Ezekiel 18

1And the word of Yahweh came to me, saying,

2What do you mean, that you keep repeating this proverb in the land of Israel, saying, ‘The fathers eat sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge’?”

3As I live, declares the Lord GOD, this proverb shall no longer be used by you in Israel.

4Look, every life belongs to me. The life of the father is like the life of the son—both belong to me. The person who sins is the one who will die.

5But if a man is righteous and does justice and righteousness,

6he does not eat on the mountains, does not lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, does not defile his neighbor’s wife, and does not approach a woman during her menstrual impurity.

7He does not oppress anyone, but restores the debtor’s pledge; he does not commit robbery; he gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with a garment.

8He does not lend at interest or take profit; he keeps his hand back from injustice; he executes true justice between one man and another.

9He walks in my statutes and keeps my judgments, acting faithfully; he is righteous; he shall surely live, declares the Lord GOD.

10But if he fathers a violent son, one who sheds blood and does any one of these things,

11But he has done none of all these things; instead, he has even eaten on the mountains and defiled his neighbor’s wife.

12He has oppressed the poor and needy, committed robbery, not returned a pledge, lifted up his eyes to the idols, and done an abomination.

13He lends at interest and takes profit—and shall he live? He shall not live. He has done all these abominations; he shall surely be put to death; his blood shall be upon him.

14But behold, he fathers a son, and he sees all the sins that his father has done; he sees them, and he does not do likewise.

15He has not eaten on the mountains, nor lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel; he has not defiled his neighbor’s wife.

16He has not oppressed anyone, has not taken a pledge, and has not robbed; he has given his bread to the hungry and covered the naked with a garment.

17He has withheld his hand from the poor, has not taken interest or profit, has carried out my judgments, and has walked in my statutes. He will not die for his father's iniquity; he will surely live.

18As for his father, because he practiced extortion, robbed his brother, and did what was not good among his people, behold, he shall die in his iniquity.

19Yet you say, ‘Why does the son not bear the iniquity of the father?’ Because the son has done justice and righteousness, has kept all my statutes, and has done them; he shall surely live.

20The person who sins—he shall die. A son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, and a father shall not 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.

21But if the wicked man turns back from all his sins that he has committed, and keeps all my statutes, and does justice and righteousness, he shall surely live; he shall not die.

22None of the transgressions that he has committed will be remembered against him; by the righteousness that he has practiced, he will live.

23Do I take any pleasure at all in the death of the wicked? declares the Lord GOD. Is it not rather in his turning from his ways and living?

24But when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and does injustice, doing all the abominations that the wicked man does, shall he live? None of the righteous deeds that he has done will be remembered. In the treachery by which he has acted treacherously, and in the sin that he has committed—in them he shall die.

25Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Hear now, house of Israel: Is my way not just? Is it not your ways that are not just?

26When a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and does injustice, and dies because of them, he shall die for the injustice that he has done.

27And when a wicked man turns away from the wickedness that he has done and does justice and righteousness, he will preserve his life.

28Because he considered and turned back from all his transgressions that he had committed, he will surely live; he will not die.

29Yet the house of Israel says, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Are my ways not just, O house of Israel? Is it not your ways that are not just?

30Therefore I will judge each man according to his ways, O house of Israel, declares the Lord GOD. Repent and turn away from all your transgressions, so that iniquity may not become a stumbling block to you.

31Cast away from yourselves all your transgressions by which you have transgressed, and make for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. Why should you die, O house of Israel?

32For I take no pleasure in the death of the one who dies, declares the Lord GOD. Therefore turn back and live.