Ezekiel 33

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

1God's message 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:

2Son of man, speak to your people. Tell them this. Suppose I bring war against a land. The people there choose one man from their own land. They make him their watchman, the one who watches for danger.

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 enemies coming with swords. So he blows the horn to warn everyone.

NoteThe KJV says "trumpet." It was a ram's horn, blown loudly as an alarm when enemies were coming.

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.

4Someone hears the horn but does not listen. If the enemy comes and kills him, it 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. He does not blow the horn, so no one is warned. The enemy comes and kills someone. That person dies because of his own sin. But I will hold the watchman to blame 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. Listen to the words I speak. Then give them my warning.

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.

8Suppose I say to a wicked man, "You will surely die." If you do not speak up and warn him, he will die for his sin. But I will hold you to blame 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 suppose you do warn him to turn away from his wrong ways. If he will not turn, he will die for his sin. But you 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?

10Son of man, speak to the people of Israel. This is what they say: "Our sins are heavy on us. We are wasting away. 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?

11Say this to them. The Lord GOD says, "As surely as I live, I take no joy when a wicked person dies. I would rather he turn from his ways and live. Turn! Turn away 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 person's good deeds will not save him on the day he does wrong. A wicked person's wrongs will not trip him up on the day he turns away from them. A good person cannot stay alive by past goodness on the day he sins.

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 his own goodness and does wrong. Not one of his good deeds will be remembered. He will die because of the wrong he did.

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;

14Or suppose I tell a wicked man, "You will surely die." But he turns away from his sin and does 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 what he was holding as a promise for a loan. He pays back what he stole. He follows the rules that lead to life. He 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 his sins will be counted against him. He has done what is fair and right. 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.

17Still 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 does wrong, he will die for 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 stops doing wrong 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 one of you by what he does.

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.

21It was the twelfth year since we were taken away from home. On the fifth day of the tenth month, a man came to me. He had escaped from Jerusalem. He said, "The city has been taken."

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 that man came, God's power was on me. God opened my mouth. Before that I could not talk at all. By the time the man came in the morning, I could speak again.

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

23God's message came to me again. 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.

24Son of man, some people live in the ruined towns of Israel. They say, "Abraham was only one man, and he got this whole land. We are many. So the land must belong to us."

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 what the Lord GOD says. "You eat meat with the blood still in it. You look to your idols, the statues you worship. You kill people. Should the land be yours?"

NoteGod's law for Israel said meat had to have the blood drained out before it was eaten. Eating meat with the blood still in it broke that law.

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

26"You lean on your swords. You do things I hate. Each of you takes his neighbor'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 what 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 strong places and caves will die of sickness."

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.

28"I will leave the land empty and bare. The strength it was proud of will be gone. The mountains of Israel will be empty. No one will travel through them."

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.

29"Then they will know that I am the LORD. They will know it when I leave the land empty because of all the terrible things they did."

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.

30Son of man, your people are talking about you. They talk 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 like they always do. They sit in front of you and listen to your words. But they do not do them. Their mouths say loving things. But their hearts keep chasing 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 like a pretty love song. You have a lovely voice and you play music 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 will happen, they will know one thing. They will know that a prophet was among them. A prophet is a person who tells others what God says.