Ezekiel 33

NEW AMERICAN BIBLE	NEW JERUSALEM
1 Thus the word of the LORD came to me:	1 The word of Yahweh was addressed to me as follows,
2 Son of man, speak thus to your countrymen: When I bring the sword against a country, and the people of this country select one of their number to be their watchman,	2 'Son of man, speak to the people of your country. Say to them, "When I send the sword against thepeople of that country, take one of their number and post him as a watchman;
3 and the watchman, seeing the sword coming against the country, blows the trumpet to warn the people,	3 if he sees the sword coming against the country, he must sound his horn to warn the people.
4 anyone hearing but not heeding the warning of the trumpet and therefore slain by the sword that comes against him, shall be responsible for his own death.	4 If someone hears the sound of the horn but pays no attention and the sword overtakes him anddestroys him, he wil have been responsible for his own death.
5 He heard the trumpet blast yet refused to take warning; he is responsible for his own death, for had he taken warning he would have escaped with his life.	5 He has heard the sound of the horn and paid no attention; his death wil be his own responsibility. But the life of someone who pays attention will be secure.
6 But if the watchman sees the sword coming and fails to blow the warning trumpet, so that the sword comes and takes anyone, I will hold the watchman responsible for that person's death, even though that person is taken because of his own sin.	6 "If, however, the watchman has seen the sword coming but has not blown his horn, and so the peopleare not alerted and the sword overtakes them and destroys a single one of them, that person wil indeed die forhis guilt, but I shal hold the watchman responsible for his death."
7 You, son of man, I have appointed watchman for the house of Israel; when you hear me say anything, you shall warn them for me.	7 'Son of man I have appointed you as watchman for the House of Israel. When you hear a word frommy mouth, warn them from me.
8 If I tell the wicked man that he shall surely die, and you do not speak out to dissuade the wicked man from his way, he (the wicked man) shall die for his guilt, but I will hold you responsible for his death.	8 If I say to someone wicked, "Evil- doer, you are to die," and you do not speak to warn the wickedperson to renounce such ways, the wicked person wil die for this guilt, but I shal hold you responsible for thedeath.
9 But if you warn the wicked man, trying to turn him from his way, and he refuses to turn from his way, he shall die for his guilt, but you shall save yourself.	9 If, however, you do warn someone wicked to renounce such ways and repent, and that person doesnot repent, then the culprit wil die for this guilt, but you yourself wil have saved your life.
10 As for you, son of man, speak to the house of Israel: You people say, "Our crimes and our sins weigh us down; we are rotting away because of them. How can we survive?"	10 'Son of man, say to the House of Israel, "You are continual y saying: Our crimes and sins weighheavily on us; we are wasting away because of them. How are we to go on living?"
11 Answer them: As I live, says the Lord GOD, I swear I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked man, but rather in the wicked man's conversion, that he may live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! Why should you die, O house of Israel?	11 Say to them, "As I live -- declares the Lord Yahweh -- I do not take pleasure in the death of thewicked but in the conversion of the wicked who changes his ways and saves his life. Repent, turn back from yourevil ways. Why die, House of Israel?"
12 As for you, son of man, tell your countrymen: The virtue which a man has practiced will not save him on the day that he sins; neither will the wickedness that a man has done bring about his downfall on the day that he turns from his wickedness (nor can the virtuous man, when he sins, remain alive).	12 'Son of man, say to the members of your nation, "The uprightness of an upright person wil not savehim once he takes to wrong-doing; the wickedness of a wicked person wil not ruin him once he renounces hiswickedness. No one upright wil be able to live on the strength of uprightness, having once taken to sinning.
13 Though I say to the virtuous man that he shall surely live, if he then presumes on his virtue and does wrong, none of his virtuous deeds shall be remembered; because of the wrong he has done, he shall die.	13 If I say to someone upright: You are to live, and then, trusting in this uprightness, he does wrong,none of the uprightness wil be remembered; because of the wrong-doing, he will die.
14 And though I say to the wicked man that he shall surely die, if he turns away from his sin and does what is right and just,	14 If, however, I say to someone wicked: You are to die, and he turns back from sin and does what islawful and upright,
15 giving back pledges, restoring stolen goods, living by the statutes that bring life, and doing no wrong, he shall surely live, he shall not die.	15 if he returns pledges, restores what he has stolen, keeps the laws that give life and no longer doeswrong, he wil live and wil not die.
16 None of the sins he committed shall be held against him; he has done what is right and just, he shall surely live.	16 None of his previous sins wil be remembered against him; having done what is lawful and upright, hewil live.
17 Yet your countrymen say, "The way of the LORD is not fair!"; but it is their way that is not fair.	17 "But the members of your nation say: What the Lord does is unjust. But it is what you do that isunjust.
18 When a virtuous man turns away from what is right and does wrong, he shall die for it.	18 When an upright person gives up being upright and does wrong, he dies for it.
19 But when a wicked man turns away from wickedness and does what is right and just, because of this he shall live.	19 And when a wicked person gives up being wicked and does what is lawful and upright, because ofthis he lives.
20 And still you say, "The way of the LORD is not fair!"? I will judge every one of you according to his ways, O house of Israel.	20 But you say: What the Lord does is unjust! I shal judge each of you by what you do, House of Israel."'
21 On the fifth day of the tenth month, in the twelfth year of our exile, the fugitive came to me from Jerusalem and said, "The city is taken!"	21 In the twelfth year of our captivity, on the fifth day of the tenth month, a fugitive arrived fromJerusalem and said to me, 'The city has been taken.'
22 The hand of the LORD had come upon me the evening before the fugitive arrived, and he opened my mouth when the fugitive reached me in the morning. My mouth was opened, and I was dumb no longer.	22 Now the hand of the Lord had been on me the evening before the fugitive arrived; he had opened mymouth before the fugitive came to me the next morning; my mouth had been opened and I was dumb no longer.
23 Thus the word of the LORD came to me:	23 The word of Yahweh was then addressed to me as follows,
24 Son of man, they who live in the ruins on the land of Israel reason thus: "Abraham, though but a single individual, received possession of the land; we, therefore, being many, have as permanent possession the land that has been given to us."	24 'Son of man, the people living in those ruins on the soil of Israel say this, "Abraham was alone whenhe was given possession of this country. But we are many; the country has been given us as our heritage."
25 Give them this answer: Thus says the Lord GOD: You eat on the mountains, you raise your eyes to your idols, you shed blood--yet you would keep possession of the land?	25 'Very wel , tell them, "The Lord Yahweh says this: You eat blood, you raise your eyes to your foulidols, you shed blood; are you to own the country?
26 You rely on your sword, you do abominable things, each one of you defiles his neighbor's wife--yet you would keep possession of the land?	26 You rely on your swords, you engage in loathsome practices, each of you defiles his neighbour'swife; are you to own the country?"
27 Tell them this: Thus says the Lord GOD: As I live, those who are in the ruins I swear shall fall by the sword; those who are in the open field I have given to the wild beasts for food; and those who are in fastnesses and in caves shall die by the plague.	27 Tel them this, "The Lord Yahweh says this: As I live, I swear it, those in the ruins wil fal to thesword, those in the countryside I shal give to the wild animals for them to eat, and those among the crags and incaves wil die of plague.
28 I will make the land a desolate waste, so that its proud strength will come to an end, and the mountains of Israel shall be so desolate that no one will cross them.	28 I shal make the country a desolate waste, and the pride of its strength will be at an end. Themountains of Israel wil be deserted and no one will pass that way again.
29 Thus they shall know that I am the LORD, when I make the land a desolate waste because of all the abominable things they have done.	29 Then they wil know that I am Yahweh, when I make the country a desolate waste because of all thefilthy things they have done."
30 As for you, son of man, your countrymen are talking about you along the walls and in the doorways of houses. They say to one another, "Come and hear the latest word that comes from the LORD."	30 'Son of man, the members of your nation are talking about you on the ramparts and in doorways.They keep saying to one another, "Come and hear the word that has come from Yahweh."
31 My people come to you as people always do; they sit down before you and hear your words, but they will not obey them, for lies are on their lips and their desires are fixed on dishonest gain.	31 They throng towards you; my people sit down in front of you and listen to your words, but they do notact on them. What they act on is the lie in their mouths, and their hearts are set on dishonest gain.
32 For them you are only a ballad singer, with a pleasant voice and a clever touch. They listen to your words, but they will not obey them.	32 As far as they are concerned, you are like a love song pleasantly sung to a good musicalaccompaniment. They listen to your words, but no one acts on them.
33 But when it comes--and it is surely coming!-they shall know that there was a prophet among them.	33 When the thing takes place -- and it is beginning now -- they wil know that there has been a prophet among them.'