*THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET
EZEKIEL
Ezekiel 33 ©
By the parable of a faithful watchman in the land, God shows the prophet his duty, and the duty of all faithful teachers, v. 1. etc. He shows the murmurers and hypocrites among the captive Jews, that He deals well and justly with penitents and backbiters, and defends the justice of His ways against their calumnies, 10. The prophet’s recovers from tidings concerning the capture and destruction of the city of Jerusalem, and prophecies what shall become of those who are left in the land, 21. God’s judgment upon the hypocritical flatterers and mockers of the prophet, 30.
AGAIN the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Son of man, speak to the 1children of thy people, and say unto them, 2When I bring the 3sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their 4coasts, and set him for their watchman:
If when he seeth the sword 5come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people;
Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be 6upon his own head.
He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his 7soul.
But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any 8person from among them, 9he is taken away in his iniquity; but his 10blood will I require at the watchman's hand.
¶So thou, O son of man, 11I have set thee a watchmana unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me.
When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I 12require at thine hand.
Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.
Therefore, O thou son of man, speak unto the house of Israel; Thus ye speak, saying, If our transgressions and our sins be 13upon us, and we 14pineb away in them, how should we then 15live?
Say unto them, Asc I live, saith the Lord GOD, 16I have no pleasure in the 17death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: 18turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for 19why will ye die, O house of Israel?
Therefore, thou son of man, say unto the children of thy people, The righteousnessd of the 20righteous shall not deliver 21him in the day of his 22transgression: as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not 23fall thereby in the day that he turneth from his wickedness; neither shall the righteous be able to live for his 24righteousness in the day that he sinneth.
When I shall say to the righteous, that he shall 25surely live; if he trust to his own righteousness, and commit iniquity, all his righteousnesses shall not be remembered; but for his iniquity that he hath committed, he shall die for it.
Again, when I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely 26die; if he turn from his sin, and do that which is lawful and right;
If the wicked restore the 27pledge, 28give again that he had robbed, walk in the statutes of life, without committing iniquity; he shall 29surely live, he shall not die.
None of his sins that he hath committed shall be mentioned unto 30him: he hath done that which is lawful and right; he shall surely live.
¶ 31Yet the children of thy people say, Thee way of the Lord is not equal: but as for them, their way is not equal.
When the righteous turneth from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, he shall even die thereby.
But if the wicked turn from his wickedness, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall live thereby.
¶Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. O ye house of Israel, 32I will judge you every one after his ways.
¶And it came to pass in the twelfth year 33of our captivity, in the 34tenth month, in the fifth day of the month, that 35one thatf had escaped out of Jerusalem came unto me, saying, Theg36city is smitten.
Now the 37hand of the LORD was upon me in the evening, afore he that was escaped came; and had opened my mouth, until 38he came to me in the morning; and my mouth was opened, and I was no more 39dumb.
Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Son of man, they 40that inhabit those wastes of the land of Israel speak, saying, Abraham was 41one, and he inherited the land: but we are many; the land is given us for inheritance.
Wherefore say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; 42Ye eat with the 43blood,h and 44lift up your eyes toward your idols, 45and shed blood: and shall ye possess the land?
Ye 46stand upon your sword, ye work abomination, and ye 47defile every one his neighbour's wife: and shall ye possess the land?
Say thou thus unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; 48As I live, surely they that are in the wastes shall fall by the sword, and him that is in the 49open field will I give to the beasts to be devoured, and they that be in the forts and in the 50caves shall die of the pestilence.
For I will lay the land most 51desolate, and the pomp of her strength shall cease; and the 52mountains of Israel shall be desolate, that none shall pass through.
Then shall they know that I am the LORD, when I have laid the land most desolate because of all their abominations which they have committed.
¶Also, thou son of man, the children of thy people still are talking against thee by the 53walls and in the doors of the houses, and speak one to another, every one to his brother, saying, Come, I pray you, and hear what is the word that cometh forth from the LORD.
And they comei unto thee as the people 54cometh, and they 55sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they 56shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness.
And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely 57song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can 58play well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them not.
And when this 59cometh to pass, (lo, it will come,) then shall they know that a 60prophet hath been among them.