Ezekiel

Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

1The LORD's word came to me again. He said:

2Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman:

2"Son of man, speak to your own people. Tell them this: Suppose I bring war against a land. The people there choose one man from among them and make him their watchman.

Note"Son of man" is how God speaks to Ezekiel all through this book. It simply means "human being."

3If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people;

3He sees the enemy army coming, so he blows the ram's horn to warn the people.

4Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head.

4If someone hears the horn but pays no attention, and the enemy comes and kills him, his death is his own fault.

5He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul.

5He heard the horn and did not listen, so his death is his own fault. If he had listened, he would have saved his life.

6But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman’s hand.

6But suppose the watchman sees the enemy coming and does not blow the horn, so no one is warned. When the enemy comes and kills someone, that person dies for his own sin. But I will hold the watchman responsible for that death.

7So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me.

7Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel. So listen to the word I speak, and warn them for me.

8When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.

8When I say to a wicked man, 'You will surely die,' you must speak up and warn him to change. If you do not, he will die for his sin, and I will hold you responsible for his death.

9Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.

9But if you warn him to turn from his way and he refuses, he will die for his sin. You, though, will have saved your own life.

10Therefore, O thou son of man, speak unto the house of Israel; Thus ye speak, saying, If our transgressions and our sins be upon us, and we pine away in them, how should we then live?

10Now, son of man, speak to the people of Israel. This is what they are saying: 'Our sins weigh us down. We are wasting away because of them. How can we live?'

11Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?

11Tell them: The Lord GOD says, As surely as I live, I take no joy in the death of a wicked person. I would rather he turn from his way and live. Turn back! Turn from your evil ways! Why should you die, people of Israel?

12Therefore, thou son of man, say unto the children of thy people, The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression: as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall thereby in the day that he turneth from his wickedness; neither shall the righteous be able to live for his righteousness in the day that he sinneth.

12So, son of man, tell your people this. A good man's past goodness will not save him on the day he does wrong. A wicked man's past evil will not ruin him on the day he turns from it. A good man who sins cannot live on his past goodness.

13When I shall say to the righteous, that he shall surely live; if he trust to his own righteousness, and commit iniquity, all his righteousnesses shall not be remembered; but for his iniquity that he hath committed, he shall die for it.

13Suppose I tell a good man that he will surely live. But then he trusts in his own goodness and does evil. None of his good deeds will be remembered. He will die because of the evil he has done.

14Again, when I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; if he turn from his sin, and do that which is lawful and right;

14And suppose I tell a wicked man, 'You will surely die.' But he turns from his sin and starts doing what is fair and right.

15If the wicked restore the pledge, give again that he had robbed, walk in the statutes of life, without committing iniquity; he shall surely live, he shall not die.

15He gives back the item he was holding until a debt was paid. He returns what he stole. He follows the rules that lead to life and stops doing wrong. Then he will surely live. He will not die.

16None of his sins that he hath committed shall be mentioned unto him: he hath done that which is lawful and right; he shall surely live.

16None of the sins he has committed will be counted against him. He has done what is fair and right, so he will surely live.

17Yet the children of thy people say, The way of the Lord is not equal: but as for them, their way is not equal.

17Yet your people say, 'The Lord's way is not fair.' But it is their own way that is not fair.

18When the righteous turneth from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, he shall even die thereby.

18When a good man stops doing good and starts doing evil, he will die because of it.

19But if the wicked turn from his wickedness, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall live thereby.

19But when a wicked man turns from his evil and does what is fair and right, he will live because of it.

20Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. O ye house of Israel, I will judge you every one after his ways.

20Still you say, 'The Lord's way is not fair.' People of Israel, I will judge each of you by what you yourself do."

21And it came to pass in the twelfth year of our captivity, in the tenth month, in the fifth day of the month, that one that had escaped out of Jerusalem came unto me, saying, The city is smitten.

21In the twelfth year of our exile, on the fifth day of the tenth month, a man who had escaped from Jerusalem reached me. He said, "The city has fallen."

NoteThe years are counted from the time Ezekiel and others were carried away to Babylon. The tenth month falls in midwinter.

22Now the hand of the LORD was upon me in the evening, afore he that was escaped came; and had opened my mouth, until he came to me in the morning; and my mouth was opened, and I was no more dumb.

22The evening before the man arrived, the LORD's power came on me. God opened my mouth before the man reached me in the morning. So I could speak again and was no longer silent.

NoteEarlier God had made Ezekiel unable to speak except when he gave God's messages. That silence now ends.

23Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

23Then the LORD's word came to me. He said:

24Son of man, they that inhabit those wastes of the land of Israel speak, saying, Abraham was one, and he inherited the land: but we are many; the land is given us for inheritance.

24"Son of man, people are living among the ruins in the land of Israel. They say, 'Abraham was only one man, and this whole land was given to him. There are many of us, so surely the land is ours.'

25Wherefore say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Ye eat with the blood, and lift up your eyes toward your idols, and shed blood: and shall ye possess the land?

25So tell them: The Lord GOD says, You eat meat with the blood still in it. You look to your idols. You kill people. Should the land be yours?

NoteIsrael's law did not allow eating meat with the blood still in it.

26Ye stand upon your sword, ye work abomination, and ye defile every one his neighbour’s wife: and shall ye possess the land?

26You depend on your swords. You do things I hate. Each of you sleeps with another man's wife. Should the land be yours?

27Say thou thus unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; As I live, surely they that are in the wastes shall fall by the sword, and him that is in the open field will I give to the beasts to be devoured, and they that be in the forts and in the caves shall die of the pestilence.

27Tell them this: The Lord GOD says, As surely as I live, those in the ruins will be killed in war. Those out in the open fields I will give to wild animals to eat. Those hiding in strongholds and caves will die of disease.

28For I will lay the land most desolate, and the pomp of her strength shall cease; and the mountains of Israel shall be desolate, that none shall pass through.

28I will make the land an empty waste. The strength she was proud of will end. The mountains of Israel will be so empty that no one will travel through.

29Then shall they know that I am the LORD, when I have laid the land most desolate because of all their abominations which they have committed.

29Then they will know that I am the LORD, when I have made the land an empty waste because of all the disgusting things they have done.

30Also, thou son of man, the children of thy people still are talking against thee by the walls and in the doors of the houses, and speak one to another, every one to his brother, saying, Come, I pray you, and hear what is the word that cometh forth from the LORD.

30Now, son of man, your people talk about you by the city walls and in their doorways. They say to each other, 'Come and hear the message that comes from the LORD.'

31And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness.

31They come to you the way crowds do. They sit in front of you like my people and listen to your words. But they do not do them. Their mouths speak of love, while their hearts chase after money.

32And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them not.

32To them you are only a singer with a lovely voice who plays an instrument well. They hear your words, but they do not do them.

33And when this cometh to pass, (lo, it will come,) then shall they know that a prophet hath been among them.

33When all this happens, and it surely will, then they will know that a prophet has been among them."