Ezekiel 18

¹ The word of Yahweh was addressed to me as follows,

² 'Why do you keep repeating this proverb in the land of Israel: The parents have eaten unripe grapes;and the children's teeth are set on edge?

³ 'As I live -- declares the Lord Yahweh -- you wil have no further cause to repeat this proverb in Israel.

⁴ Look, al life belongs to me; the father's life and the son's life, both alike belong to me. The one whohas sinned is the one to die.

⁵ 'But if a man is upright, his actions law-abiding and upright,

⁶ and he does not eat on the mountains or raise his eyes to the foul idols of the House of Israel, doesnot defile his neighbour's wife or touch a woman during her periods,

⁷ oppresses no one, returns the pledge on a debt, does not rob, gives his own food to the hungry, hisclothes to those who lack clothing,

⁸ does not lend for profit, does not charge interest, abstains from evil, gives honest judgement betweenone person and another,

⁹ keeps my laws and sincerely respects my judgements -- someone like this is truly upright and will live-- declares the Lord Yahweh.

¹⁰ 'But if he has a son prone to violence and bloodshed, who commits one of these misdeeds-

¹¹ even though the father never has -- a son who dares to eat on the mountains, who defiles hisneighbour's wife,

¹² who oppresses the poor and needy, robs, fails to return pledges, raises his eyes to foul idols,engages in loathsome practices,

¹³ lends for profit, or charges interest, such a person will by no means live; having committed al theseappal ing crimes he wil die, and his blood be on his own head.

¹⁴ 'But if he in turn has a son who, in spite of seeing al the sins that his father has committed, does notimitate him,

¹⁵ does not eat on the mountains or raise his eyes to the foul idols of the House of Israel, does notdefile his neighbour's wife,

¹⁶ oppresses no one, takes no pledges, does not rob, gives his own food to the hungry, his clothes tothose who lack clothing,

¹⁷ abstains from evil, does not lend for profit or charge interest, respects my judgements and keeps mylaws, he will not die for his father's sins: he wil most certainly live.

¹⁸ But his father, because he was violent, robbed others and never did good among his people, willmost certainly die in his guilt.

¹⁹ 'Now, you say, "Why doesn't the son bear his father's guilt?" If the son has been law-abiding andupright, has kept al my laws and fol owed them, most certainly he wil live.

²⁰ The one who has sinned is the one who must die; a son is not to bear his father's guilt, nor a fatherhis son's guilt. The upright wil be credited with his uprightness, and the wicked with his wickedness.

²¹ 'If the wicked, however, renounces al the sins he has committed, respects my laws and is law-abiding and upright, he wil most certainly live; he will not die.

²² None of the crimes he committed wil be remembered against him from then on; he wil most certainlylive because of his upright actions.

²³ Would I take pleasure in the death of the wicked -- declares the Lord Yahweh -- and not prefer to seehim renounce his wickedness and live?

²⁴ 'But if the upright abandons uprightness and does wrong by copying all the loathsome practices ofthe wicked, is he to live? Al his upright actions will be forgotten from then on; for the infidelity of which he isguilty and the sin which he has committed, he wil most certainly die.

²⁵ 'Now, you say, "What the Lord does is unjust." Now listen, House of Israel: is what I do unjust? Is itnot what you do that is unjust?

²⁶ When the upright abandons uprightness and does wrong and dies, he dies because of the wrongwhich he himself has done.

²⁷ Similarly, when the wicked abandons wickedness to become law-abiding and upright, he saves hisown life.

²⁸ Having chosen to renounce al his previous crimes, he wil most certainly live: he wil not die.

²⁹ And yet the House of Israel says, "What the Lord does is unjust." Is what I do unjust, House of Israel?Is it not what you do that is unjust?

³⁰ So in future, House of Israel, I shal judge each of you by what that person does -- declares the LordYahweh. Repent, renounce al your crimes, avoid al occasions for guilt.

³¹ Shake off all the crimes you have committed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit!Why die, House of Israel?

³² I take no pleasure in the death of anyone -- declares the Lord Yahweh -- so repent and live!'