| International Standard Version | NET Bible |
| 1This message came to me from the LORD: | 1The word of the LORD came to me: |
| 2"Why do you cite this proverb when you talk about Israel's land: 'The fathers eat sour grapes but it's their children's teeth that have become numb.' | 2"What do you mean by quoting this proverb concerning the land of Israel, "'The fathers eat sour grapes And the children's teeth become numb?' |
| 3As long as I live," declares the LORD, "you won't use this proverb about Israel anymore. | 3"As surely as I live, declares the sovereign LORD, you will not quote this proverb in Israel anymore! |
| 4Look! Every living soul belongs to me—the father's as well as the son's. So pay attention! The person who keeps on sinning is going to die." | 4Indeed! All lives are mine--the life of the father as well as the life of the son is mine. The one who sins will die. |
| 5"If a person is righteous, and practices what's lawful and right, | 5"Suppose a man is righteous. He practices what is just and right, |
| 6if he doesn't eat at mountain shrines, and doesn't look to the idols that have been erected in Israel's house, if he doesn't defile his neighbor's wife or approach a woman during her time of menstrual separation, | 6does not eat pagan sacrifices on the mountains or pray to the idols of the house of Israel, does not defile his neighbor's wife, does not have sexual relations with a woman during her period, |
| 7if he doesn't oppress anyone, but instead returns the debtor's security for his debt, if he doesn't rob anyone, but instead shares his food with the hungry and gives clothes to those who are naked, | 7does not oppress anyone, but gives the debtor back whatever was given in pledge, does not commit robbery, but gives his bread to the hungry and clothes the naked, |
| 8if he doesn't lend with usury or exact interest, but instead refuses to participate in what is unjust, if he administers true justice between people, | 8does not engage in usury or charge interest, but refrains from wrongdoing, promotes true justice between men, |
| 9if he lives his life consistent with my statutes and keeps my ordinances by practicing what's true, then he's righteous and will certainly live," declares the Lord GOD. | 9and follows my statutes and observes my regulations by carrying them out. That man is righteous; he will certainly live, declares the sovereign LORD. |
| 10"Now suppose that person produces a son who's violent, a murderer, and practices any of these things, | 10"Suppose such a man has a violent son who sheds blood and does any of these things mentioned previously |
| 11even though the father hasn't done any of these things. The son who eats at mountain shrines, defiles his neighbor's wife, | 11(though the father did not do any of them). He eats pagan sacrifices on the mountains, defiles his neighbor's wife, |
| 12oppresses the afflicted and the poor, robs others, doesn't return security for a debt, looks to idols, does detestable things, | 12oppresses the poor and the needy, commits robbery, does not give back what was given in pledge, prays to idols, performs abominable acts, |
| 13loans with usury, and exacts interest; will he live? He certainly will not! He has done all these detestable practices. He will certainly die, and his guilt will be his own fault." | 13engages in usury and charges interest. Will he live? He will not! Because he has done all these abominable deeds he will certainly die. He will bear the responsibility for his own death. |
| 14"Now suppose that he produced a son who practiced all of his father's sins, but then that son began to fear me and stopped doing all of these things. | 14"But suppose he in turn has a son who notices all the sins his father commits, considers them, and does not follow his father's example. |
| 15That is, suppose he doesn't eat at the mountain shrines, doesn't look to the idols of Israel's house, doesn't defile his neighbor's wife, | 15He does not eat pagan sacrifices on the mountains, does not pray to the idols of the house of Israel, does not defile his neighbor's wife, |
| 16doesn't oppress anyone, doesn't take possession of a debtor's pledge, or doesn't steal, but instead shares his food with the hungry, gives clothes to those who are naked, | 16does not oppress anyone or keep what has been given in pledge, does not commit robbery, gives his food to the hungry, and clothes the naked, |
| 17doesn't refuse to help the afflicted, or refuses to loan with usury or exact interest, but instead follows my ordinances and lives his life consistent with my statutes. He won't die because of his father's sin, will he? No! He'll certainly live. | 17refrains from wrongdoing, does not engage in usury or charge interest, carries out my regulations and follows my statutes. He will not die for his father's iniquity; he will surely live. |
| 18As for his father, watch out! If he wrongfully oppressed or robbed his brother and did what wasn't good among his people, he'll die because of his own sin." | 18As for his father, because he practices extortion, robs his brother, and does what is not good among his people, he will die for his iniquity. |
| 19"Yet you keep asking, 'Why wouldn't the son bear the punishment of his father's sin?' Because the son has done what was lawful and right, and has kept all my statutes and obeyed them, he's certainly going to live. | 19"Yet you say, 'Why should the son not suffer for his father's iniquity?' When the son does what is just and right, and observes all my statutes and carries them out, he will surely live. |
| 20The soul who sins dies. The son won't bear the punishment of his father's sin and the father won't bear the punishment of his son's sin. The righteous deeds of that righteous person will be attributed to him, while the wicked deeds of the wicked person will be charged against him. | 20The person who sins is the one who will die. A son will not suffer for his father's iniquity, and a father will not suffer for his son's iniquity; the righteous person will be judged according to his righteousness, and the wicked person according to his wickedness. |
| 21But if the wicked person turns from all his sins, which he did and keeps my statutes, then he'll live. He won't die. | 21"But if the wicked person turns from all the sin he has committed and observes all my statutes and does what is just and right, he will surely live; he will not die. |
| 22None of the transgressions that he had committed will be held against him. Because of the righteous deeds that he had done, he'll live. | 22None of the sins he has committed will be held against him; because of the righteousness he has done, he will live. |
| 23"I don't take delight in the death of the wicked, do I?" asks the Lord GOD. "Shouldn't I rather delight when he turns from his wicked ways and lives? | 23Do I actually delight in the death of the wicked, declares the sovereign LORD? Do I not prefer that he turn from his wicked conduct and live? |
| 24But when the righteous person abandons his righteous deeds and commits evil, detestable practices, as wicked people do, he won't live, will he? None of the righteous acts that he had done will be remembered. He'll die in his treacherous unfaithfulness and sins that he had committed." | 24"But if a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and practices wrongdoing according to all the abominable practices the wicked carry out, will he live? All his righteous acts will not be remembered; because of the unfaithful acts he has done and the sin he has committed, he will die. |
| 25"Yet you keep saying, 'The LORD isn't being consistent with his standards.' Pay attention, you house of Israel: Is my behavior really inconsistent with my standards? Isn't it your behavior that isn't just? | 25"Yet you say, 'The Lord's conduct is unjust!' Hear, O house of Israel: Is my conduct unjust? Is it not your conduct that is unjust? |
| 26"When a righteous person turns from his righteous deeds and does evil, he'll die because of that evil. He'll die because of his unrighteous acts that he committed. | 26When a righteous person turns back from his righteousness and practices wrongdoing, he will die for it; because of the wrongdoing he has done, he will die. |
| 27When a wicked person quits his wicked behavior and does what's just and right, he'll be enabled to live. | 27When a wicked person turns from the wickedness he has committed and does what is just and right, he will preserve his life. |
| 28Because he reconsidered his transgression and turned away from everything that he had been doing, he'll certainly live and not die. | 28Because he considered and turned from all the sins he had done, he will surely live; he will not die. |
| 29Yet Israel's house keeps saying, 'The LORD isn't being consistent with his standards.' Is it my behavior that's inconsistent with my standards? Is it not your behavior that's inconsistent with my standards?" | 29Yet the house of Israel says, 'The Lord's conduct is unjust!' Is my conduct unjust, O house of Israel? Is it not your conduct that is unjust? |
| 30"Therefore, Israel, I'm going to judge you according to the behavior of each and every one of you," declares the Lord GOD. "So repent and turn from all your sins so that sin won't keep on being a stumbling block for you. | 30"Therefore I will judge each person according to his conduct, O house of Israel, declares the sovereign LORD. Repent and turn from all your wickedness; then it will not be an obstacle leading to iniquity. |
| 31Stop your transgressing—the deeds by which you've rebelled—and then make for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. Why should you die, you house of Israel? | 31Throw away all your sins you have committed and fashion yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why should you die, O house of Israel? |
| 32I don't take pleasure in the death of anyone who dies," declares the LORD. "So repent, so you may live!" | 32For I take no delight in the death of anyone, declares the sovereign LORD. Repent and live! |
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