22 I have blotted out, as a vapor, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed thee.
14 And if my people, over whom my name is called, do then humble themselves, and pray, and seek my presence, and turn away from their evil ways: then will I also hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
12 But even now also, saith the Lord, return ye fully to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:
7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the man of unrighteousness his thoughts; and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him, and unto our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
21 And the wicked, when he turneth away from all his sins that he hath committed, and keepeth all my statutes, and executeth justice and righteousness, shall surely live, he shall not die.
1 Then sent Hezekiah to all Israel and Judah, and he also wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, to prepare the passoversacrifice unto the Lord the God of Israel.
2 And the king held a consultation, as also his princes, and all the assembly in Jerusalem, to prepare the passoversacrifice in the second month.
3 For they were not able to prepare it at that time; because the priests had not sanctified themselves sufficiently, nor had the people gathered themselves together to Jerusalem.
4 And the thing seemed right in the eyes of the king and in the eyes of all the assembly.
5 So they established a decree to cause a proclamation to be made throughout all Israel, from Beersheba even as far as Dan, that they should come to prepare the passoversacrifice unto thy Lord the God of Israel at Jerusalem; because for a long time past they had not prepared it as it was written,
6 So the runners went with the letters from the hand of the king and his princes throughout all Israel and Judah, and according to the command of the king, saying, O children of Israel, return unto the Lord the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Israel, and he will return to the remnant of you, that are escaped out of the power of the kings of Assyria.
7 And be net like your fathers, and like your brethren, who acted faithlessly against the Lord the God of their fathers, wherefore he gave them up to become an object of astonishment, as ye see.
8 Now do ye not harden your necks, like your fathers: hold out your hand unto the Lord, and come unto his sanctuary, which he hath sanctified for ever, and serve the Lord your God, and so will he turn away from you the fierceness of his wrath.
9 For If ye return unto the Lord, your brethren and your children will find mercy in the presence of their captors, so that they may return to this land; for the Lord your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn away his countenance from you, if ye return unto him.
10 And as the runners were passing from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Menasseh and as far as Zebulun, they were laughing them to scorn, and mocking at them.
11 Nevertheless some men of Asher and Menasseh and of Zebulun humbled themselves, and came to Jerusalem.
12 Also over Judah came the hand of God to give unto them one heart to do the command of the king and of the princes, by the word of the Lord.
13 And there was gathered together at Jerusalem a numerous people to keep the feast of unleavened bread in the second month, a very great assembly.
14 And they arose and removed the altars which were in Jerusalem, and all the vessels for burning incense did they take away, and they threw them into the brook Kidron.
15 And they slaughtered the passoversacrifice on the fourteenth day of the second month: and the priests and the Levites were ashamed, and sanctified themselves, and brought burntofferings unto the house of the Lord.
16 And they stood on their station after their prescribed manner, according to the law of Moses the man of God, the priest sprinkling the blood, which they received out of the hand of the Levites.
17 For there were many in the assembly that had not sanctified themselves: therefore the Levites had the charge of the slaughtering of the passover sacrifices for every one that was not clean, to sanctify the same unto the Lord.
18 For a large portion of the people, even many out of Ephraim, and Menasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, but ate the passover not as it is written. However Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, The Lord who is good will grant pardon for this.
19 To every one that hath directed his heart to seek God, the Lord the God of his fathers; though he be not cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary.
20 And the Lord hearkened to Hezekiah, and he healed the people.
21 And the children of Israel that were present at Jerusalem celebrated the feast of unleavened bread seven days with great joy; and the Levites and the priests praised the Lord day by day, with loud instruments before the Lord.
22 And Hezekiah spoke comfortingly unto all the Levites that had good intelligence of the Lord: and they ate the festiveofferings during seven days, offering peaceofferings, and making confession to the Lord the God of their fathers.
23 And the whole assembly took counsel to celebrate other seven days: and they celebrated these seven days with joy.
24 For Hezekiah king of Judah had provided for the assembly one thousand bullocks and seven thousand sheep; and the princes had provided for the assembly one thousand bullocks and ten thousand sheep: and the priests sanctified themselves in great numbers.
25 And thus rejoiced all the assembly of Judah, and the priests and the Levites, and all the assembly that was come out of Israel, and the strangers that were come out of the land of Israel, and those that dwelt in Judah.
26 And there was great joy in Jerusalem: for since the time of Solomon the son of David the king of Israel had the like not been in Jerusalem.
27 Then arose the priests the Levites and blessed the people: and their voice was listened to, and their prayer came to His holy dwellingplace, even unto heaven.
32 For I have no pleasure in the death of him that deserveth to die, saith the Lord Eternal: therefore convert yourselves, and live.
13 And rend your heart, and not your garments, and return unto the Lord your God; for gracious and merciful is he, long suffering, and of great kindness, and he bethinketh himself of the evil.
1 In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the Lord unto Zechariah, the son of Berechyah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying,
2 The Lord hath been greatly angry with your fathers.
3 And now say thou unto them, Thus hath said the Lord of hosts, Return ye unto me, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will return unto you: so hath said the Lord of hosts.
4 Be ye not like your fathers, unto whom the former prophets proclaimed, saying, Thus hath said the Lord of hosts, Do return from your evil ways, and your evil doings; but they did not hear, nor listen unto me, saith the Lord.
5 Your fathers,where are they! and the prophets, could they live for ever!
6 But my words and my decrees, which I commanded my servants the prophets, behold, they did overtake your fathers: and then they returned and said, Just as the Lord of hosts had purposed to do unto us, in accordance with our ways, and in accordance with our doings, so hath he dealt with us.
7 On the four and twentieth day of the eleventh month, which is the month of Shebat, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the Lord unto Zechariah, the son of Berechyahu, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying,
8 I saw this night, and behold there was a man riding upon a red horse, and he was standing among the myrtletrees that were in the deep valley; and behind him were red, pale, and white horses.
9 And I said, What are these, O my lord? Then said unto me the angel that spoke with me, I will show thee what these are.
10 And the man that stood among the myrtletrees answered and said, These are those whom the Lord hath sent to traverse the earth.
11 And they answered the angel of the Lord that stood among the myrtletrees, and said, We have traversed the earth, and, behold, all the earth is inhabited quietly, and is at rest.
12 Then commenced the angel of the Lord, and said, O Lord of hosts, how long yet wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which thou hast been indignant these seventy years?
13 And the Lord answered the angel that spoke with me with good words and comforting words.
14 And the angel that spoke with me said unto me, Proclaim thou, saying, Thus hath said the Lord of hosts, I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy.
15 And with a great anger will I be angry with the nations that are at ease; for I was but a little angry with Zion, and they helped forward the mischief.
16 Therefore thus hath said the Lord, I am returned to Jerusalem in mercy: my house shall be rebuilt in it, saith the Lord of hosts, and the measuringline shall be stretched forth over Jerusalem.
17 Proclaim yet farther, saying, Thus hath said the Lord of hosts, My cities shall again overflow with prosperity: and the Lord will again comfort Zion, and make choice again of Jerusalem.
18 (2:1) And I lifted up my eyes, and saw, and behold, there were four horns.
19 (2:2) And I said unto the angel who spoke with me, What are these? And he said unto me, These are the horns that have dispersed Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.
20 (2:3) And the Lord showed me four carpenters.
21 (2:4) Then said I, What are these coming to do? And he said as followeth, These are the horns that have dispersed Judah, to the extent that no man could lift up his head; but these are come to terrify them, to cast off the horns of the nations, that have been lifting up their horn over the land of Judah to disperse it.
1 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
2 What mean ye, that ye use this proverb in the country of Israel, saying, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the teeth of the children are set on edge?
3 As I live, saith the Lord Eternal, ye shall not have any more to use this proverb in Israel.
4 Behold, all the souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the sonmine are they: the soul which sinneth that alone shall die.
5 But if a man be righteous, and execute justice and righteousness;
6 Upon the mountains he eateth not, and his eyes he lifteth not up to the idols of the house of Israel, and the wife of his neighbor he defileth not, and unto a woman in her separation he cometh not near;
7 And he overreacheth no man, he restoreth his pledge for a debt, a robbery he doth not commit, his bread he giveth to the hungry, and the naked he covereth with a garment;
8 Upon interest he giveth not forth, and increase he doth not take, from wrong he withdraweth his hand, true judgment he executeth between man and man;
9 In my statutes he walketh steadfastly, and my ordinances he keepeth to deal truly: he is righteous, he shall surely live, saith the Lord Eternal.
10 If he now beget a dissolute son that sheddeth blood and doth to his brother any one of thee things;
11 And he is one that doth not any of these duties; but eateth even upon the mountains, and defileth the wife of his neighbor;
12 The poor and needy he overreacheth, he is guilty of robberies, the pledge he restoreth not, and to the idols he lifteth up his eyes, abominations he committeth:
13 Upon interest he giveth forth, and increase he taketh: and he should live? he shall not live; all these abominations hath he done, he shall surely die; his blood shall be upon him.
14 And behold, if he beget a son, who seeth all the sins of his father which he hath done, and he considereth, and doth not the like of them;
15 Upon the mountains he eateth not, and his eyes he lifteth not up to the idols of the house of Israel, the wife of his neighbor he defileth not;
16 And he overreacheth no man, a pledge he withholdeth not, and of a robbery he is never guilty, his bread he giveth to the hungry, and the naked he covereth with a garment;
17 From the poor he withdraweth his hand, interest and increase he taketh not: my ordinances he executeth; in my statutes he walketh:he shall not die for the iniquity of his father, he shall surely live.
18 His father, because he unjustly withheld wages, was guilty of robbery on his brother, and did that which is not good in the midst of his people,and lo, he died through his iniquity.
19 Yet say ye, Why doth not the son bear part of the iniquity of the father? when the son hath executed justice and righteousness, all my statutes hath he kept, and hath done them: he shall surely live.
20 The soul that sinneth, she alone shall die; the son shall not help to bear the iniquity of the father and the father shall not help to bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.
21 And the wicked, when he turneth away from all his sins that he hath committed, and keepeth all my statutes, and executeth justice and righteousness, shall surely live, he shall not die.
22 All his transgressions which he hath committed shall not be remembered unto him: through his righteousness which he hath done shall he live.
23 Have I then the least pleasure in the death of the wicked? saith the Lord Eternal: and not in his turning away from his ways, that he may live?
24 But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth wrong, and doth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? all his righteousness that he hath done shall not he remembered: through his trespass which he hath committed, and through his sin that he hath done,through them shall he die.
25 Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equitable: hear now, O house of Israel, Is not my way equitable? is it not your ways which are not equitable?
26 When a righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, and doth wrong, and dieth therefore: through his wrong which he hath done must he die.
27 Again, when the wicked turneth away from his wickedness which he hath committed, and executeth justice and righteousness: he shall indeed preserve his soul alive.
28 Because he hath considered, and turned away from all his transgressions which he had committed: he shall surely live, he shall not die.
29 Yet say the house of Israel, The way of the Lord is not equitable: are not my ways equitable, O house of Israel? is it not your ways which are not equitable?
30 Therefore will I judge you, every one according to his ways, O house of Israel, saith the Lord Eternal: return ye, and cause others to return from all your transgressions, that iniquity may not become your stumblingblock.
31 Cast away from yourselves all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?
32 For I have no pleasure in the death of him that deserveth to die, saith the Lord Eternal: therefore convert yourselves, and live.