*THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET
EZEKIEL
Ezekiel 18 ©
God sharply reproves the proverb of the hypocritical Jews concerning the sour grapes, whereby they accuse Him of injustice and cruelty, vs. 1, 2, etc. Showing how He will deal with a righteous father, 5. With a wicked son of a righteous father, 10. With a righteous son of a wicked father, 14. With a wicked man who repents, 19. With a righteous man who falls away, 24. He defends His justice, 25. Exhorts them to repentance, 30.
THE word of the LORD came unto me again, saying,
1What mean ye, that ye use this 2proverb concerning 3the land of Israel, saying, 4The fathersa have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s 5teeth are set on edge?
As I live, saith the Lord GOD, 6ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel.
Behold, all 7souls 8are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it 9shall die.
¶But if a man be just, and 10do that which is lawful and right,
And hath not 11eaten upon the mountains,b neither hath lifted up his eyes 12to the idols of the house of Israel, neither hath 13defiled his neighbour’sc wife, neither hath 14come near to 15a menstruousd woman,
And hath not oppressede any, but hath restored to 16the debtor his pledge,f17hath spoiled none by violence, hath giveng his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment;
He that hath not given forth upon 18usury,h neither hath taken any 19increase, that hath withdrawn his hand from iniquity, hath executed 20true judgment between man and man,
Hath walked in 21my statutes, and hath kept my judgments, 22to deal truly; he is just, he shall 23surely live, saith the Lord GOD.
¶If he beget a son that is a 24robber, a shedder of blood, and that doeth the like 25to any one of 26these things,
And that doeth not 27any of those duties, but even 28hath eaten upon the mountains, and defiled his neighbour's wife,
Hath oppressed the poor and needy, 29hath spoiled by violence, hath not restored the pledge, and 30hath lifted up his eyes to the idols, hath committed 31abomination,
Hath given forth upon usury, and hath taken increase: shall he then live? he shall not live: he hath done all these abominations; he shall 32surely die; 33his blood shall be upon him.
¶Now, lo, if he beget a son, that seeth all his father's sins which he hath done, and considereth, and doeth not such like,
34That hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, hath not defiled his neighbour's wife,
Neither hath oppressed any, hath not withholden 35the pledge, neither hath spoiled by violence, but hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment,
That hath taken off his 36hand from the poor, that hath not received usury nor increase, hath executed my judgments, hath walked in my statutes; he shall not die for the iniquity of his father, 37he shall surely live.
As for his father, because he 38cruelly oppressed, spoiled 39his brother by violence, and did that which is not good among his people, lo, even he shall die in his iniquity.
¶Yet say 40ye, 41Why?i doth not the son bear the 42iniquity of the father? 43When the son hath done that which is lawful and right, and hath kept all my statutes, and hath done them, he shall surely live.
44The soul that sinneth, it shall die. 45The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: 46the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and 47the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.
But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and 48do that which is lawful and right, he shall 49surely live, he shall not die.
50All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto 51him: 52in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live.
Havej I 53any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: 54and not that he should return from his 55ways, and 56live?
¶But when the 57righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall 58not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die.
¶Yet 59ye say, 60Thek way of the Lord 61is not equal. Hear now, O house of Israel; Is not my way equal? are not your ways 62unequal?
When a righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and dieth in 63them; for his iniquity that he hath done shall he die.
Again, when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save 64his soul alive.
Because he 65considereth, and turneth away from all his transgressions that he hath committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die.
Yet saith the house of Israel, 66The way of the Lord is not equal. O house of Israel, are not my ways equal? are not your ways unequal?
Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to 67his ways, saith the Lord GOD. Repent,l and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your 68ruin.
¶ 69Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and 70make you a newm heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel?
For 71In have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn yourselves, and 72live ye.