7 “Now as for you, son of man, I have 1aappointed you a watchman for the house of Israel; so you will hear a 2message from My mouth and give them bwarning from Me.

8 “When I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you will asurely 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 “But if you on your part warn a wicked man to turn from his way and he adoes not turn from his way, he will die in his iniquity, but you have bdelivered your life.

10 “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 arotting away in them; bhow then can we 1survive?” ’

11 “Say to them, ‘aAs I live!’ declares the Lord 1God, ‘I take bno pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked cturn from his way and live. dTurn back, turn back from your evil ways! Why then will you die, O house of Israel?’

12 “And you, son of man, say to 1your fellow citizens, ‘The arighteousness of a righteous man will not deliver him in the day of his transgression, and as for the wickedness of the wicked, he will bnot stumble because of it in the day when he turns from his wickedness; whereas a righteous man will not be able to live 2by his righteousness on the day when he commits sin.’