1 And the word of our Lord was made to me, saying:
1 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: What is the meaning?
2 What is that among you, you turn a parable into this proverb in the land of Israel, saying: The fathers did eat a sour grape, & the teeth of the children are set on edge?
2 That you use among you this parable as a proverb in the land of Israel, saying: ¹The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the teeth of the children are set on edge.
3 Live I, saith our Lord God, if this parable shall be unto you any more for a proverb in Israel.
3 As I live, saith the Lord God, this parable shall be no more to you a proverb in Israel.
4 Behold all souls are mine: as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that shall sin, the same shall die.
4 Behold all souls are mine: as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, the same shall die.
5 And a man if he shall be just, and hath done judgement and justice,
5 And if a man be just, and do judgment and justice,
6 hath not eaten on the mountains, and not lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel: and hath not violated his neighbour's wife, & approached not to a menstruous woman:
6 And hath not eaten upon the mountains, nor lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel: and hath not defiled his neighbor’s wife, nor come near to a menstruous woman:
7 and made no man sorrowful: hath restored the pledge to the debter, taken nothing away by violence: hath given his bread to the hungry, and covered the naked with a garment:
7 And hath not wronged any man: but hath restored the pledge to the debtor, hath taken nothing away by violence: ²hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment:
8 hath not lent to usury, and not taken more: hath turned away his hand from iniquity, and done true judgement between man & man:
8 Hath not lent upon usury, nor taken any increase: hath withdrawn his hand from iniquity, and hath executed true judgment between man and man:
9 hath walked in my precepts, and kept my judgements, to do truth: this man is just, living he shall live, saith our Lord God.
9 Hath walked in my commandments, and kept my judgments, to do truth: he is just, he shall surely live, saith the Lord God.
10 And if he hath begotten a son that is a robber shedding blood, and he do one of these things:
10 And if he beget a son that is a robber, a shedder of blood, and that hath done some one of these things:
11 and that doth not indeed all these things, but eateth on the mountains, and defileth his neighbour's wife:
11 Though he doth not all these things, but that eateth upon the mountains, and that defileth his neighbor’s wife:
12 that maketh the needy and poor sorrowful, violently committeth robberies, restoreth not the pledge, & lifteth his eyes to idols, doth abomination:
12 That grieveth the needy and the poor, that taketh away by violence, that restoreth not the pledge, and that lifteth up his eyes to idols, that committeth abomination:
13 that giveth to usury, & taketh more: what, shall he live? He shall not live. Whereas he hath done all these detestable things, dying he shall die, his blood shall be upon him.
13 That giveth upon usury, and that taketh an increase: shall such a one live? He shall not live. Seeing he hath done all these detestable things, he shall surely die, his blood shall be upon him.
14 But and if he hath begotten a son, that seeing all his father's sins, which he hath done, is afraid, and shall not do the like to them:
14 But if he beget a son, who, seeing all his father’s sins, which he hath done, is afraid, and shall not do the like to them:
15 hath not eaten upon the mountains, & not lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, & hath not violated his neighbour's wife:
15 That hath not eaten upon the mountains, nor lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, and hath not defiled his neighbor’s wife:
16 and hath made no man sorrowful, hath not withheld the pledge, and hath not violently committed robbery, hath given his bread to the hungry, and covered the naked with clothing:
16 And hath not grieved any man, nor withholden the pledge, nor taken away with violence, but hath given his bread to the hungry, and covered the naked with a garment:
17 hath turned away his hand from injury of the poor, hath not taken usury and overplus, hath done my judgements, hath walked in my precepts: this man shall not die in the iniquity of his father, but living he shall live.
17 That hath turned away his hand from injuring the poor, hath not taken usury and increase, but hath executed my judgments, and hath walked in my commandments: this man shall not die for the iniquity of his father, but living he shall live.
18 His father because he did calumniate, and did violence to his brother, and wrought evil in the midst of his people, behold he is dead in his own iniquity.
18 As for his father, because he oppressed and offered violence to his brother, and wrought evil in the midst of his people, behold he is dead in his own iniquity.
19 And you say: Why hath not the son borne the iniquity of his father? Verily because the son hath wrought judgement and justice, he hath kept all my precepts, and done them, living he shall live.
19 And you say: Why hath not the son borne the iniquity of his father? Verily, because the son hath wrought judgment and justice, hath kept all my commandments, and done them, living, he shall live.
20 The soul that shall sin, the same shall die: the son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, and the father shall not bear the iniquity of the son: the justice of the just shall be upon him, and the impiety of the impious shall be upon him.
20 ³The soul that sinneth, the same shall die: the son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, and the father shall not bear the iniquity of the son: the justice of the just shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.
21 But if the impious shall do penance from all his sins, which he hath wrought, and shall keep all my precepts, and do judgement, and justice: living he shall live, and shall not die.
21 But if the wicked do penance for all his sins which he hath committed, and keep all my commandments, and do judgment, and justice, living he shall live, and shall not die.
22 All his iniquities, which he hath wrought, I will not remember them: in his justice which he hath wrought, he shall live.
22 I will not remember all his iniquities that he hath done: in his justice which he hath wrought, he shall live.
23 Why, is the death of a sinner my will, saith our Lord God, and not that he convert from his ways, and live?
23 ⁴Is it my will that a sinner should die, saith the Lord God, and not that he should be converted from his ways, and live?
24 But if the just man shall turn away himself from his justice, and do iniquity according to all the abominations, which the impious useth to work, shall he live? All his justices, which he had done, shall not be remembered: in the prevarication, which he hath prevaricated, and in his sin, which he hath sinned, in them he shall die.
24 But if the just man turn himself away from his justice, and do iniquity according to all the abominations which the wicked man useth to work, shall he live? All his justices which he hath done, shall not be remembered: in the prevarication, by which he hath prevaricated, and in his sin, which he hath committed, in them he shall die.
25 And you have said: The way of our Lord is not right. Hear ye therefore, o house of Israel: What, is not my way right, and are not rather your ways perverse?
25 And you have said: ⁵The way of the Lord is not right. Hear ye, therefore, O house of Israel: Is it my way that is not right, and are not rather your ways perverse?
26 For when the just shall turn away himself from his justice, and doth iniquity, he shall die in them: in the injustice, that he hath wrought he shall die.
26 For when the just turneth himself away from his justice, and committeth iniquity, he shall die therein: in the injustice that he hath wrought he shall die.
27 And when the impious shall turn away himself from his impiety, which he hath wrought, and shall do judgement and justice he shall vivificate his soul.
27 And when the wicked turneth himself away from his wickedness, which he hath wrought, and doeth judgment, and justice: he shall save his soul alive.
28 For considering, and turning away himself from all his iniquities, which he hath wrought, living he shall live, and not die.
28 Because he considereth and turneth away himself from all his iniquities which he hath wrought, he shall surely live, and not die.
29 And the children of Israel say: The way of our Lord is not right. What, are not my ways right, o house of Israel, and not rather your ways perverse?
29 And the children of Israel say: The way of the Lord is not right. Are not my ways right, O house of Israel, and are not rather your ways perverse?
30 Therefore will I judge every man according to his ways, o house of Israel, saith our Lord God. Convert, and do penance from all your iniquities: & iniquity shall not be a ruin to you.
30 Therefore will I judge every man according to his ways, O house of Israel, saith the Lord God. ⁶Be converted, and do penance for all your iniquities: and iniquity shall not be your ruin.
31 Cast away from you all your prevarications, wherein you have prevaricated, and make to yourselves a new heart, and a new spirit: and why will you die, o house of Israel?
31 Cast away from you all your transgressions, by which you have transgressed, and make to yourselves a new heart, and a new spirit: and why will you die, O house of Israel?
32 Because I will not the death of him that dieth, saith our Lord God, return ye, and live.
32 ⁷For I desire not the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God, return ye and live.