1 The word of Yahweh came to me again, saying,
2 What do you{+} mean, that you{+} use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the teeth of the sons are set on edge?
3 As I live, says the Sovereign Yahweh, you{+} will not have [occasion] anymore to use this proverb in Israel.
4 Look, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul who sins will die.
5 But if a man is just, and does that which is lawful and right,
6 and has not eaten on the mountains, neither has lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, neither has defiled his fellow man's wife, neither has come near to a woman in her impurity,
7 and has not wronged any, but has restored his pledge for debt, has taken nothing by robbery, has given his bread to the hungry, and has covered the naked with a garment;
8 he who has not given forth on interest, neither has taken any increase, that has withdrawn his hand from iniquity, has executed true justice between man and man,
9 has walked in my statutes, and has kept my ordinances, to act in accordance with them; he is just, he will surely live, says the Sovereign Yahweh.
10 If he begets a son who is violent, a shedder of blood, and is one who does this type of thing;
11 and not only does this type of thing, but also has eaten on the mountains, and defiled his fellow man's wife,
12 has wronged the poor and needy, has taken by robbery, has not restored the pledge, and has lifted up his eyes to the idols, has done a disgusting thing,
13 has given forth on interest, and has taken increase; will he then live? He will not live: he has done all these disgusting things; he will surely die; his blood will be on him.
14 Now, look, if he begets a son, that sees all his father's sins, which he has done, and he sees, and does not do such;
15 that has not eaten on the mountains, neither has lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, has not defiled his fellow man's wife,
16 neither has wronged any, has not taken anything to pledge, neither has taken by robbery, but has given his bread to the hungry, and has covered the naked with a garment;
17 that has withdrawn his hand from the poor, that has not received interest nor increase, has executed my ordinances, has walked in my statutes; he will not die for the iniquity of his father, he will surely live.
18 As for his father, because he cruelly oppressed, robbed his brother, and did that which is not good among his people, look, he will die in his iniquity.
19 Yet you{+} say, Why doesn't the son bear the iniquity of the father? When the son has done that which is lawful and right, and has kept all my statutes, and has done them, he will surely live.
20 The soul who sins will die: the son will not bear the iniquity of the father, neither will the father bear the iniquity of the son; the righteousness of the righteous will be on him, and the wickedness of the wicked will be on him.
21 But if the wicked turns from all his sins that he has committed, and keeps all my statutes, and does that which is lawful and right, he will surely live, he will not die.
22 None of his transgressions that he has committed will be remembered against him: in his righteousness that he has done he will live.
23 Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked? says the Sovereign Yahweh; and not rather that he should return from his way, and live?
24 But when the righteous turns away from his righteousness, and commits iniquity, and does according to all the disgusting things that the wicked man does, will he live? None of his righteous deeds that he has done will be remembered: in his trespass that he has trespassed, and in his sin that he has sinned, in them he will die.
25 Yet you{+} say, The way of the Lord is not fair. Hear now, O house of Israel: Is not my way fair? Are not your{+} ways unfair?
26 When the righteous man turns away from his righteousness, and commits iniquity, and dies in it; in his iniquity that he has done he will die.
27 Again, when the wicked man turns away from his wickedness that he has committed, and does that which is lawful and right, he will save his soul alive.
28 Because he considers, and turns away from all his transgressions that he has committed, he will surely live, he will not die.
29 Yet says the house of Israel, The way of the Lord is not fair. O house of Israel, are not my ways fair? Are not your{+} ways unfair?
30 Therefore I will judge you{+}, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, says the Sovereign Yahweh. Return{+}, and turn yourselves from all your{+} transgressions; so iniquity will not be your{+} ruin.
31 Cast away all your{+} transgressions from you{+}, by which you{+} have transgressed through them; and make for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit: for why will you{+} die, O house of Israel?
32 For I have no pleasure in the death of him who dies, says the Sovereign Yahweh: So turn yourselves, and live.