Ezekiel 13 - 18 — Legacy Standard Bible

Yahweh’s Wrath Against Lying Prophets

13Then the word of Yahweh came to me saying, ²“Son of man, prophesy against the ^aprophets of Israel who prophesy, and say to those who prophesy from their own heart, ‘^bHear the word of Yahweh! ³‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “Woe to the ^awickedly foolish prophets who are walking after their own spirit and have ^bseen nothing. ⁴“O Israel, your prophets have been like foxes among waste places. ⁵“You have not ^agone up into the ^bbreaches, nor did you build the wall around the house of Israel to stand in the battle on the ^cday of Yahweh. ⁶“They behold ^aworthlessness and lying divination who are saying, ‘Yahweh declares,’ when Yahweh has not sent them; ^byet they wait for the establishing of their word. ⁷“^aDid you not see a worthless vision and speak a lying divination when you said, ‘Yahweh declares,’ but it is not I who have spoken?”’”

⁸Therefore, thus says Lord Yahweh, “Because you have spoken worthlessness and beheld a lie, therefore behold, ^aI am against you,” declares Lord Yahweh. ⁹“So My hand will be against the ^aprophets who see worthless visions and utter lying divinations. They will not be in the council of My people, ^bnor will they be written down in the register of the house of Israel, nor will they enter the land of Israel, ¹that you may know that I am Lord Yahweh. ¹⁰“It is definitely because they have ^amisled My people by saying, ‘^bPeace!’ when there is ^cno peace. And when anyone builds a wall, behold, they plaster it over with whitewash; ¹¹so tell those who plaster it over with whitewash that it will fall. A ^aflooding rain will come, and you, O hailstones, will fall; and a stormy wind will break out. ¹²“Now behold, the wall will fall. Will it then not be said to you, ‘Where is the plaster with which you plastered it?’” ¹³Therefore, thus says Lord Yahweh, “I will make a stormy wind break out in My wrath. There will also be in My anger a flooding rain and ^ahailstones to consume it in wrath. ¹⁴“So I will pull down the wall which you plastered over with whitewash and bring it down to the ground, so that its ^afoundation is laid bare; and it will fall, and you will be ^bconsumed in its midst. And you will ^cknow that I am Yahweh. ¹⁵“Thus I will spend My wrath on the wall and on those who have plastered it over with whitewash; and I will say to you, ‘The wall ¹is gone, and its plasterers are gone— ¹⁶the prophets of Israel who prophesy to Jerusalem and who ^asee visions of peace for her when there is ^bno peace,’ declares Lord Yahweh.

¹⁷“Now as for you, son of man, set your face against the daughters of your people who are ^aprophesying ^bfrom their own heart. Prophesy against them ¹⁸and say, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “Woe to the women who sew magic bands on ¹all wrists and make veils for the heads of persons of every stature to ^ahunt down ²souls! Will you hunt down My people’s souls, but preserve your own souls? ¹⁹“^aFor handfuls of barley and fragments of bread, you have profaned Me to My people to put to death souls who should not die and to ^bkeep other souls alive who should not live, by your lying to My people who listen to lies.”’”

²⁰Therefore, thus says Lord Yahweh, “Behold, I am against your magic bands by which you hunt souls there as ¹birds, and I will tear them from your arms; and I will let their souls go, the very souls whom you hunt as ²birds. ²¹“I will also tear off your veils and ^adeliver My people from your hands, and they will no longer be in your hands to be hunted; and you will know that I am Yahweh. ²²“Because you ^adisheartened the righteous with falsehood when I did not cause him grief, but have ^bstrengthened the hands of the wicked not to ^cturn from his evil way and preserve his life, ²³therefore, you women will no longer see ^aworthless visions or practice divination, and I will ^bdeliver My people out of your hand. Thus you will ^cknow that I am Yahweh.”

Idolatrous Elders Punished

14Then some ^aelders of Israel came to me and ^bsat down before me. ²And the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, ³“Son of man, these men have ^aset up their idols in their hearts and have ^bput right before their faces the stumbling block of their iniquity. Should I be ^cinquired by them at all? ⁴“Therefore speak to them and tell them, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “Any man of the house of Israel who sets up his idols in his heart, puts right before his face the stumbling block of his iniquity, and then comes to the prophet, I Yahweh will be brought to give him an answer ¹in light of it, ²in light of the ^amultitude of his idols, ⁵in order to seize the house of Israel by ^atheir heart, those who are ¹^,^bestranged from Me through all their idols.”’

⁶“Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “¹^,^aTurn back and turn away from your idols and turn your faces away from all your ^babominations. ⁷“For anyone of the house of Israel or of the ^asojourners who sojourn in Israel who separates himself from Me, sets up his idols in his heart, puts right before his face the stumbling block of his iniquity, and then comes to the prophet to inquire of Me for himself, ^bI, Yahweh, will be brought to answer him in My own person. ⁸“I will ^aset My face against that man and make him a ^bsign and ¹a proverb, and I will cut him off from among My people. So you will know that I am Yahweh.

⁹“But if the prophet is enticed to speak a word, it is I, Yahweh, who have enticed that prophet, and I will stretch out My hand against him and ^adestroy him from among My people Israel. ¹⁰“They will bear the punishment of their iniquity; as the iniquity of the inquirer is, so the iniquity of the prophet will be, ¹¹in order that the house of Israel may no longer ^awander from Me and no longer ^bdefile themselves with all their transgressions. Thus they will be ^cMy people, and I shall be their God,”’ declares Lord Yahweh.”

Calamitous Judgments of Jerusalem

¹²Then the word of Yahweh came to me saying, ¹³“Son of man, if a country sins against Me by ^acommitting unfaithfulness, and I stretch out My hand against it, break its ^bstaff of bread, send famine against it, and cut off from it both man and beast, ¹⁴even ^athough these three men, ^bNoah, ^cDaniel, and ^dJob were in its midst, by their own righteousness they could only deliver ^ethemselves,” declares Lord Yahweh. ¹⁵“If I were to cause ^awild beasts to pass through the land and they bereaved it of children and it became desolate so that no one would pass through it because of the beasts, ¹⁶though these three men were in its midst, as I live,” declares Lord Yahweh, “they could not deliver either their sons or their daughters. ^aThey alone would be delivered, but the country would become desolate. ¹⁷“Or if I should ^abring a sword on that country and say, ‘Let the sword pass through the country and ^bcut off man and beast from it,’ ¹⁸even though these three men were in its midst, as I live,” declares Lord Yahweh, “they could not deliver either their sons or their daughters, but they alone would be delivered. ¹⁹“Or if I should send a ^aplague against that country and pour out My wrath in blood on it to cut off man and beast from it, ²⁰even though Noah, Daniel, and Job were in its midst, as I live,” declares Lord Yahweh, “they could not deliver either their son or their daughter. They would deliver only themselves by their righteousness.”

²¹For thus says Lord Yahweh, “How much more when ^aI send My four calamitous judgments against Jerusalem: sword, famine, wild beasts, and plague to cut off man and beast from it! ²²“Yet, behold, ¹survivors will be left in it who will be brought out, both sons and daughters. Behold, they are going to come forth to you, and you will ^asee their way and actions; then you will be ^bcomforted for the calamity which I have brought against Jerusalem for everything which I have brought upon it. ²³“Then they will comfort you when you see their way and actions, so you will know that I have not done ^ain vain all that I did ¹to it,” declares Lord Yahweh.

Is Jerusalem Useful for Anything?

15Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, ²“Son of man, how is the wood of the ^avine better than any wood of a branch which is among the trees of the forest? ³“Can wood be taken from it to make ¹anything, or can men take a peg from it on which to hang any vessel? ⁴“¹If it has been put into the ^afire for fuel, and the fire has consumed both of its ends, and its middle part has been charred, is it then useful for ²anything? ⁵“Behold, while it is intact, it is not made into ¹anything. How much less, when the fire has consumed it and it is charred, can it still be made into ²anything! ⁶“Therefore, thus says Lord Yahweh, ‘As the wood of the vine among the trees of the forest, which I have given to the fire for fuel, so have I given up the inhabitants of Jerusalem; ⁷and I will ^agive My face to be against them. Though they have ^bcome out of the fire, yet the fire will consume them. Then you will know that I am Yahweh, when I set My face against them. ⁸‘Thus I will give over the land to desolation because they have ^aacted unfaithfully,’” declares Lord Yahweh.

Jerusalem Plays the Harlot

16Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, ²“Son of man, ^amake known to Jerusalem her abominations ³and say, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh to Jerusalem, “Your origin and your birth are from the land of the Canaanite; your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite. ⁴“As for your birth, ^aon the day you were born your navel cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water for cleansing; you were not rubbed with salt or even wrapped in cloths. ⁵“No eye had pity on you to do any of these things for you, to have compassion on you. Rather you were thrown out into the ¹^,^aopen field, for your soul was abhorred on the day you were born.

⁶“Then I passed by you and saw you squirming in your blood. So I said to you while you were in your blood, ‘Live!’ Indeed I said to you while you were in your blood, ‘Live!’ ⁷“I ^amade you ¹numerous like plants of the field. Then you grew up, became tall, and came into the age for fine ornaments; your breasts were formed, and your hair had grown. Yet you were naked and bare.

⁸“Then I passed by you and saw you, and behold, ¹you were at the time for love; so I ^aspread My skirt over you and covered your nakedness. I also ^bswore to you and ^centered into a covenant with you so that you ^dbecame Mine,” declares Lord Yahweh. ⁹“Then I washed you with water, rinsed your blood off from you, and ^aanointed you with oil. ¹⁰“I also clothed you with ^aembroidered cloth and put sandals of porpoise skin on your feet; and I wrapped you with fine linen and covered you with silk. ¹¹“I also adorned you with ornaments and put ^abracelets on your hands and a ^bnecklace around your neck. ¹²“I also put a ^aring in your nose, earrings in your ears, and a ^bsplendid crown on your head. ¹³“Thus you were adorned with ^agold and silver, and your clothing was of fine linen, silk, and embroidered cloth. You ate fine flour, honey, and oil; so you were exceedingly beautiful and advanced to ^broyalty. ¹⁴“Then your ^aname went forth among the nations on account of your beauty, for it was ^bperfect because of My majesty which I set on you,” declares Lord Yahweh.

¹⁵“But you ^atrusted in your beauty and ^bplayed the harlot because of your name, and you poured out your harlotries on every passer-by ¹who might be willing. ¹⁶“You took some of your clothes, made for yourself high places of various colors, and played the harlot on them, ¹which should never come about nor happen. ¹⁷“You also took your splendid ¹^,^ajewelry made of My gold and of My silver, which I had given you, and made for yourself male images that you might play the harlot with them. ¹⁸“Then you took your embroidered cloth and covered them and gave My oil and My incense before them. ¹⁹“Also ^aMy bread which I gave you, fine flour, oil, and honey with which I had you eat, you gave before them for a soothing aroma; so it happened,” declares Lord Yahweh. ²⁰“Moreover, you took your sons and daughters, whom you had borne to ^aMe, and ^bsacrificed them to ¹idols to be devoured. Were your harlotries so small a matter? ²¹“You slaughtered ^aMy children and gave them up to ¹idols by ^bcausing them to pass through the fire. ²²“Besides all your abominations and harlotries you did not remember the days of ^ayour youth, when you were naked and bare—you were squirming in your blood!

²³“Now it happened after all your evil—‘Woe, woe to you!’ declares Lord Yahweh— ²⁴that you built yourself a ^ashrine and made yourself a ^bhigh place in every square. ²⁵“You built yourself a high place at the head of ^aevery street and made your beauty abominable, and you spread your legs to every passer-by to multiply your harlotry. ²⁶“You also played the harlot with the Egyptians, your ¹lustful neighbors, and you multiplied your harlotry to ^aprovoke Me to anger. ²⁷“Behold now, I have stretched out My hand against you and cut off your rations. And I gave you up to the desire of those who hate you, the ^adaughters of the Philistines, who are ashamed of your lewd way. ²⁸“Moreover, you played the harlot with the ^aAssyrians because you were not satisfied; you played the harlot with them and still were not satisfied. ²⁹“You also multiplied your harlotry with the land of merchants, Chaldea, yet even with this you were not satisfied.”’”

³⁰“How ^alanguishing is your heart,” declares Lord Yahweh, “while you do all these things, the actions of a ¹^,^bbold-faced harlot. ³¹“When you built your shrine at the head of every way and made your high place in every square, in ^adisdaining your earnings, you were not like a harlot. ³²“You adulteress wife, who takes strangers instead of her husband! ³³“¹Men give gifts to all harlots, but you ^agive your gifts to all your lovers to bribe them to come to you from all around for your harlotries. ³⁴“Thus you are the opposite of those women in your harlotries, in that no one plays the harlot ¹as you do, because you give away your earnings and no earnings are given to you; thus you are the opposite.”

³⁵Therefore, O harlot, hear the word of Yahweh. ³⁶Thus says Lord Yahweh, “Because your lewdness was poured out and your nakedness uncovered through your harlotries with your lovers and with all your abominable ^aidols, and because of the blood of your sons which you gave to ¹idols, ³⁷therefore, behold, I will ^agather all your lovers with whom you took pleasure, even all those whom you loved and all those whom you ^bhated. So I will gather them against you from all around and ^cuncover your nakedness to them that they may see all your nakedness. ³⁸“Thus I will ^ajudge you like women who commit adultery or shed blood are judged; and I will bring on you the blood of ^bwrath and jealousy. ³⁹“I will also give you into ¹the hands of your lovers, and they will pull down your shrines, tear down your high places, ^astrip you of your clothing, take away your ²splendid jewelry, and will leave you naked and bare. ⁴⁰“They will bring up an ^aassembly against you, and they will stone you and cut you to pieces with their swords. ⁴¹“They will ^aburn your houses with fire and execute judgments on you in the sight of many women. Then I will ^bmake you cease from playing the harlot, and you will also no longer give ¹your earnings to your lovers. ⁴²“So I ^awill ¹cause My wrath against you to be at rest, and My jealousy will depart from you, and I will be quiet, and I will ^bnot be provoked anymore. ⁴³“Because you have ^anot remembered the days of your youth but ¹have ^benraged Me by all these things, behold, I in turn will ^cbring your way down on your own head,” declares Lord Yahweh, “so that you will not commit this lewdness on top of all your other abominations.

⁴⁴“Behold, everyone who quotes ^aproverbs will quote this proverb concerning you, saying, ‘¹Like mother, ²like daughter.’ ⁴⁵“You are the daughter of your mother, who loathed her husband and children. You are also the ^asister of your sisters, who ^bloathed their husbands and children. Your mother was a Hittite and your father an Amorite. ⁴⁶“Now your ^aolder sister is Samaria, who lives ¹north of you with her ²daughters; and your younger sister, who lives ³south of you, is ^bSodom with her daughters. ⁴⁷“Yet you have not merely walked in their ways or done according to their abominations; but, as if that were ^atoo little, you acted ^bmore corruptly in all your ways than they. ⁴⁸“As I live,” declares Lord Yahweh, “Sodom your sister and her daughters have ^anot done as you and your daughters have done. ⁴⁹“Behold, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had ^alofty pride, ^babundant food, and ^cquiet ease, but she did not strengthen the hand of the ^dafflicted and needy. ⁵⁰“Then they were haughty and committed ^aabominations before Me. So I ^bremoved them ¹when I saw it. ⁵¹“Furthermore, Samaria did not commit half of your sins, for you have multiplied your abominations more than they. Thus you have made your sisters appear ^arighteous by all your abominations which you have done. ⁵²“Also bear your dishonor in that you have ¹made judgment favorable for your sisters. Because of your sins in which you acted ^amore abominably than they, they are more in the right than you. Yes, be also ashamed and bear your dishonor, in that you made your sisters appear righteous.

⁵³“Nevertheless, I will ¹return their captivity, the captivity of Sodom and her daughters, the captivity of Samaria and her daughters, and ²along with them ³your own captivity, ⁵⁴in order that you may bear your dishonor and feel ^adishonor for all that you have done when you become ^ba comfort to them. ⁵⁵“Your sisters, Sodom with her daughters and Samaria with her daughters, ¹will return to their former state, and you with your daughters will also return to your former state. ⁵⁶“As the name of your sister Sodom was not heard in your mouth in your day of lofty pride, ⁵⁷before your ^awickedness was uncovered, ¹so now you have become the ^breproach of the daughters of ²Edom and of all who are around her, of the daughters of the Philistines—those all around you who despise you. ⁵⁸“You have ^aborne the penalty of your lewdness and abominations,” declares Yahweh. ⁵⁹For thus says Lord Yahweh, “I will also do with you as you have done, you who have ^adespised the oath by breaking the covenant.

Yahweh’s Everlasting Covenant

⁶⁰“Nevertheless, I Myself will remember My covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish an ^aeverlasting covenant with you. ⁶¹“Then you will ^aremember your ways and feel dishonor when you receive your sisters, both your older and your younger; and I will give them to you as daughters, but not because of your covenant. ⁶²“Thus I will ^aestablish My covenant with you, and you shall ^bknow that I am Yahweh, ⁶³so that you may ^aremember and be ashamed and ^bnever open your mouth anymore because of your dishonor, when I have ^catoned for you for all that you have done,” declares Lord Yahweh.

Parable of Two Eagles and a Vine

17Now the word of Yahweh came to me saying, ²“Son of man, propound a riddle and speak a ^aparable to the house of Israel, ³and you will say, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “A great ^aeagle with ^bgreat wings, long pinions, and a full plumage of ¹many colors came to ^cLebanon 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 ^afield fit for seed. He ¹placed it beside abundant waters; he set it like a ^bwillow. 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 ¹another 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 ^aplanted, 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 ¹strength 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 ^acompletely dry up as soon as the east wind strikes it—dry up on the beds where it sprouted?”’”

The King Shall Die in Babylon

¹¹Moreover, the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, ¹²“Say now to the ^arebellious house, ‘Do you not ^bknow what these things mean?’ Say, ‘Behold, the ^cking of Babylon came to Jerusalem, took its king and princes, and brought them to him in Babylon. ¹³‘He took one of the royal ^aseed and cut a covenant with him and brought him under ^boath. He also took away the ^cdominant one of the land, ¹⁴that the kingdom might ¹^,^abecome lowly, not lifting itself up, but keeping his covenant that it might continue. ¹⁵‘But he ^arebelled against him by sending his messengers to Egypt that they might give him horses and many ¹troops. Will he succeed? Will he who does such things ^bescape? Can he indeed break the covenant and escape? ¹⁶‘As I live,’ declares Lord Yahweh, ‘Surely in the ¹country of the king who made him king, whose oath he ^adespised and whose covenant he broke, ²^,^bin Babylon he shall die. ¹⁷‘^aAnd Pharaoh with his mighty military force and great assembly will not ¹help 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 ¹^,^apledged his allegiance, yet did all these things; he shall not escape.’” ¹⁹Therefore, thus says Lord Yahweh, “As I live, surely My oath which he despised and My covenant which he broke, I will ¹put on his head. ²⁰“I will spread My ^anet over him, and he will be ^bcaught in My snare. Then I will bring him to Babylon and ^center into judgment with him there regarding the unfaithful act which he has committed against Me. ²¹“All the ¹^,^achoice 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.”

²²Thus 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 ^aexalted and lofty mountain. ²³“On the high mountain of Israel I will plant it, that it may lift up ¹boughs and yield fruit and become a majestic ^acedar. And birds of every ²kind will dwell under it; they will dwell in the shade of its ³branches. ²⁴“And all the ^atrees 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 ^bflourish. I am Yahweh; I have spoken, and I will do it.”

The Soul Who Sins Will Die

18Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, ²“^aWhat do you mean by using this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, ‘^bThe fathers eat the sour grapes,But the children’s teeth ¹are set on edge’?

³“As I live,” declares Lord Yahweh, “you are surely not going to use this proverb in Israel anymore. ⁴“Behold, ^aall ¹souls are Mine; the ²soul of the father as well as the ³soul of the son is Mine. The ⁴soul who ^bsins will die.

⁵“But if a man is righteous and does justice and righteousness, ⁶and does not ^aeat at the mountain shrines or ^blift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, or ^cdefile his neighbor’s wife or approach a woman during her menstrual period— ⁷if a man does not mistreat anyone, but ^areturns to the debtor his pledge, ^bdoes not commit robbery, but ^cgives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with clothing, ⁸if he does not lend money on ^ainterest or take ^bincrease, if he turns his hand from injustice and ^cdoes true justice between man and man, ⁹if he walks in ^aMy statutes and My judgments and is careful to do the truth—^bhe is righteous and will surely ^clive,” declares Lord Yahweh.

¹⁰“Then he may ¹have 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 ^adefiles his neighbor’s wife; ¹²he mistreats the ^aafflicted and needy, ^bcommits robbery, does not return a pledge, but lifts up his eyes to the idols and ^cdoes abominations; ¹³he ^alends 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 ^bblood will be on himself.

¹⁴“Now behold, he ¹has a son who has seen all his father’s sins which he has done. And he ^asaw 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 ¹⁶or mistreat anyone, or retain a pledge or commit robbery, but he ^agives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with clothing; ¹⁷he turns his hand away from ¹the afflicted, does not take interest or increase, but does My judgments and walks in My statutes; ^ahe 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, ‘^aWhy should the son not bear the punishment for the father’s iniquity?’ But the son has done ^bjustice and righteousness and has kept all My statutes and done them. He shall surely live. ²⁰“The soul who ^asins will die. The ^bson will not bear the iniquity of the father, nor will the father bear the iniquity of the son; the ^crighteousness of the righteous will be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself.

²¹“But if the ^awicked 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“^aAll his transgressions which he has done will not be remembered against him; because of his ^brighteousness which he has done, he will live. ²³“^aDo I have any pleasure in the death of the wicked,” declares Lord Yahweh, “is it not that he should ^bturn from his ways and live?

²⁴“But when a righteous man ^aturns away from his righteousness, does injustice, and does according to all the abominations that a wicked man does, will he live? ^bAll his righteous deeds which he has done will not be remembered for his ^cunfaithfulness which he has committed and his sin which he has committed; for them he will die. ²⁵“Yet you say, ‘^aThe way of the Lord is not right.’ Hear now, O house of Israel! Is ^bMy 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 ^afrom 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. “¹^,^aTurn back and turn away from all your transgressions, so that iniquity may not become a stumbling block to you. ³¹“^aCast away from yourselves all your transgressions which you have committed and ¹make yourselves a ^bnew heart and a new spirit! Now why will you die, O house of Israel? ³²“For I have ^ano pleasure in the death of anyone who dies,” declares Lord Yahweh. “Therefore, ¹turn back and live.”