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Ezekiel 18

18 This word from the Eternal came to me: 2 “What do you mean by quoting this proverb in the land of Israel, ‘The fathers eat sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge? 3 By my life! says the Lord the Eternal, you must never quote that proverb again in Israel. 4 All souls are mine, the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son; the soul that sins, that soul shall die. 5 If anyone is a good man, doing what is right and honest, 6 if he does not eat meat with the blood in it, if he does not adore the idols of Israel, if he does not seduce his neighbour’s wife nor touch a menstruous woman, 7 if he oppresses no one but returns what his debtor pledged, if he robs no one, if he feeds the hungry and clothes the naked, 8 if he takes no interest on a loan, if he abstains from crime and decides fairly between man and man, 9 if he lives by my laws, if he observes and obeys my rules, then he is good, he shall live, says the Lord the Eternal. 10 If he has a son who is a brigand, given to bloodshed, 11 who does none of these duties, but eats meat with the blood in it, seduces his neighbour’s wife, 12 oppresses the poor and needy, commits robbery, refuses to restore a pledge, adores idols, commits detestable impieties, 13 and takes interest upon a loan--is he to live? He shall not live; he has done all these abominable things, and he must die; he is responsible for his own death. 14 If he in turn has a son who, seeing all the sins done by his father, avoids them in fear, 15 eats no meat with the blood in it, adores no idols of Israel, seduces no man’s wife, 16 oppresses no one, exacts no pledge, commits no robbery, but feeds the hungry, clothes the naked, 17 abstains from crime, refuses to take interest on a loan, and carries out my orders, lives by my laws--he shall not die for the iniquity of Iris father, he shall live. 18 His father died for his own iniquity, because he practised oppression and outrage and wrongdoing among his fellows. 19 You ask, ‘Why should the son not suffer for his father’s iniquity?’ If the son does what is right and honest, if he observes and obeys all my orders, he shall live. 20 The person who sins shall die. A son is not to suffer for his father’s iniquity, nor a father for his son’s iniquity; the good man shall be credited with his own goodness, and the wicked man with his own wickedness.

21 But if a wicked man gives up all his sinful practices to follow all my orders and to do what is right and honest, he shall live--he shall not die. 22 None of the transgressions he has committed shall be remembered against him; he shall live by the goodness of his life. 23 Have I any desire for the death of the wicked? says the Lord the Eternal. If he gives up his evil life, shall he not live? 24 Again, when a good man gives up being good and practises iniquity, doing every abominable thing that a wicked man does, none of his good deeds shall be remembered; for the treason he has committed and for the sin of which he is guilty he shall die. 25 And yet you complain, ‘The Lord is not acting fairly!’ Listen, O Israel; my methods not fair! Is it not rather your methods that are not fair and right? 26 If a good man gives up being good to commit iniquity, he shall die, and die for the iniquities he has done. 27 If a wicked man gives up being wicked and does what is lawful and right, he shall save his life; 28 as he fears and gives up all his transgressions, he shall live, he shall not die. 29 And yet Israel complains, ‘The Lord is not acting fairly!’ My methods not fair, O Israel! Is it not rather your methods that axe not fair and right? 30 O Israel, I will deal with every one of you as he has lived, says the Lord the Eternal. Repent and give up all your transgressions, or iniquity will be your ruin; 31 have done with all your transgressions against me, and get a new nature, a new spirit, for yourselves. O Israel, why will you die? 32 I have no desire for anyone to die, says the Lord the Eternal. So repent and live.” * * *

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