Ezekiel 18

NEW JERUSALEM	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
1 The word of Yahweh was addressed to me as follows,	1 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:
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?	2 “Why is it that you circulate among yourselves this parable, as a proverb in the land of Israel, saying: ‘The fathers ate a bitter grape, and the teeth of the sons have been affected.’
3 'As I live -- declares the Lord Yahweh -- you wil have no further cause to repeat this proverb in Israel.	3 As I live, says the Lord God, this parable shall no longer be a proverb for you 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.	4 Behold, all souls are mine. Just as the soul of the father is mine, so also is the soul of the son. The soul that sins, the same shall die.
5 'But if a man is upright, his actions law-abiding and upright,	5 And if a man is just, and he accomplishes judgment and justice,
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,	6 and if he does not eat upon the mountains, nor lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, and if he has not violated the wife of his neighbor, nor approached a menstruating woman,
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,	7 and if he has not grieved any man, but has restored the collateral to the debtor, if he has seized nothing by violence, has given his bread to the hungry, and has covered the naked with a garment,
8 does not lend for profit, does not charge interest, abstains from evil, gives honest judgement betweenone person and another,	8 if he has not lent upon usury, nor taken any increase, if he has averted his hand from iniquity, and has executed true judgment between man and man,
9 keeps my laws and sincerely respects my judgements -- someone like this is truly upright and will live-- declares the Lord Yahweh.	9 if he has walked in my precepts and kept my judgments, so that he acts in accord with truth, then he is just; he shall certainly live, says the Lord God.
10 'But if he has a son prone to violence and bloodshed, who commits one of these misdeeds-	10 But if he raises a son who is a robber, who sheds blood, and who does any of these things,
11 even though the father never has -- a son who dares to eat on the mountains, who defiles hisneighbour's wife,	11 (even though he himself does not do any of these things,) and who eats upon the mountains, and who defiles the wife of his neighbor,
12 who oppresses the poor and needy, robs, fails to return pledges, raises his eyes to foul idols,engages in loathsome practices,	12 who grieves the needy and the poor, who seizes with violence, who does not restore the collateral, and who lifts up his eyes to idols, committing abomination,
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.	13 who lends upon usury, and who takes an increase, then shall he live? He shall not live. Since he has done all these detestable things, he shall certainly die. His blood shall be upon him.
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,	14 But if he raises a son, who, seeing all his father’s sins that he has done, is afraid and so does not act in a way similar to 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,	15 who does not eat upon the mountains, nor lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, and who does not violate the wife of his neighbor,
16 oppresses no one, takes no pledges, does not rob, gives his own food to the hungry, his clothes tothose who lack clothing,	16 and who has not grieved any man, nor withheld the collateral, nor seized by violence, but instead has given his bread to the hungry, and has covered the naked with a garment,
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.	17 who has averted his hand from injuring the poor, who has not taken usury and an overabundance, who has acted according to my judgments and walked in my precepts, then this one shall not die for the iniquity of his father; instead, he shall 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.	18 As for his father, because he oppressed and did violence to his brother, and worked evil in the midst of his people, behold, he has died by his own iniquity.
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.	19 And you say, ‘Why has not the son borne the iniquity of the father?’ Clearly, since the son has worked judgment and justice, has observed all my precepts, and has done them, he shall certainly 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.	20 The soul that sins, the same shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, and the father shall not bear the iniquity of the son. The justice of the just man shall be upon himself, but the impiety of the impious man shall be upon himself.
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.	21 But if the impious man does penance for all his sins which he has committed, and if he keeps all my precepts, and accomplishes judgment and justice, then he shall certainly live, and he shall 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.	22 I will not remember all his iniquities, which he has worked; by his justice, which he has worked, he shall live.
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?	23 How could it be my will that an impious man should die, says the Lord God, and not that he should be converted from his ways 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.	24 But if a just man turns himself away from his justice, and does iniquity in accord with all the abominations that the impious man so often does, why should he live? All his justices, which he has accomplished, shall not be remembered. By the transgression, in which he has transgressed, and by his sin, in which he has sinned, by these he shall 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?	25 And you have said, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ Therefore, listen, O house of Israel. How could it be that my way is not fair? And is it not instead your ways that are perverse?
26 When the upright abandons uprightness and does wrong and dies, he dies because of the wrongwhich he himself has done.	26 For when the just man turns himself away from his justice, and commits iniquity, he shall die by this; by the injustice that he has worked, he shall die.
27 Similarly, when the wicked abandons wickedness to become law-abiding and upright, he saves hisown life.	27 And when the impious man turns himself away from his impiety, which he has done, and accomplishes judgment and justice, he shall cause his own soul to live.
28 Having chosen to renounce al his previous crimes, he wil most certainly live: he wil not die.	28 For by considering and turning himself away from all his iniquities, which he has worked, he shall certainly live, and he shall 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?	29 And yet the sons of Israel say, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ How could it be that my ways are not fair, O house of Israel? And is it not instead your ways that are perverse?
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.	30 Therefore, O house of Israel, I will judge each one according to his ways, says the Lord God. Be converted, and do penance for all your iniquities, and then iniquity will not be your ruin.
31 Shake off all the crimes you have committed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit!Why die, House of Israel?	31 Cast all your transgressions, by which you have transgressed, away from you, and make for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. And then why should you die, O house of Israel?
32 I take no pleasure in the death of anyone -- declares the Lord Yahweh -- so repent and live!'	32 For I do not desire the death of one who dies, says the Lord God. So return and live.”