33
1 The
LORD’s word came
to me, saying,
2 “Son
of man, speak
to the children
of your people,
and tell them, ‘When
I bring the
sword on a land,
and the people
of the land take
a man from
among them, and
set him for
their watchman,
3 if,
when he sees
the sword come
on the land, he
blows the trumpet
and warns the
people,
4 then whoever
hears the sound
of the trumpet
and doesn’t heed
the warning, if
the sword comes
and takes him
away, his blood
will be on
his own head.
5 He
heard the sound
of the trumpet
and didn’t take
warning. His blood
will be on
him; whereas if he
had heeded the
warning, he would
have delivered his
soul.
6 But
if the watchman
sees the sword
come and doesn’t
blow the trumpet,
and the
people aren’t warned,
and the sword
comes and takes
any person from
among them, he
is taken away
in his iniquity,
but his blood
I will require
at the watchman’s
hand.’
7 “So
you, son of
man, I have
set you a
watchman to the
house of Israel.
Therefore hear the
word from my
mouth, and give
them warnings from
me.
8 When
I tell the
wicked, ‘O wicked
man, you will
surely die,’ and
you don’t speak to
warn the wicked
from his way,
that wicked man
will die in
his iniquity, but
I will require
his blood at
your hand.
9 Nevertheless,
if you warn
the wicked of
his way to
turn from it,
and he doesn’t
turn from his
way; he will
die in his
iniquity, but you
have delivered
your soul.
10 “You,
son of man, tell
the house of
Israel: ‘You say
this, “Our
transgressions and
our sins are
on us, and
we pine away in
them. How then
can we live?” ’
11 Tell them,
‘ “As I live,”
says the Lord
GOD, “I have
no pleasure in
the death of
the wicked, but
that the wicked
turn from his
way and live.
Turn, turn from
your evil ways!
For why will
you die, house
of Israel?” ’
12 “You,
son of man, tell
the children of
your people, ‘The
righteousness of
the righteous will
not deliver him
in the day
of his disobedience.
And as for
the wickedness of
the wicked, he
will not fall
by it in
the day that
he turns from
his wickedness;
neither will he
who is righteous
be able to
live by it
in the day
that he sins.
13 When
I tell the
righteous that he
will surely live,
if he trusts in
his righteousness
and commits
iniquity, none of
his righteous
deeds will be
remembered; but he
will die in
his iniquity that
he has committed.
14 Again,
when I say
to the wicked, “You
will surely die,”
if he turns from
his sin and
does that which
is lawful and
right,
15 if the
wicked restore the
pledge, give again
that which he
had taken by
robbery, walk in
the statutes of
life, committing
no iniquity, he
will surely live.
He will not
die.
16 None
of his sins
that he has
committed will be
remembered against
him. He has
done that which
is lawful and
right. He will
surely live.
17 “ ‘Yet
the children of
your people say, “The
way of the Lord
is not fair;” but
as for them,
their way is
not fair.
18 When
the righteous
turns from his
righteousness and
commits iniquity,
he will even
die therein.
19 When
the wicked turns
from his
wickedness and
does that which
is lawful and
right, he will
live by it.
20 Yet
you say, “The
way of the Lord
is not fair.”
House of Israel,
I will judge
every one of
you after his
ways.’ ”
21 In
the twelfth year
of our captivity,
in the tenth
month, in the
fifth day of
the month, one
who had escaped
out of Jerusalem
came to me, saying,
“The city has
been defeated!”
22 Now
the LORD’s hand
had been on
me in the
evening, before he
who had escaped
came; and he
had opened my
mouth until he
came to me
in the morning;
and my mouth
was opened, and
I was no
longer mute.
23 The
LORD’s word came
to me, saying,
24 “Son
of man, those
who inhabit the
waste places in
the land of
Israel speak, saying, ‘Abraham was
one, and he
inherited the land;
but we are
many. The land is
given us for
inheritance.’
25 Therefore tell them, ‘The
Lord GOD says: “You
eat with the blood,
and lift up
your eyes to
your idols, and
shed blood.
So should you
possess the land?
26 You
stand on your
sword, you work
abomination, and
every one of
you defiles his
neighbor’s wife. So
should you possess
the land?” ’
27 “You
shall tell them, ‘The
Lord GOD says: “As
I live, surely
those who are
in the waste
places will fall
by the sword.
I will give
whoever is in
the open field
to the animals
to be devoured,
and those who
are in
the strongholds and
in the caves
will die of
the pestilence.
28 I
will make the
land a desolation
and an
astonishment. The
pride of her
power will cease.
The mountains of
Israel will be
desolate, so that
no one will
pass through.
29 Then
they will know
that I am
the LORD, when
I have made
the land a
desolation and an
astonishment because
of all their
abominations which
they have
committed.” ’
30 “As
for you, son
of man, the
children of your
people talk about
you by the
walls and in
the doors of
the houses, and
speak to
one another, everyone to
his brother, saying, ‘Please
come and hear
what the word
is that comes
out from the
LORD.’
31 They
come to you
as the people
come, and they
sit before you
as my people,
and they hear
your words,
but don’t do them;
for with their
mouth they show
much love, but
their heart goes
after their gain.
32 Behold,
you are to
them as a
very lovely song
of one who
has a pleasant
voice, and can
play well on
an instrument; for
they hear your
words, but
they don’t do them.
33 “When
this comes to
pass—behold, it
comes—then they
will know that
a prophet has
been among them.”