Ezekiel 18:1–20

¹‘And there is a word of Jehovah unto me, saying:

²‘What—to you, ye—using this simile Concerning the ground of Israel, saying: Fathers do eat unripe fruit, And the sons’ teeth are blunted? ³I live—an affirmation of the Lord Jehovah, Ye have no more the use of this simile in Israel. ⁴Lo, all the souls are Mine, As the soul of the father, So also the soul of the son—they are Mine, The soul that is sinning—it doth die. ⁵And a man, when he is righteous, And hath done judgment and righteousness, ⁶On the mountains he hath not eaten, And his eyes he hath not lifted up Unto idols of the house of Israel, And the wife of his neighbour defiled not, And to a separated woman cometh not near, ⁷A man—he doth not oppress, His pledge to the debtor he doth return, Plunder he doth not take away, His bread to the hungry he doth give, And the naked doth cover with a garment, ⁸In usury he doth not give, and increase taketh not, From perversity he turneth back his hand, True judgment he doth between man and man. ⁹In My statutes he doth walk, And My judgments he hath kept—to deal truly, Righteous is he, he surely liveth, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah.

¹⁰And—he hath begotten a son, A burglar—a shedder of blood, And he hath made a brother of one of these, ¹¹And he all those hath not done, For even on the mountains he hath eaten, And the wife of his neighbour he hath defiled, ¹²The afflicted and needy he hath oppressed, Plunder he hath taken violently away, A pledge he doth not return, And unto the idols he hath lifted up his eyes, Abomination he hath done! ¹³In usury he hath given, and increase taken, And he liveth: he doth not live, All these abominations he hath done, He doth surely die, his blood is on him. ¹⁴And—lo, he hath begotten a son, And he seeth all the sins of his father, That he hath done, and he feareth, And doth not do like them, ¹⁵On the mountains he hath not eaten, And his eyes he hath not lifted up Unto idols of the house of Israel, The wife of his neighbour he hath not defiled, ¹⁶A man—he hath not oppressed, A pledge he hath not bound, And plunder he hath not taken away, His bread to the hungry he hath given, And the naked he covered with a garment, ¹⁷From the afflicted he hath turned back his hand, Usury and increase he hath not taken, My judgments he hath done, In My statutes he hath walked, He doth not die for the iniquity of his father, He doth surely live. ¹⁸His father—because he used oppression, Did violently Plunder a brother, And that which is not good did in the midst of his people, And lo, he is dying in his iniquity. ¹⁹And ye have said, Wherefore hath not the son, Borne of the iniquity of the father? And—the son judgment and righteousness hath done, All My statutes he hath kept, And he doeth them, he surely liveth. ²⁰The soul that doth sin—it doth die. A son doth not bear of the iniquity of the father, And a father doth not bear of the iniquity of the son, The righteousness of the righteous is on him, And the wickedness of the wicked is on him.