| Chapter
18 |
| 1 | The
word of the LORD came unto me again, saying, |
| 2 | What mean ye, that ye use this proverb 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, saith the Lord GOD, ye shall not have occasion any more to use this
proverb 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 sinneth, it shall die. |
|
5 | But if a man be just, and do that which is lawful
and right, |
| 6 | And hath not
eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols of the
house of Israel, neither hath defiled his neighbour's wife, neither hath come
near to a menstruous woman, |
| 7 |
And hath not oppressed any, but hath restored to the debtor his pledge,
hath spoiled none by violence, hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath
covered the naked with a garment; |
|
8 | He that hath not given forth upon usury, neither hath taken any
increase, that hath withdrawn his hand from iniquity, hath executed true
judgment between man and man, |
| 9
| Hath walked in my statutes, and hath kept my judgments, to deal truly;
he is just, he shall surely live, saith the Lord GOD. |
| 10 | If he beget a son that is a robber, a
shedder of blood, and that doeth the like to any one of these things, |
| 11 | And that doeth not any of
those duties, but even hath eaten upon the mountains, and defiled his
neighbour's wife, |
| 12 |
Hath oppressed the poor and needy, hath spoiled by violence, hath not restored
the pledge, and hath lifted up his eyes to the idols, hath committed
abomination, |
| 13 | 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 surely die; his blood
shall be upon him. |
| 14 |
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, |
|
15 | That 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, |
| 16 |
Neither hath oppressed any, hath not withholden the pledge, neither hath
spoiled by violence, but hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered
the naked with a garment, |
| 17 |
That hath taken off his hand 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, 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, lo, even he shall die in his iniquity. |
| 19 | Yet say ye, Why? doth not the son bear
the iniquity of the father? When the son hath done that which is lawful and
right, and hath kept all my statutes, and hath done them, he shall surely
live. |
| 20 | The soul that
sinneth, 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, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon
him. |
| 21 | But if the
wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my
statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall
not die. |
| 22 | All his
transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in
his righteousness that he hath done he shall live. |
|
23 | Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should
die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and
live? |
| 24 | But when the
righteous 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 not be mentioned: in his
trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them
shall he die. |
| 25 | Yet ye
say, The way of the LORD is not equal. Hear now, O house of Israel; Is not my
way equal? are not your ways unequal? |
| 26 | When a righteous man turneth away from his
righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and dieth in them; for his iniquity
that he hath done shall he die. |
|
27 | 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 his
soul alive. |
| 28 | Because
he considereth, and turneth away from all his transgressions that he hath
committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die. |
|
29 | Yet saith the house of Israel, The way of the
LORD is not equal. O house of Israel, are not my ways equal? are not your ways
unequal? |
| 30 | Therefore I
will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the
Lord GOD. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity
shall not be your ruin. |
| 31 |
Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed;
and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of
Israel? |
| 32 | For I have no
pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn
yourselves, and live ye. |
