Again the
word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
02 Son of man, speak to the children of thy
people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword
upon a land, if the people of the land take a man
of their coasts, and set him for their watchman:
03 If when he seeth the sword come upon the land,
he blow the trumpet, and warn the people;
04 Then whosoever heareth the sound of the
trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword
come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon
his own head.
05 He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took
not warning; his blood shall be upon him. But he
that taketh warning shall deliver his soul.
06 But if the watchman see the sword come, and
blow not the trumpet, and the people be not
warned; if the sword come, and take any person
from among them, he is taken away in his
iniquity; but his blood will I require at the
watchman's hand.
07 So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a
watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou
shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them
from me.
08 When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou
shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn
the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall
die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require
at thine hand.
09 Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his
way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his
way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast
delivered thy soul.
10 Therefore, O thou son of man, speak unto the
house of Israel; Thus ye speak, saying, If our
transgressions and our sins be upon us, and we
pine away in them, how should we then live?
11 Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord God,
I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked;
but that the wicked turn from his way and live:
turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why
will ye die, O house of Israel?
12 Therefore, thou son of man, say unto the
children of thy people, The righteousness of the
righteous shall not deliver him in the day of his
transgression: as for the wickedness of the
wicked, he shall not fall thereby in the day that
he turneth from his wickedness; neither shall the
righteous be able to live for his righteousness
in the day that he sinneth.
13 When I shall say to the righteous, that he
shall surely live; if he trust to his own
righteousness, and commit iniquity, all his
righteousnesses shall not be remembered; but for
his iniquity that he hath committed, he shall die
for it.
14 Again, when I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt
surely die; if he turn from his sin, and do that
which is lawful and right;
15 If the wicked restore the pledge, give again
that he had robbed, walk in the statutes of life,
without committing iniquity; he shall surely
live, he shall not die.
16 None of his sins that he hath committed shall
be mentioned unto him: he hath done that which is
lawful and right; he shall surely live.
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17 Yet the children of thy people say, The way of
the Lord is not equal: but as for them, their way
is not equal.
18 When the righteous turneth from his
righteousness, and committeth iniquity, he shall
even die thereby.
19 But if the wicked turn from his wickedness,
and do that which is lawful and right, he shall
live thereby.
20 Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal.
O ye house of Israel, I will judge you every one
after his ways.
21 And it came to pass in the twelfth year of our
captivity, in the tenth month, in the fifth day
of the month, that one that had escaped out of
Jerusalem came unto me, saying, The city is
smitten.
22 Now the hand of the Lord was upon me in the
evening, afore he that was escaped came; and had
opened my mouth, until he came to me in the
morning; and my mouth was opened, and I was no
more dumb.
23 Then the word of the Lord came unto me,
saying,
24 Son of man, they that inhabit those wastes of
the land of Israel speak, saying, Abraham was
one, and he inherited the land: but we are many;
the land is given us for inheritance.
25 Wherefore say unto them, Thus saith the Lord
God; Ye eat with the blood, and lift up your eyes
toward your idols, and shed blood: and shall ye
possess the land?
26 Ye stand upon your sword, ye work abomination,
and ye defile every one his neighbour's wife: and
shall ye possess the land?
27 Say thou thus unto them, Thus saith the Lord
God; As I live, surely they that are in the
wastes shall fall by the sword, and him that is
in the open field will I give to the beasts to be
devoured, and they that be in the forts and in
the caves shall die of the pestilence.
28 For I will lay the land most desolate, and the
pomp of her strength shall cease; and the
mountains of Israel shall be desolate, that none
shall pass through.
29 Then shall they know that I am the Lord, when
I have laid the land most desolate because of all
their abominations which they have committed.
30 Also, thou son of man, the children of thy
people still are talking against thee by the
walls and in the doors of the houses, and speak
one to another, every one to his brother, saying,
Come, I pray you, and hear what is the word that
cometh forth from the Lord.
31 And they come unto thee as the people cometh,
and they sit before thee as my people, and they
hear thy words, but they will not do them: for
with their mouth they shew much love, but their
heart goeth after their covetousness.
32 And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely
song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can
play well on an instrument: for they hear thy
words, but they do them not.
33 And when this cometh to pass, (lo, it will
come,) then shall they know that a prophet hath
been among them.
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