Ezekiel 18
18
A False Proverb Refuted
1The word of the Lord came to me again, saying, 2“What do you mean when you use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying:
‘The #Jer. 31:29; Lam. 5:7fathers have eaten sour grapes,
And the children’s teeth are set on edge’?
3“As I live,” says the Lord God, “you shall no longer use this proverb in Israel.
4“Behold, all souls are #Num. 16:22; 27:16; Is. 42:5; 57:16Mine;
The soul of the father
As well as the soul of the son is Mine;
#Ezek. 18:20; (Rom. 6:23)The soul who sins shall die.
5But if a man is just
And does what is lawful and right;
6#Ezek. 22:9If he has not eaten on the mountains,
Nor lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel,
Nor #Lev. 18:20; 20:10defiled his neighbor’s wife,
Nor approached #Lev. 18:19; 20:18a woman during her impurity;
7If he has not #Ex. 22:21; Lev. 19:15; 25:14oppressed anyone,
But has restored to the debtor his #Ex. 22:26; Deut. 24:12pledge;
Has robbed no one by violence,
But has #Deut. 15:7, 11; Ezek. 18:16; (Matt. 25:35–40); Luke 3:11given his bread to the hungry
And covered the naked with #Is. 58:7clothing;
8If he has not exacted #Ex. 22:25; Lev. 25:36; Deut. 23:19; Neh. 5:7; Ps. 15:5usury
Nor taken any increase,
But has withdrawn his hand from iniquity
And #Deut. 1:16; Zech. 8:16executed true judgment between man and man;
9If he has walked in My statutes
And kept My judgments faithfully—
He is just;
He shall surely #Ezek. 20:11; Amos 5:4; (Hab. 2:4; Rom. 1:17)live!”
Says the Lord God.
10“If he begets a son who is a robber
Or #Gen. 9:6; Ex. 21:12; Num. 35:31a shedder of blood,
Who does any of these things
11And does none of those duties,
But has eaten on the mountains
Or defiled his neighbor’s wife;
12If he has oppressed the poor and needy,
Robbed by violence,
Not restored the pledge,
Lifted his eyes to the idols,
Or #2 Kin. 21:11; Ezek. 8:6, 17committed abomination;
13If he has exacted usury
Or taken increase—
Shall he then live?
He shall not live!
If he has done any of these abominations,
He shall surely die;
#Lev. 20:9, 11–13, 16, 27; Ezek. 3:18; Acts 18:6His blood shall be upon him.
14“If, however, he begets a son
Who sees all the sins which his father has done,
And considers but does not do likewise;
15#Ezek. 18:6Who has not eaten on the mountains,
Nor lifted his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel,
Nor defiled his neighbor’s wife;
16Has not oppressed anyone,
Nor withheld a pledge,
Nor robbed by violence,
But has given his bread to the hungry
And covered the naked with clothing;
17Who has withdrawn his hand from the poor
And not received usury or increase,
But has executed My judgments
And walked 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,
Robbed his brother by violence,
And did what is not good among his people,
Behold, #Ezek. 3:18he shall die for his iniquity.
Turn and Live
19“Yet you say, ‘Why #Ex. 20:5; Deut. 5:9; 2 Kin. 23:26; 24:3, 4should the son not bear the guilt of the father?’ Because the son has done what is lawful and right, and has kept all My statutes and observed them, he shall surely live. 20#2 Kin. 14:6; 22:18–20; Ezek. 18:4The soul who sins shall die. #Deut. 24:16; 2 Kin. 14:6; 2 Chr. 25:4; Jer. 31:29, 30The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. #1 Kin. 8:32; Is. 3:10, 11; (Matt. 16:27)The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, #Rom. 2:6–9and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.
21“But #Ezek. 18:27; 33:12, 19if a wicked man turns from all his sins which he has committed, keeps all My statutes, and does what is lawful and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die. 22#Is. 43:25; Jer. 50:20; Ezek. 18:24; 33:16; Mic. 7:19None of the transgressions which he has committed shall be remembered against him; because of the righteousness which he has done, he shall #(Ps. 18:20–24)live. 23#Lam. 3:33; (Ezek. 18:32; 33:11; 1 Tim. 2:4; 2 Pet. 3:9)Do I have any pleasure at all that the wicked should die?” says the Lord God, “and not that he should turn from his ways and live?
24“But #1 Sam. 15:11; 2 Chr. 24:2, 17–22; Ezek. 3:20; 18:26; 33:18when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and does according to all the abominations that the wicked man does, shall he live? #(2 Pet. 2:20)All the righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered; because of the unfaithfulness of which he is guilty and the sin which he has committed, because of them he shall die.
25“Yet you say, #Ezek. 18:29; 33:17, 20; Mal. 2:17; 3:13–15‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ Hear now, O house of Israel, is it not My way which is fair, and your ways which are not fair? 26#Ezek. 18:24When a righteous man turns away from his righteousness, commits iniquity, and dies in it, it is because of the iniquity which he has done that he dies. 27Again, #Ezek. 18:21when a wicked man turns away from the wickedness which he committed, and does what is lawful and right, he preserves himself alive. 28Because he #Ezek. 18:14considers and turns away from all the transgressions which he committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die. 29#Ezek. 18:25Yet the house of Israel says, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ O house of Israel, is it not My ways which are fair, and your ways which are not fair?
30#Ezek. 7:3; 33:20“Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways,” says the Lord God. #Matt. 3:2; Rev. 2:5“Repent, and turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity will not be your ruin. 31#Is. 1:16; 55:7; Eph. 4:22, 23Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed, and get yourselves a #Ps. 51:10; Jer. 32:39; Ezek. 11:19; 36:26new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O house of Israel? 32For #Lam. 3:33; Ezek. 33:11; (2 Pet. 3:9)I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies,” says the Lord God. “Therefore turn and #(Prov. 4:2, 5, 6)live!”
Currently Selected:
Ezekiel 18: NKJV
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.
Ezekiel 18
18
God’s Just Treatment of Individuals, Both Righteous and Wicked
1And the word of Yahweh came#Literally “was” to me, saying,#Literally “to say” 2“What do you mean by#Literally “What is to you” quoting this proverb about the land of Israel, saying,#Literally “to say” ‘The fathers, they ate unripe fruit, and the teeth of the child became blunt.’#Or “dull,” set on edge” 3As I live,#Literally “life I” declares#Literally “declaration of” the Lord Yahweh, it will surely not any longer be appropriate for you#Literally “to you” to quote this proverb in Israel! 4Look! All lives are mine.#Literally “all of the lives are for me they” The lives of father and son alike are mine.#Literally “Like the life of the father and like the life of the son is to me look” The person#Or “life,” or “soul” sinning will die. 5And if a man is righteous and does justice and righteousness, 6and on the mountains he does not eat and he does not lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, and the wife of his neighbor he does not defile and he does not approach a woman of#Or “in” menstruation, 7and he oppresses no one#Literally “a person not” and he returns a pledge for his loan and he commits no robbery#Literally “robbed things not he seized” and he gives#Or “shares” his bread to the hungry and he covers a naked person with a garment, 8and he does not charge interest#Literally “with the interest not he gives” and he takes no usury, and he holds back#Or “brings back” his hand from injustice and he executes a judgment of fairness between persons,#Literally “man and man” 9and in my statutes he goes about and my regulations he keeps,#Or “watches” performing faithfully#Literally “to do with with faithfulness” —then he is righteous, and certainly he will live,” declares#Literally “declaration of” the Lord Yahweh.
10“And now he has a son, a violent one, who sheds blood#Literally “shedding of blood” and does any of these things#Literally “and he does like from one from these” 11(though#Hebrew “And” he#That is, the father did not do all of these things), for the son also#Or “even” eats on the mountains and he defiles the wife of his neighbor. 12He oppresses the needy and the poor, and he commits robbery,#Literally “robbed things he seized” and he does not return a pledge for a loan, and he lifts his eyes to the idols so he does a detestable thing. 13He charges interest#Literally “with the interest he gives” and takes usury. Then, shall he live? He shall not live, for he did all of these detestable things. Surely he will die! His blood will be on him.
14“And look! He has a son, and he sees all of the sin of his father that he did, and he sees it, but he does not do it. 15On the mountains he does not eat, and he does not lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, and the wife of his neighbor he does not defile. 16And he oppresses no one; he requires no pledge for a loan, and he does not commit robbery;#Literally “robbed things not does he seize” he gives his bread to the hungry, and he covers the naked person with a garment. 17He brings back#Or “holds back” his hand from iniquity;#Cf. verse 8 he does not take interest and usury; he does my regulations; he goes#Or “walks” in my statutes. He will not die because of the guilt of his father; he will surely live! 18Because his father oppressed severely;#Literally “he oppressed oppression” he stole from his brother;#Literally “he seized robbed things of a brother” that which is not good he did in the midst of his people, and look! He will die through#Or “in” his guilt.
19“Yet#Or “And” you say, ‘Why does the son not bear the guilt of the father?’ And since the son does justice and righteousness and he keeps all of my statutes and does them, he shall surely live! 20The person,#Or “soul,” or “life” the one sinning, will die. A son shall not bear the guilt of the father, and a father shall not bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be on him; the wickedness of the wicked#According to the reading tradition (Qere) shall be on him. 21But if the wicked returns from all of his sins#According to the reading tradition (Qere) that he has done and he keeps all of my statutes and he does justice and righteousness, he shall surely live; he shall not die! 22All of his transgressions that he committed will not be remembered against#Or “for” him. Through#Or “By means of” his righteousness that he has done he shall live. 23Have I delight by any means#Or “in any way” in the death of the wicked, declares#Literally “declaration of” the Lord Yahweh, and not at his turning from his way, so that#Literally “and” he lives? 24And when the righteous turns#Literally “at turning of the righteous” from his righteousness, so that#Literally “and” he does injustice, and does all of the detestable things that the wicked do, then#Or “and” will he live because of all of his righteousness#According to the reading tradition (Qere) that he did? Those things will not be remembered because of his infidelity that he displayed, and because of his sin that he committed.#Literally “sin that he sinned” Through#Or “in/by” them he shall die.
25“Yet#Or “And” you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair!’ Listen, now, house of Israel, is my way not fair? Is it not your ways that are not fair? 26When the righteous turns from his righteousness, and he does injustice, then#Or “and” he will die because of them; because of his injustice that he did he will die! 27And when the wicked turns from his wickedness that he did and he does justice and righteousness, he will preserve his life.#Literally “his soul/life he will keep alive” 28And if he sees and he returns from all of his transgressions that he did, surely he will live; he will not die! 29And yet they, the house of Israel, say, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair!’ Are not my ways fair, house of Israel? Are not your ways unfair?#Literally “not ways your not are right”
30“Therefore I will judge you, house of Israel, each one#Hebrew “man” according to his ways,” declares#Literally “declaration of” the Lord Yahweh. “Repent#Or “Turn/Return” and turn around from all of your transgression, and it will not be as a stumbling block of iniquity to you. 31Throw away from yourselves#Literally “from on you” all of your transgressions that you committed,#Hebrew “committed with them” and make for yourselves#Literally “to you” a new heart and new spirit, and so why will you die, house of Israel? 32For I have no pleasure in the death of the dying,” declares#Literally “declaration of” the Lord Yahweh. “And so repent#Or “turn/return” and live!”
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
2010 Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software