Ezekiel 18
The Fathers Ate Sour Grapes, and the Children’s Teeth Are Set on Edge
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The Proverb About the Fathers
18:1The Lord’s word came to me, saying,
18:2“Son of man, what is this proverb you have among Israel’s sons, saying, ‘The fathers ate unripe grapes, and the children’s teeth were set on edge’?
18:3As I live, says the Lord, this proverb shall certainly no longer be spoken in Israel.
18:4For all lives are Mine. As the father’s life, so also the son’s life—they are Mine. The person who sins is the one who will die.
The Righteous Person Will Live
18:5The person who is righteous, practicing judgment and righteousness,
18:6will not eat upon the mountains, certainly will not raise his eyes to the reflections of the house of Israel, certainly will not defile his neighbor’s wife, and will not approach a woman in her menstrual separation;
18:7he certainly will not oppress anyone, will return a debtor’s pledge, takes no plunder, will give his bread to the hungry, and will clothe the naked;
18:8he will not give his silver at interest or take increase, will turn his hand from injustice, and will render a righteous judgment between a man and his neighbor;
18:9he has walked in My commands and kept My ordinances to carry them out. This one is righteous; he will surely live, says the Lord.
The Pestilent Son
18:10But if he fathers a pestilent son who sheds blood and commits sins,
18:11he did not walk in the way of his righteous father, but even ate upon the mountains and defiled his neighbor’s wife,
18:12oppressed the poor and needy, seized plunder, did not return a pledge, set his eyes upon idols, and has committed lawlessness,
18:13gave at interest and took increase—this one certainly will not live. He committed all this lawlessness; he shall surely be put to death, and his blood will be upon him.
The Son Who Sees and Does Not Do the Same
18:14But if he fathers a son who sees all the sins his father committed, becomes afraid, and does not act according to them,
18:15he has not eaten upon the mountains, not set his eyes upon the reflections of the house of Israel, and not defiled his neighbor’s wife,
18:16has not oppressed anyone, not taken a pledge, and not seized plunder; he gave his bread to the hungry and clothed the naked,
18:17and turned his hand from injustice, did not take interest or increase, practiced righteousness and walked in My commands. He will not die in his father’s injustices; he will surely live.
18:18But if his father practiced affliction and seized plunder, he did contrary things in the midst of My people and will die in his injustice.
18:19You will say, ‘Why did the son not receive his father’s injustice?’ Because the son practiced righteousness and mercy, preserved all My ordinances and carried them out; he will surely live.
18:20The person who sins will die. The son will not receive his father’s injustice, nor the father his son’s injustice. The righteous person’s righteousness will be upon him, and the lawless person’s lawlessness upon him.
The Lawless Person Who Turns Will Live
18:21If the lawless person turns from all the lawlessness he committed, keeps all My commandments, and practices righteousness and mercy, he will surely live; he certainly will not die.
18:22None of the transgressions he committed will be remembered. By the righteousness he practiced, he will live.
18:23Surely I do not desire the lawless person’s death, says the Lord, as I desire his turning from his evil way and living?
18:24But when a righteous person turns from his righteousness and practices injustice according to all the lawlessness the lawless person committed, none of the righteous acts he did will be remembered. In the transgression he committed and the sins he sinned, in these he will die.
Does the Lord’s Way Not Run Straight?
18:25You said, ‘The Lord’s way does not run straight.’ Hear now, the whole house of Israel: Surely My way does not fail to run straight? Is it not your way that fails to run straight?
18:26When the righteous person turns from his righteousness, commits a transgression and dies, in the transgression he committed—in it he will die.
18:27When a lawless person turns from the lawlessness he practiced and does judgment and righteousness, this one has preserved his life
18:28and turned from all the impieties he committed; he will surely live, he certainly will not die.
18:29The house of Israel says, ‘The Lord’s way does not go right.’ Surely My way does not fail to go right, house of Israel? Is it not your way that fails to go right?
Cast Away All Your Impieties
18:30I will judge you, each according to his way, house of Israel, says the Lord. Turn back and turn away from all your impieties, and they will not become a punishment of injustice for you.
18:31Cast away from yourselves all your impieties with which you acted impiously against Me, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. Why are you dying, house of Israel?
18:32For I do not desire the death of the one who dies, says the Lord.”
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Saints Translation · Liturgical reading edition · V1 · working draft awaiting specialist review.