The Soul Who Sins Will Die

1And the word of YHWH came to me, saying: 2“What is it to you⁺ that you⁺ are quoting this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying,

‘The fathers eat sour grapes,

and the teeth of the sons are set on edge’?

3As I live, a declaration of the Lord YHWH, it will not be for you⁺ to quote this proverb any longer in Israel, 4behold, all souls, they are unto Me—as the soul of the father, also the soul of the son—they are unto Me: The soul that is sinning, it will die.

5And a man, if he is righteous and does justice and righteousness;

6if on the mountains he has not eaten,

and his eyes he has not lifted up to the idols of the house of Israel,

and the wife of his neighbor he has not defiled,

and toward a woman in her impurity he has not come near;

7he does not and a man oppressed, he does return

his pledge to the debtor;

with violence he has not robbed;

he gives his bread to the hungry

and he covers the naked with clothing;

8in usury he does not give,

and an increase he does not take;

he turns back his hand from iniquity;

he does true judgment between man and man.

9In My statutes, he walks

and he keeps My ordinances, to act in faithfulness;

he is righteous,

and he will surely live,

a declaration of the Lord YHWH.

10And if he begets a violent son, one shedding blood, or who does to a brother one of these things— 11and he has not done all of these things—

for even on the mountains he has eaten,

and the wife of his neighbor he has defiled;

12he has oppressed the poor and needy;

by violence he has plundered;

the pledge he does not return,

and to the idols he has lifted up his eyes;

an abomination he has done,

13in usury he has given,

and increase he has taken.

Will he live? He will not live! He has done all these abominations; he will surely die, and his blood will be upon him!

14And behold, If he begets a son, and he sees all the sins of his father that he has done—and he sees and does not do likewise—

15on the mountains he has not eaten;

and his eyes he has not lifted to the idols of the house of Israel;

the wife of his neighbor he has not defiled,

16and he has not oppressed a man;

he has not withheld a pledge with violence he has not robbed;

he has given his bread to the hungry

and the naked he has covered with clothing;

17he has turned back his hand from the poor;†

usury and increase he has not taken,

My ordinances he has done,

and in My statutes has walked.

He will not die for the iniquity of his father; he will surely live.

18His father, because he pressed with oppression, he robbed his brother by violence, and what is not good he has done in the midst of his people, behold, he will die for his iniquity.

19And you⁺ may say, ‘Why should not the son bear the guilt of the father?’

And the son has done justice and righteousness, all My statutes he has kept and he has done them; he will surely live.

20The soul sinning, it will die. The son will not bear the guilt of the father, and the father will not bear the guilt of the son; the righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself.

21And a wicked one, if he should turn away from all his sins that he has done, and should keep all My statutes, and do justice and righteousness, he will surely live; he will not die. 22All the transgressions that he has done will not be remembered against him; because of the righteousness that he has done, he will live. 23Do I take any delight in the death of the wicked? An utterance of the Lord YHWH. No, in his turning aside from his ways, and he lives?

24And in the turning away of a righteous man from his righteousness, and he has done iniquity according to all the abominations that the wicked one does, he does, then will he live? All the righteousness that he has done will not be remembered because of the unfaithfulness with which he was unfaithful and the sin that he has sinned; in them he will die.

25And you⁺ have said, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’

Hear now, O house of Israel: Is it My way that is not just? Is it not your⁺ ways that are not just?

26In the turning away of a righteous one from his righteousness, when he does iniquity and dies in it, because of the iniquity that he has done, he dies.

27And in the turning away of the wicked from the wickedness that he has done, when he does justice and righteousness, he will keep alive his soul. 28And he considers and turns away from all the transgressions that he had done; he will surely live; he will not die.

29And the house of Israel says, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’

Are My ways not just, O house of Israel? Is it not your⁺ ways that are not just?

30Therefore each man, according to his ways, I will judge you⁺, O house of Israel, a declaration of the Lord YHWH. Turn away and turn away from all your⁺ transgressions, and iniquity will not be unto you⁺ as a stumbling block. 31Cast away from you⁺ all the transgressions that you⁺ have transgressed by them, and make for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! For why should you⁺ die, O house of Israel?

32For I do not delight in the death of the one dying, a declaration of the Lord YHWH, turn back and live!