An Old Proverb about Israel
1 The word of the Lord came to me again, saying, 2 “What do you mean, quoting 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,” says the Lord God, “you shall not use this proverb any more in Israel. 4 All souls are mine. Like the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine. The soul who sins, he shall die.
5 Now suppose that a man is righteous and does what is just and right:
6 He does not eat on the mountain shrines
or lift his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel.
He does not defile his neighbor’s wife
or come near a woman in her impurity.
7 He does not wrong any
but restores to the debtor his pledge.
He takes nothing by robbery,
but gives his bread to the hungry
and covers the naked with a garment.
8 He does not lend to them with interest
or take any interest from them.
He withdraws his hand from iniquity
and executes true justice between men.
9 He walks in my statutes
and keeps my ordinances, to deal truly.
This is the man who is righteous.
He shall surely live,” says the Lord God.
10 “Suppose he fathers a son who is a robber who sheds blood or who does any one of these things, 11 though the father does not do any of them:
The son eats at the mountain shrines
and defiles his neighbor’s wife,
12 He wrongs the poor and needy
and commits robbery
and does not restore a pledge.
He lifts his eyes to idols
and commits abominations.
13 He lends with interest
and collects a profit from the poor.
Shall he then live? He shall not live. He does all these abominations. He shall surely die. His blood will be on his own head.
14 Now, if he fathers a son who sees all his father’s sins which he has committed and though he sees them, he does not do likewise:
15 He does not eat on the mountains
or raise his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel.
He does not defile his neighbor’s wife.
16 He does not wrong anyone
or take anything in pledge or robbery.
He gives his bread to the hungry
and covers the naked with a garment.
17 He withdraws his hand from oppressing the poor
or receiving interest or increase from them.
He executes my ordinances
and walks 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 and robbed his brother and did that which is not good among his people, he will die in his iniquity.”
The One Who Sins will Die
19 “Yet you say, ‘Why does the son not bear the iniquity of the father?’
When the son has done that which is lawful and right and has kept all my statutes and has done them, he will surely live.
20 The one who sins, he shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, nor shall the father bear the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be credited to the righteous one, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be credited to the wicked one.
21 But if the wicked one turns from all the sins that he has committed and keeps all my statutes and does that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live. He shall not die. 22 None of the transgressions that he has committed will be remembered against him. In the righteousness that he has practiced, he shall live. 23 Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked?” says the Lord God, “and not prefer that he should turn from his way, and live?
24 But when the righteous one turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity and does according to all the abominations that the wicked one does, should he live? None of the righteous deeds that he has done will be remembered. Because of his unfaithfulness and because of his sin, he shall die.
25 Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’
Hear now, house of Israel: Is my way not fair? Are your ways not unfair?
26 When the righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity and dies in it, in his iniquity that he has done he shall die.
27 Again, when the wicked man turns away from his wickedness that he has committed and does that which is lawful and right, he will save his soul. 28 Because he considers it and turns away from all the transgressions that he has committed, he shall surely live. He shall not die.
29 Yet the house of Israel says, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’
House of Israel, are my ways not fair? Are your ways not unfair?
30 Therefore I will judge you, house of Israel, everyone according to his ways,” says the Lord God. “Repent, and turn from all your transgressions, so iniquity will not be your ruin. 31 Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit, for why will you die, house of Israel? 32 For I have no pleasure in the death of the one who dies,” says the Lord God. “Therefore turn and live!”