And the word of the LORD
came
to me, saying
,
"Son of man
, speak
to the asons
of your people
and say
to them, `If
I bring
a sword
upon a land
, and the people
of the land
take
one
man
from among
them and make
him their watchman
,
and he sees the sword
coming
upon the land
and ablows
on the trumpet
and warns
the people
,
then he who hears the sound
of the trumpet
and adoes not take
warning
, and a sword
comes
and takes
him away, his bblood
will be on his own head
.
`He heard the sound
of the trumpet
but did not take
warning
; his blood
will be on himself. But had he taken
warning
, he would have adelivered
his life
.
`But if the watchman
sees
the sword
coming
and does not blow
the trumpet
and the people
are not warned
, and a sword
comes
and takes
a person
from them, he is ataken
away 1in his iniquity
; but his bblood
I will require
from the watchman's
hand
.'
"Now as for you, son of man
, I have 1 aappointed
you a watchman
for the house
of Israel
; so you will hear
a 2message
from My mouth
and give
them bwarning
from Me.
"When I say to the wicked
, `O wicked
man
, you will asurely
die
,' and you do not speak
to warn
the wicked
from his way
, that wicked
man
shall die
in his iniquity
, but his blood
I will require
from your hand
.
"But if you on your part
warn
a wicked
man
to turn
from his way
and he adoes not turn
from his way
, he will die
in his iniquity
, but you have bdelivered
your life
.
"Now as for you, son of man
, say
to the house
of Israel
, `Thus
you have spoken
, saying
, "Surely
our transgressions
and our sins
are upon us, and we are arotting
away
in them; bhow
then can we 1survive
?"'
"Say to them, ` aAs I live
!' declares
the Lord
1GOD
, `I take
bno
pleasure
in the death
of the wicked
, but rather
that the wicked
cturn
from his way
and live
. dTurn
back
, turn
back
from your evil
ways
! Why
then will you die
, O house
of Israel
?'
"And you, son of man
, say
to 1your fellow
citizens
, `The arighteousness
of a righteous
man
will not deliver
him in the day
of his transgression
, and as for the wickedness
of the wicked
, he will bnot stumble
because of it in the day
when he turns
from his wickedness
; whereas a righteous
man
will not be able
to live
2by his righteousness on the day
when he commits
sin
.'
"When I say to the righteous
he will surely
live
, and he so trusts
in his righteousness
that he acommits
iniquity
, none
of his righteous
deeds
will be remembered
; but in that same iniquity
of his which
he has committed
he will die
.
"But when I say to the wicked
, `You will surely
die
,' and he aturns
from his sin
and practices
bjustice
and righteousness
,
if a wicked man
restores
a pledge
, apays
back
what
he has taken
by robbery
, walks
by the bstatutes
1which ensure life
without
committing
iniquity
, he shall surely
live
; he shall not die
.
" aNone of his sins
that he has committed
will be remembered
against him. He has practiced
justice
and righteousness
; he shall surely
live
.
"Yet 1your fellow citizens
say
, `The way
of the Lord
is not right
,' when it is their own way
that is not right
.
"When the righteous turns
from his righteousness
and acommits
iniquity
, then he shall die
in 1it.
"But when the wicked turns
from his wickedness
and practices
justice
and righteousness
, he will live
by them.
"Yet you say, ` aThe way
of the Lord
is not right
.' O house
of Israel
, I will judge
each
of you according to his ways
."
Now ain the btwelfth year
of our exile
, on the fifth
of the tenth
month
, the 1refugees
from Jerusalem
came
to me, saying
, " cThe city
has been 2taken
."
Now the ahand of the LORD
had been
upon me in the evening
, before
the 1refugees
came
. And He bopened
my mouth
2at the time
they came
to me in the morning
; so my mouth
was copened
and I was no
longer
3speechless
.
Then the word of the LORD
came
to me saying
,
"Son of man
, they who alive
in these
waste
places
in the land
of Israel
are saying
, ` bAbraham
was only one
, yet he possessed
the land
; so to cus who
are many
the land
has been given
as a possession
.'
"Therefore say
to them, `Thus
says
the Lord
GOD
, "You eat
meat with the ablood
in it, lift
up your eyes
to your idols
as you shed
blood
. bShould you then possess
the land
?
"You 1 arely on your sword
, you commit
abominations
and each
of you defiles
his neighbor's
wife
. Should you then possess
the land
?"'
"Thus you shall say
to them, `Thus
says
the Lord
GOD
, "As I live
, surely
those who
are in the waste
places
will afall
by the sword
, and whoever
is in the 1open
field
I will give
to the beasts
to be devoured
, and those who
are in the strongholds
and in the bcaves
will die
of pestilence
.
"I will amake the land
a desolation
and a waste
, and the bpride
of her power
will cease
; and the mountains
of Israel
will be desolate
so
that no
one
will pass
through
.
"Then they will know that I am the LORD
, when I make
the land
a desolation
and a waste
because
of all
their abominations
which
they have committed
."'
"But as for you, son of man
, 1your fellow
citizens
who talk
about you by the walls
and in the doorways
of the houses
, speak
to one
another
, each
to his brother
, saying
, ` aCome
now
and hear
what
the 2message
is which comes
forth
from the LORD
.'
"They come to you as people
come
, and sit
before
you as My people
and hear
your words
, but they do not do
them, for they do
the lustful
desires
expressed by their amouth
, and their heart
goes
after
their bgain
.
"Behold, you are to them like a sensual
song
by one who has a abeautiful
voice
and plays
well
on an instrument; for they hear
your words
but they do not practice
them.
"So when it acomes to pass
-- 1as surely
it will--then they will know
that a prophet
has been
in their midst
."