17 ⌊And then⌋t in the ⌊twelfth⌋u year, ⌊on the fifteenth⌋v day of the month, the word of Yahweh came to me, ⌊saying⌋,w 18 “Son of man,x mourn over the hordes of Egypt, and make her go down, and with her the daughters of mighty nations, ⌊down to the deep underworld⌋y with the people going down to the grave.z 19 ⌊You are more lovely than whom⌋?a Go down and be laid in rest with the uncircumcised. 20 In the midst of the people slain by the sword itb is given they will fall to a sword; they carried herc off and all of herd hordes. 21 The chiefs of the warriors will speak to him from the middle of Sheol; with his helpers they have gone down; the uncircumcised lie still, ⌊those slain by the sword⌋.e

22 Assyria is there and all of its assembly; all around it are its graves, all of them killed, those fallen by the sword, 23 whof will be given its graves in the remote areas of the pit, and its assembly will be all around its grave, all of them killed, fallen by the sword, those who spread terror in the land of the living.

24 Elam is there and all of its hordes, all around its grave, all of them dead who fell by the sword, those who went down uncircumcised to the depths of the underworld,g those who spread their terror to the land of the living, and now they bear their disgrace with the people going down to the grave.h 25 In the midst of the slain they made a bed for her with all of her hordes all around its graves, all of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword, for their terror was spread in the land of the living, and they now bear their disgrace with the people going down to the grave;i in the midst of the slain it was placed.

26 Meshech and Tubal are there and all of its hordes, all around him its graves, all of them uncircumcised and killed by the sword, for they gave their terror in the land of the living. 27 And they do not lie with warriors fallen from long ago, who went down to Sheol with their weapons of war,j and they placed their sword under their heads, and their shieldsk were on their bones, for the terror of the warriors was in the land of the living. 28 And youl too in the midst of uncircumcised people will be broken, and you will lie with those slain by the sword.

29 There is Edom, its kings and all of its leaders who are laid along with their might with those killed by the sword; they will lie with the uncircumcised and with the people going down to the grave.m

30 There are also the princes of the north, all of them, all of the Sidonians who have gone down, being ashamed to lie with the slain becausen of their terror that they caused from their might, and they lie uncircumcised with those killed by the sword, and they bear their disgrace along with the people going down to the grave.o

31 Pharaoh will see them, and he will be comforted over all of his hordes killed by the sword, Pharaoh and all of his army,” ⌊declares⌋p the Lord Yahweh. 32 “Forq he spreadr my terror in the land of the living, and so he will be laid down in the midst of the uncircumcised with those killed by the sword: Pharaoh and all of his hordes,” ⌊declares⌋s the Lord Yahweh.

Ezekiel Appointed as a Watchman and His Responsibility

33 And the word of Yahweh came to me, ⌊saying⌋,a 2 “Son of man,b speak to ⌊your people⌋,c and you must say to them, ‘A land, if I bring over it a sword and the people of the land take a man, one from their number, and they appoint him for them as a watchman, 3 and he sees the sword coming against the land, and he blows on the horn and he warns the people, 4 and ⌊anyone who listens⌋d hears the sound of the horn and ⌊he does not take warning⌋e and the sword comes and it takes him, his blood will be on his own head. 5 For he heard the sound of the horn and he did not take warning; his blood will be on him. But if he took warning, he saved his life. 6 And as for the watchman, if he sees the sword coming and ⌊he does not blow⌋f the horn, and the people are not warned, and the sword comes and it takes ⌊their lives⌋,g he will be taken through his guilt, but his blood from the hand of the watchman I will seek.’

7 “And you, son of man,h I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; if you hear a word from my mouth, then you must warn them from me. 8 ⌊When I say⌋i to the wicked, ‘Wicked one, you will certainly die,’ and you ⌊did not speak⌋j to warn the wicked from his way, he, the wicked, will die by his guilt, but his blood I will seek from your hand. 9 But, you, if you warn the wicked from his way, to turn from it, and ⌊he does not turn⌋k from his way, he will die by his guilt, and you will have saved your life.

10 “And you, son of man,l say to the house of Israel, ⌊saying⌋,m ‘So you said, ⌊saying⌋,n “Indeed, our transgressions and our sins are on us, and because of them we are rotting, and how can we live?” ’ 11 Say to them, ‘⌊As I live⌋,’o ⌊declares⌋p the Lord Yahweh, ‘⌊Surely I have no delight⌋q in the death of the wicked, ⌊except⌋r in the wicked returning from his way, and he lives. Turn back! Turn back from your ways, O evil ones, for why should you die, house of Israel?’

12 “Sos you, son of man,t say to ⌊your people⌋u that the righteousness of the righteous shall not save him in the day of his transgression, and the wickedness of the wicked ⌊will not cause him to stumble⌋v on the day of his returning from his wickedness; and the righteous will not be able to live by it on the day when he returns to his sin. 13 When I say to the righteous, ‘Certainly he will live,’ and he trusted inw his righteousness, and he turns and he does injustice, all of his righteousnessx will not be remembered, and because of his injustice that he did, because of it he will die. 14 And when I say to the wicked, ‘Certainly you will die,’ buty he returns from his sin and he does justice and righteousness— 15 for example, the wicked returns a pledge for a loan, he restores ⌊stolen property⌋,z he goes in the statutes of life so as not to do injustice—certainly he will live; he will not die. 16 All of his ⌊sins that he committed⌋,a they will not be remembered againstb him, and he did justice and righteousness; certainly he will live.

17 “Yetc ⌊your people⌋d say, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair!’ yet their way is not fair. 18 When the righteous turns from his righteousness and does injustice, then he will die ⌊because of it⌋.e 19 And when the wicked turns from his wickedness, and he does justice and righteousness, because of itf ⌊he will certainly live⌋!g 20 Yet you said, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair!’ I will judge you, house of Israel, each person according to his ways.”