Ezekiel 18

1 The word of the Lord came to me. 2 “Son of man, why do you repeat this proverb among the people of Israel: ‘The fathers ate unripe grapes, and the children’s teeth were set on edge’?” 3 “As I live, says the Lord, you will no longer repeat this proverb in Israel.” 4 “Every life belongs to me—the father’s life and the son’s life alike. The person who sins will die.” 5 “Suppose a man is righteous and does what is just and right.” 6 “He does not eat sacrifices on the mountains or lift his eyes to the devisings of the house of Israel. He does not defile his neighbor’s wife or approach a woman during her period.” 7 “He oppresses no one, returns a debtor’s pledge, and commits no robbery. He gives his bread to the hungry and clothes the naked.” 8 “He does not lend at interest or take excessive profit. He turns his hand away from wrongdoing and judges fairly between one person and another.” 9 “He walks in my decrees, keeps my rules, and follows them. That man is righteous; he will certainly live, says the Lord.” 10 “But suppose he fathers a troublemaking son who sheds blood and commits sins.” 11 “The son does not follow his righteous father’s way. He eats sacrifices on the mountains and defiles his neighbor’s wife.” 12 “He oppresses the poor and needy, commits robbery, refuses to return a pledge, lifts his eyes to idols, and does what is lawless.” 13 “He lends at interest and takes excessive profit. He will certainly not live. Because he has done all these lawless deeds, he will certainly die; his blood will be on his own head.” 14 “But suppose this man fathers a son who sees all his father’s sins, is afraid, and refuses to follow them.” 15 “He does not eat sacrifices on the mountains, lift his eyes to the devisings of the house of Israel, or defile his neighbor’s wife.” 16 “He oppresses no one, withholds no pledge, and commits no robbery. He gives his bread to the hungry and clothes the naked.” 17 “He turns his hand away from wrongdoing, takes neither interest nor excessive profit, does what is right, and walks in my decrees. He will not die for his father’s wrongdoings; he will certainly live.” 18 “His father, however, practiced oppression and robbery and acted in opposition among my people. He will die for his own wrongdoing.” 19 “You ask, ‘Why has the son not carried his father’s wrongdoing?’ Because the son did what was just and merciful, kept all my practices, and followed them. He will certainly live.” 20 “The person who sins will die. A son will not carry his father’s wrongdoing, and a father will not carry his son’s wrongdoing. A righteous person’s righteousness will rest on that person, and a lawless person’s lawlessness will rest on that lawless person.” 21 “But if the lawless person turns away from all the lawless deeds he committed, keeps all my commands, and does what is just and merciful, he will certainly live and will not die.” 22 “None of the offenses he committed will be remembered against him. Because of the righteousness he now practices, he will live.” 23 “Do I desire the lawless person’s death at all, says the Lord, rather than that he turn from his evil way and live?” † 24 “But if a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits wrongdoing like all the lawless deeds the lawless person did, none of the righteous things he did will be remembered. He will die for the offense he committed and the sins he sinned.” 25 “Yet you say, ‘The Lord’s way is not straight.’ Listen, house of Israel: Is my way not straight? Is it not your way that is crooked?” 26 “When a righteous person turns away from righteousness, commits an offense, and dies, that person dies because of the offense committed.” 27 “But when a lawless person turns away from the lawlessness he committed and does what is just and right, that person preserves their own life.” 28 “He turned away from all the ungodly things he did; he will certainly live and will not die.” 29 “Yet the house of Israel says, ‘The Lord’s way is not right.’ Are my ways not right, house of Israel? Is it not your way that is wrong?” 30 “I will judge each of you according to your own way, house of Israel, says the Lord. Turn back and turn away from all your ungodliness, so wrongdoing will not become your punishment.” 31 “Throw away all the ungodliness you have committed against me, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. Why should you die, house of Israel?” 32 “I do not desire the death of anyone who dies, says the Lord.” [a]