Ezekiel 18:1-20

The Soul Who Sins Shall Die

1The word of the Lord came to me: 2What do you
The Hebrew for  you is plural
mean bby repeating this proverb concerning the land of Israel, c‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge’?
3 dAs I live, declares the Lord God, ethis proverb shall no more be used by you in Israel. 4Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: fthe soul who sins shall die.

5If a man is righteous and does gwhat is just and right 6if he hdoes not eat upon the mountains or ilift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, jdoes not defile his neighbor’s wife kor approach la woman in her time of menstrual impurity, 7 mdoes not oppress anyone, but nrestores to the debtor his pledge, ocommits no robbery, pgives his bread to the hungry qand covers the naked with a garment, 8 rdoes not lend at interest sor take any profit,
That is, profit that comes from charging interest to the poor; also verses 13, 17 (compare Leviticus 25:36)
withholds his hand from injustice, uexecutes true justice between man and man,
9 vwalks in my statutes, and keeps my rules by acting faithfully—he is righteous; whe shall surely live, declares the Lord God.

10“If he fathers a son who is violent, xa shedder of blood, who does any of these things 11(though he himself did none of these things), ywho even eats upon the mountains, zdefiles his neighbor’s wife, 12oppresses the poor and needy, aacommits robbery, abdoes not restore the pledge, aclifts up his eyes to the idols, adcommits abomination, 13 aelends at interest, and takes profit; shall he then live? He shall not live. He has done all these abominations; he shall surely die; afhis blood shall be upon himself.

14“Now suppose this man fathers a son who sees all the sins that his father has done; he sees, and does not do likewise: 15he does not eat upon the mountains or lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, does not defile his neighbor’s wife, 16does not oppress anyone, agexacts no pledge, ahcommits no robbery, aibut gives his bread to the hungry ajand covers the naked with a garment, 17withholds his hand from iniquity,
Septuagint; Hebrew  from the poor
takes no interest or profit, obeys my rules, aland walks in my statutes; he shall not die for his father’s iniquity; amhe shall surely live.
18As for his father, because he practiced extortion, robbed his brother, and did what is not good among his people, anbehold, he shall die for his iniquity.

19“Yet you say, aoWhy should not the son suffer for the iniquity of the father?’ When the son has done apwhat is just and right, and has been careful to observe all my statutes, aqhe shall surely live. 20 arThe soul who sins shall die. asThe son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. atThe righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, auand the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.

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