The word of the LORD came to me, saying:

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

Son of man, speak to the people of your nation and say to them, 'When I bring a sword against a land, and the people of the land choose one man from among them and make him their watchman,'

Son 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:

and he sees the sword coming against the land and blows the trumpet to warn the people,

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

then if anyone hears the sound of the trumpet but does not take warning, and the sword comes and takes them away, their blood will be on their own head.

Then 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.

Since they heard the sound of the trumpet but did not take warning, their blood will be on themselves. If they had taken warning, they would have saved their lives.

He 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.

But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes someone’s life, that person will die for their sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for their blood.

But 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.

Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. So hear the word I speak and give them warning from me.

So 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.

When I say to the wicked, ‘You wicked person, you will surely die,’ and you do not speak out to dissuade them from their ways, that wicked person will die for their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood.

When 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.

But if you do warn the wicked person to turn from their ways and they do not do so, they will die for their sin, but you will have saved yourself.

Nevertheless, 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.

Son of man, say to the house of Israel, 'This is what you are saying: Our offenses and sins weigh us down, and we are wasting away because of them. How then can we live?'

Therefore, 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?

Say to them, 'As surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from their ways and live. Turn back! Turn back from your evil ways! Why should you die, house of Israel?'

Say 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?

Therefore, son of man, say to your people, 'The righteousness of the righteous person will not save them on the day of their transgression, nor will the wickedness of the wicked person cause them to fall on the day they turn from their wickedness. The righteous person cannot live by their righteousness on the day they sin.'

Therefore, 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.

If I say to the righteous person, 'You will surely live,' but they trust in their righteousness and commit iniquity, none of their righteous acts will be remembered. They will die because of the iniquity they have committed.

When 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.

And if I say to the wicked person, 'You will surely die,' but they turn from their sin and do what is just and right—

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

if they return what they took in pledge for a loan, restore anything they have stolen, and follow the decrees that give life, doing no wrong—they will surely live; they will not die.

If 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.

None of the sins they have committed will be remembered against them. They have done what is just and right; they will surely live.

None 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.

Yet your people say, 'The way of the Lord is not just.' But it is their way that is not just.

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

If a righteous person turns from their righteousness and commits iniquity, they will die because of it.

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

But if a wicked person turns away from their wickedness and does what is just and right, they will live because of it.

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

Yet you say, 'The way of the Lord is not just.' But I will judge each of you according to your own ways, house of Israel.

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

In the twelfth year of our exile, in the tenth month on the fifth day, a fugitive from Jerusalem came to me and said, 'The city has fallen!'

And 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.

Now the hand of the LORD had been upon me the evening before the fugitive came, and He opened my mouth. So, when the fugitive arrived in the morning, my mouth was opened, and I was no longer silent.

Now 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.

Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying:

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

Son of man, the people living in these ruins in the land of Israel are saying, 'Abraham was only one man, yet he inherited the land. But we are many; surely the land has been given to us as a possession.'

Son 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.

Therefore, say to them, 'This is what the Lord GOD says: You eat meat with the blood still in it, you look to your idols, and you shed blood. Should you then possess the land?'

Wherefore 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?

You rely on your swords, you commit detestable acts, and each of you defiles his neighbor's wife. Should you then possess the land?

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

Tell them this: 'This is what the Lord GOD says: As surely as I live, those who are in the ruins will fall by the sword, those who are in the open field I will give to wild animals to be devoured, and those who are in the strongholds and caves will die of plague.'

Say 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.

I will make the land a desolate waste, and its proud strength will come to an end. The mountains of Israel will become desolate, with no one passing through.

For 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.

Then they will know that I am the LORD, when I make the land a desolate waste because of all the detestable things they have done.

Then 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.

As for you, son of man, the people of your nation are talking about you near the walls and at the doorways of their houses. They are saying to one another, each to their brother, 'Come and hear the message that has come from the LORD.'

Also, 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.

They come to you as people come, and they sit before you as My people and hear your words, but they do not put them into practice. With their mouths they express love, but their hearts pursue unjust gain.

And 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.

Indeed, to them you are like someone who sings lustful songs with a beautiful voice and plays the instrument well. They listen to your words, but they do not put them into practice.

And, 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.

When it happens—and behold, it will happen—they will know that a prophet was among them.

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