18 ¶ The word of the LORD came unto me again, saying,
2 What mean ye, that ye use this saying concerning the land of Israel, saying, The fathers have eaten sour grapes and the children’s teeth are set on edge?
3 As I live, said the Lord GOD, ye shall never again have reason to use this saying in Israel.
4 Behold, all 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 But if a man is just and does judgment and righteousness,
6 that he does not eat upon the mountains, neither lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, neither defile his neighbour’s wife, neither come near to the menstruous woman,
7 neither oppress any, but restores to the debtor his pledge, does not commit robbery, gives his bread to the hungry, and covers the naked with a garment,
8 neither lends at interest, neither takes any increase, withdraws his hand from iniquity, executes true judgment between man and man,
9 walks in my statutes, and keeps my rights, to do according to the truth: he is just; he shall surely live, said the Lord GOD.
10 ¶ If he begets a son that is a robber, a shedder of blood, and that does the like of any one of these things,
11 and that does not do any of those duties, but, on the other hand, he does eat upon the mountains, or defiles his neighbour’s wife,
12 oppresses the poor and needy, commits robbery, does not restore the pledge, or lifts up his eyes to the idols, or makes an abomination,
13 gives forth upon usury and takes increase, shall he then live? He shall not live; he has done all these abominations; he shall surely die; his blood shall be upon him.
14 But if he begets a son that sees all his father’s sins which he has done and seeing them, does not do according to them,
15 that he does not eat upon the mountains, neither lifts up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, nor defiles his neighbour’s wife,
16 neither oppresses any, nor withholds the pledge, neither commits robbery, but gives his bread to the hungry, and covers the naked with a garment,
17 takes off his hand from oppressing the poor, does not receive usury nor increase, acts according to my rights, and walks in my statutes; he shall not die for the iniquity of his father; he shall surely live.
18 As for his father, because he cruelly oppressed, spoiled his brother by violence, and did that which is not good among his people, behold, even he shall die for his iniquity.
19 Yet if ye say, Why does not the son bear the iniquity of the father? Because the son has lived according to judgment and righteousness 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, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son; the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him who is righteous, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him who is wicked.
21 ¶ But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he has committed and keep all my statutes and live according to judgment and righteousness, he shall surely live, he shall not die.
22 All his rebellions that he has committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him; by his righteousness that he has done he shall live.
23 Do I desire perchance the death of the wicked? said the Lord GOD, Shall he not live if he should leave his ways?
24 But if the righteous should leave his righteousness and commit iniquity, and do according to all the abominations that the wicked man does, shall he live? All his righteousness that he has done shall not be mentioned; by his rebellion in which he has trespassed and by his sin which he has committed, because of them he shall die.
25 And if ye say, The way of the Lord is not straight. Hear now, O house of Israel: Is my way not straight? Are not your ways crooked?
26 When a righteous man leaves his righteousness, and commits iniquity, he shall die in it; for his iniquity that he has done he shall die.
27 Again, when the wicked man leaves his wickedness that he has committed and lives according to judgment and righteousness, he shall cause his soul to live.
28 Because he saw and left all his rebellions that he has committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die.
29 If even now the house of Israel should say, The way of the Lord is not straight. O house of Israel, are not my ways straight? Certainly your ways are not straight.
30 ¶ Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, each one according to his ways, said the Lord GOD. Repent and turn yourselves from all your iniquities, so iniquity shall not be your ruin.
31 Cast away from you all your iniquities by which ye have rebelled, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?
32 For I do not desire the death of him that dies, said the Lord GOD; therefore turn yourselves, and ye shall live.