Ezekiel 17 - 18 - Legacy Standard Bible

Ezekiel 17 - 18

Parable of Two Eagles and a Vine

Now the word of Yahweh came to me saying, 2 “Son of man, propound a riddle and speak a parable to the house of Israel, 3 and you will say, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “A great eagle with great wings, long pinions, and a full plumage of many colors came to Lebanon and took away the top of the cedar. 4 He plucked off the topmost of its young twigs and brought it to a land of merchants; he set it in a city of traders. 5 He also took some of the seed of the land and planted it in a field fit for seed. He placed it beside abundant waters; he set it like a willow. 6 Then it sprouted and became a low, spreading vine with its foliage turned toward him, but its roots remained under it. So it became a vine and yielded shoots and sent out branches. 7 “But there was another great eagle with great wings and much plumage; and behold, this vine bent its roots toward him and sent out its foliage toward him from the beds where it was planted, that he might water it. 8 It was planted in a good field beside abundant waters, that it might yield branches and bear fruit and become a majestic vine.”’ 9 Say, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “Will it succeed? Will he not pull up its roots and cut off its fruit, so that it dries up—so that all its sprouting leaves dry up? And neither by great strength nor by many people can it be raised from its roots again. 10 And behold, though it is planted, will it succeed? Will it not completely dry up as soon as the east wind strikes it—dry up on the beds where it sprouted?”’”

The King Shall Die in Babylon

11 Moreover, the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 12 “Say now to the rebellious house, ‘Do you not know what these things mean?’ Say, ‘Behold, the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, took its king and princes, and brought them to him in Babylon. 13 He took one of the royal seed and cut a covenant with him and brought him under oath. He also took away the dominant one of the land, 14 that the kingdom might become lowly, not lifting itself up, but keeping his covenant that it might continue. 15 But he rebelled against him by sending his messengers to Egypt that they might give him horses and many troops. Will he succeed? Will he who does such things escape? Can he indeed break the covenant and escape? 16 As I live,’ declares Lord Yahweh, ‘Surely in the country of the king who made him king, whose oath he despised and whose covenant he broke, in Babylon he shall die. 17 And Pharaoh with his mighty military force and great assembly will not help him in the war, when they cast up ramps and build siege walls to cut off many lives. 18 Now he despised the oath by breaking the covenant, and behold, he pledged his allegiance, yet did all these things; he shall not escape.’” 19 Therefore, thus says Lord Yahweh, “As I live, surely My oath which he despised and My covenant which he broke, I will put on his head. 20 I will spread My net over him, and he will be caught in My snare. Then I will bring him to Babylon and enter into judgment with him there regarding the unfaithful act which he has committed against Me. 21 All the choice men in all his troops will fall by the sword, and the remnant will be scattered to every wind; and you will know that I, Yahweh, have spoken.” 22 Thus says Lord Yahweh, “I will also take a sprig from the lofty top of the cedar and set it out; I will pluck from the topmost of its young twigs a tender one, and I will plant it on an exalted and lofty mountain. 23 On the high mountain of Israel I will plant it, that it may lift up boughs and yield fruit and become a majestic cedar. And birds of every kind will dwell under it; they will dwell in the shade of its branches. 24 And all the trees of the field will know that I am Yahweh; I bring down the exalted tree, exalt the low tree, dry up the green tree, and make the dry tree flourish. I am Yahweh; I have spoken, and I will do it.”

The Soul Who Sins Will Die

Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 2 “What do you mean by using this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying,

‘The fathers eat the sour grapes,

But the children’s teeth are set on edge’?

3 As I live,” declares Lord Yahweh, “you are surely not going to use this proverb in Israel anymore. 4 Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine. The soul who sins will die. 5 “But if a man is righteous and does justice and righteousness, 6 and does not eat at the mountain shrines or lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, or defile his neighbor’s wife or approach a woman during her menstrual period— 7 if a man does not mistreat anyone, but returns to the debtor his pledge, does not commit robbery, but gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with clothing, 8 if he does not lend money on interest or take increase, if he turns his hand from injustice and does true justice between man and man, 9 if he walks in My statutes and My judgments and is careful to do the truth—he is righteous and will surely live,” declares Lord Yahweh. 10 “Then he may have a violent son who sheds blood and who does any of these things to a brother 11 (though he himself did not do any of these things), that is, he even eats at the mountain shrines and defiles his neighbor’s wife; 12 he mistreats the afflicted and needy, commits robbery, does not return a pledge, but lifts up his eyes to the idols and does abominations; 13 he lends money on interest and takes increase; will he live? He will not live! He has done all these abominations; he will surely be put to death; his blood will be on himself. 14 “Now behold, he has a son who has seen all his father’s sins which he has done. And he saw this but does not do likewise. 15 He does not eat at the mountain shrines or lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, or defile his neighbor’s wife 16 or mistreat anyone, or retain a pledge or commit robbery, but he gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with clothing; 17 he turns his hand away from the afflicted, does not take interest or increase, but does My judgments and walks in My statutes; he will not die for his father’s iniquity; he will surely live. 18 As for his father, because he practiced extortion, robbed his brother, and did what was not good among his people, behold, he will die for his iniquity. 19 “Yet you say, ‘Why should the son not bear the punishment for the father’s iniquity?’ But the son has done justice and righteousness and has kept all My statutes and done them. He shall surely live. 20 The soul who sins will die. The son will not bear the iniquity of the father, nor will the father bear the iniquity of the son; the righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself. 21 “But if the wicked man turns from all his sins which he has done and keeps all My statutes and does justice and righteousness, he shall surely live; he shall not die. 22 All his transgressions which he has done will not be remembered against him; because of his righteousness which he has done, he will live. 23 Do I have any pleasure in the death of the wicked,” declares Lord Yahweh, “is it not that he should turn from his ways and live? 24 “But when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness, does injustice, and does according to all the abominations that a wicked man does, will he live? All his righteous deeds which he has done will not be remembered for his unfaithfulness which he has committed and his sin which he has committed; for them he will die. 25 Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not right.’ Hear now, O house of Israel! Is My way not right? Is it not your ways that are not right? 26 When a righteous man turns away from his righteousness, does injustice, and dies because of it, for his injustice which he has done he will die. 27 Again, when a wicked man turns away from his wickedness which he has done and does justice and righteousness, he will preserve his life. 28 Again, he considered and turned away from all his transgressions which he had done; he shall surely live; he shall not die. 29 But the house of Israel says, ‘The way of the Lord is not right.’ Are My ways not right, O house of Israel? Is it not your ways that are not right? 30 “Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, each according to his way,” declares Lord Yahweh. “Turn back and turn away from all your transgressions, so that iniquity may not become a stumbling block to you. 31 Cast away from yourselves all your transgressions which you have committed and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Now why will you die, O house of Israel? 32 For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies,” declares Lord Yahweh. “Therefore, turn back and live.”