness of the wicked, the shall not fall thereby in the day that he turneth from his wickedness; sneither shall the righteous be able to live for his righteousness in the day that he sinneth. 13 When I shall say to the righteous, that he shall surely live; sif he trust to his own righteousness, and commit iniquity, all his righteousnesses shall not be remembered; but for his iniquity that he hath committed, he shall die for it. 14 Again, uwhen I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; vif he turn from his sin, and vdo †that which is lawful and right; 15 If the wicked wrestore the pledge, xgive again that he had robbed, walk in ythe statutes of life, without committing iniquity; he shall surely live, he shall not die. 16 zNone of his sins that he hath committed shall be mentioned unto him: vhe hath done that which is lawful and right; he shall surely live. 17 aYet bthe children of thy people say, The way of the Lord is not equal: but as for them, their way is not equal. 18 cWhen the righteous turneth from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, he shall even die thereby. 19 dBut if the wicked turn from his wickedness, and vdo that which is lawful and right, he shall live thereby. 20 aYet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. O ye house of Israel, eI will judge you every one after his ways.