33 Then Yahweh gave me another message: 2 “Son of humanity, tell this to your people: ‘When I send an army against any country, then the people of that country choose one of their men to become a watchman for them. 3 He looks for any attacker coming onto the land, and then he blows his horn to warn the people. 4 If the people hear the sound of the horn but don’t take any notice, and if the attacker comes and kills them, then each one’s blood is on their own head. 5 Yes, if someone heard the horn but paid no attention, that person’s blood is on them, but if those people do pay attention, they’ll save their own lives. 6 However, if the watchman sees the attacker coming, but doesn’t blow the horn, that is, if the people weren’t warned, and if the attacker approaches and takes anyone’s life, then that person dies in their own sin, but I’ll require their blood from the watchman.’

7 Now, talking to you, son of humanity: I’ve made you a watchman for the Israeli people. You’ll hear the words from my mouth and then warn them on my behalf. 8 If I say to a wicked person, ‘You wicked person, you’re certainly about to die,’ and if you don’t announce it so as to warn that wicked person about their behaviour, then that wicked person will die in their sin, but it’ll be you that I hold responsible for their death. 9 But if you warn the wicked person about their behaviour, so that they might turn back from it, and if that person doesn’t turn back from their behaviour, then they’ll die in their sin, but you yourself will have saved your own life.