King James Version

1 And the word of the Lord came to me saying. 2 What is this proverb that you are using in the land of Israel, saying, "The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge"? 3 "As I live, says the Lord God, if this proverb shall be used again in Israel." 4 Behold, all the souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine; the soul that sins, it shall die. 5 And if a man will be righteous and do judgment and justice. 6 I did not eat on the mountains, and my eyes did not lift to the idols of the house of Israel, and I did not defile my neighbor's wife, and I did not approach a woman during her time of impurity. 7 And a man shall not oppress; he shall return the pledge; he shall not steal; he shall give his bread to the hungry and cover the naked with clothing. 8 He shall not lend with interest, and he shall not take an increase; from wrongdoing he shall turn his hand. He shall execute true judgment between a man and his neighbor. 9 In my statutes he shall walk, and my judgments he shall keep to do, he is righteous; he shall live; the declaration of the Lord Yahweh. 10 And he will beget a son, a violent one who sheds blood, and a brother will arise from one of these. 11 And he did not do all these things, for he also defiled the mountains and desecrated his neighbor's wife. 12 The poor and the needy have been robbed; the plunderer does not restore, and to the idols I lift my eyes; a despicable thing has been done. 13 In the interest of profit, he gives and takes interest; the one who does these abominations shall not live; he shall surely die; his blood shall be upon him. 14 And behold, he will give birth to a son, and he saw all the sins of his father that he did, and he saw, and he will not do like that. 15 On the mountains I did not eat, and my eyes did not lift up to the idols of the house of Israel; I did not defile my neighbor's wife. 16 And no man shall oppress; a pledge he shall not take, and robbery he shall not commit; his bread he shall give to the hungry, and the naked he shall cover with clothing. 17 The oppressed one has returned; he has not taken a bite, nor does he hold my judgments; he has kept my statutes; he shall not die for the iniquity of his father; he shall surely live. 18 My father, because he has oppressed, robbed, and taken by theft from another, and has done what is not good among my people, behold, he dies because of his sin. 19 And you shall say, “Why does not the son bear the iniquity of the father? For the son has done what is just and right, and has kept all My statutes and has done them; he shall surely live.” 20 The soul that sins, it shall die; the son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, nor shall the father bear the iniquity of the son; the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him. 21 And if the wicked one returns from all his sins that he has done and keeps all my statutes and does justice and righteousness, he shall live; he shall not die. 22 All his transgressions that he has committed will not be remembered against him; in his righteousness that he has done, he shall live. 23 "Does the Lord God take pleasure in the death of the wicked? Rather, is it not that he should turn from his ways and live?" 24 When a righteous person turns from his righteousness and does iniquity like all the abominations that the wicked does, he shall die; for all his righteousness that he has done shall not be remembered; in his trespass that he has trespassed and in his sin that he has sinned, in them he shall die. 25 And you said, "The way of the Lord is not fair." Hear now, O house of Israel: "Is my way not fair? Are not your ways unfair?" 26 When a righteous person turns from their righteousness and commits iniquity and dies because of it, for the iniquity that they have committed they shall die. 27 When a wicked person turns from his wickedness that he has done and makes justice and righteousness, he will live by his soul. 28 And he saw, and he will return and he will live from all his transgressions that he has done; he will surely live; he will not die. 29 And the house of Israel will say, "The way of the Lord is not fair. Is it not your ways that are not fair, O house of Israel?" 30 Therefore, I will judge you, O house of Israel, says the Lord God: Return and turn back from all your offenses, so sin will not be your downfall. 31 Cast away from you all your transgressions that you have committed, and make for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit; for why will you die, O house of Israel? 32 For I do not take pleasure in the death of the dead, says the Lord; therefore return and live.