Ezekiel 18:20
New International Version
The one who sins is the one who will die. The child will not share the guilt of the parent, nor will the parent share the guilt of the child. The righteousness of the righteous will be credited to them, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against them.

New Living Translation
The person who sins is the one who will die. The child will not be punished for the parent’s sins, and the parent will not be punished for the child’s sins. Righteous people will be rewarded for their own righteous behavior, and wicked people will be punished for their own wickedness.

English Standard Version
The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.

Berean Standard Bible
The soul who sins is the one who will die. A son will not bear the iniquity of his father, and a father will not bear the iniquity of his son. The righteousness of the righteous man will fall upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked man will fall upon him.

King James Bible
The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.

New King James Version
The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.

New American Standard Bible
The person who sins will die. A son will not suffer the punishment for the father’s guilt, nor will a father suffer the punishment for the son’s guilt; the righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself.

NASB 1995
“The person who sins will die. The son will not bear the punishment for the father’s iniquity, nor will the father bear the punishment for the son’s iniquity; the righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself.

NASB 1977
“The person who sins will die. The son will not bear the punishment for the father’s iniquity, nor will the father bear the punishment for the son’s iniquity; the righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself.

Legacy Standard Bible
The soul who sins will die. The son will not bear the iniquity of the father, nor will the father bear the iniquity of the son; the righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself.

Amplified Bible
The person who sins [is the one that] will die. The son will not bear the punishment for the sin of the father, nor will the father bear the punishment for the sin of the son; the righteousness of the righteous shall be on himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be on himself.

Christian Standard Bible
The person who sins is the one who will die. A son won’t suffer punishment for the father’s iniquity, and a father won’t suffer punishment for the son’s iniquity. The righteousness of the righteous person will be on him, and the wickedness of the wicked person will be on him.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
The person who sins is the one who will die. A son won’t suffer punishment for the father’s iniquity, and a father won’t suffer punishment for the son’s iniquity. The righteousness of the righteous person will be on him, and the wickedness of the wicked person will be on him.”

American Standard Version
The soul that sinneth, it shall die: the son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son; the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.

Contemporary English Version
Only those who sin will be put to death. Children won't suffer for the sins of their parents, and parents won't suffer for the sins of their children. Good people will be rewarded for what they do, and evil people will be punished for what they do.

English Revised Version
The soul that sinneth, it shall die: the son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son; the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The person who sins will die. A son will not be punished for his father's sins, and a father will not be punished for his son's sins. The righteousness of the righteous person will be his own, and the wickedness of the wicked person will be his own.

Good News Translation
It is the one who sins who will die. A son is not to suffer because of his father's sins, nor a father because of the sins of his son. Good people will be rewarded for doing good, and evil people will suffer for the evil they do.

International Standard Version
The soul who sins dies. The son won't bear the punishment of his father's sin and the father won't bear the punishment of his son's sin. The righteous deeds of that righteous person will be attributed to him, while the wicked deeds of the wicked person will be charged against him.

Majority Standard Bible
The soul who sins is the one who will die. A son will not bear the iniquity of his father, and a father will not bear the iniquity of his son. The righteousness of the righteous man will fall upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked man will fall upon him.

NET Bible
The person who sins is the one who will die. A son will not suffer for his father's iniquity, and a father will not suffer for his son's iniquity; the righteous person will be judged according to his righteousness, and the wicked person according to his wickedness.

New Heart English Bible
The soul who sins, he shall die: the son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son; the righteousness of the righteous shall be on him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be on him.

Webster's Bible Translation
The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.

World English Bible
The soul who sins, he shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be on him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be on him.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
The soul that sins—it dies. A son does not bear of the iniquity of the father, "" And a father does not bear of the iniquity of the son, "" The righteousness of the righteous is on him, "" And the wickedness of the wicked is on him.

Young's Literal Translation
The soul that doth sin -- it doth die. A son doth not bear of the iniquity of the father, And a father doth not bear of the iniquity of the son, The righteousness of the righteous is on him, And the wickedness of the wicked is on him.

Smith's Literal Translation
The soul sinning, it shall die. The son shall not bear for the iniquity of the father, and the father shall not bear for the iniquity of the son: the justice of the just one shall be upon him, and the injustice of the unjust one shall be upon him.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
The soul that sinneth, the same shall die: the son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, and the father shall not bear the iniquity of the son: the justice of the just shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.

Catholic Public Domain Version
The soul that sins, the same shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, and the father shall not bear the iniquity of the son. The justice of the just man shall be upon himself, but the impiety of the impious man shall be upon himself.

New American Bible
Only the one who sins shall die. The son shall not be charged with the guilt of his father, nor shall the father be charged with the guilt of his son. Justice belongs to the just, and wickedness to the wicked.

New Revised Standard Version
The person who sins shall die. A child shall not suffer for the iniquity of a parent, nor a parent suffer for the iniquity of a child; the righteousness of the righteous shall be his own, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be his own.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
The soul that sins, that soul shall die. The son shall not bear the sins of his father, neither shall the father bear the sins of his son; the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
The soul of the sinner, that shall die. A son shall not be paid for the sins of his father, neither shall the father be paid for the sins of his son. The innocence of the innocent shall be upon him, and the sin of a sinner will be upon him
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
The soul that sinneth, it shall die; the son shall not bear the iniquity of the father with him, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son with him; the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
But the soul that sins shall die: and the son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, nor shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the iniquity of the transgressor shall be upon him.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Soul who Sins will Die
19Yet you may ask, ‘Why shouldn’t the son bear the iniquity of his father?’ Since the son has done what is just and right, carefully observing all My statutes, he will surely live. 20The soul who sins is the one who will die. A son will not bear the iniquity of his father, and a father will not bear the iniquity of his son. The righteousness of the righteous man will fall upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked man will fall upon him. 21But if the wicked man turns from all the sins he has committed, keeps all My statutes, and does what is just and right, he will surely live; he will not die.…

Cross References
Deuteronomy 24:16
Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor children for their fathers; each is to die for his own sin.

Jeremiah 31:29-30
“In those days, it will no longer be said: ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the teeth of the children are set on edge.’ / Instead, each will die for his own iniquity. If anyone eats the sour grapes, his own teeth will be set on edge.

2 Kings 14:6
Yet he did not put the sons of the murderers to death, but acted according to what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, where the LORD commanded: “Fathers must not be put to death for their children, and children must not be put to death for their fathers; each is to die for his own sin.”

2 Chronicles 25:4
Yet he did not put their sons to death, but acted according to what is written in the Law, in the Book of Moses, where the LORD commanded: “Fathers must not be put to death for their children, and children must not be put to death for their fathers; each is to die for his own sin.”

Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Galatians 6:7-8
Do not be deceived: God is not to be mocked. Whatever a man sows, he will reap in return. / The one who sows to please his flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; but the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.

Proverbs 9:12
If you are wise, you are wise to your own advantage; but if you scoff, you alone will bear the consequences.

Job 19:4
Even if I have truly gone astray, my error concerns me alone.

Isaiah 3:10-11
Tell the righteous it will be well with them, for they will enjoy the fruit of their labor. / Woe to the wicked; disaster is upon them! For they will be repaid with what their hands have done.

Matthew 16:27
For the Son of Man will come in His Father’s glory with His angels, and then He will repay each one according to what he has done.

Romans 2:6-9
God “will repay each one according to his deeds.” / To those who by perseverance in doing good seek glory, honor, and immortality, He will give eternal life. / But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow wickedness, there will be wrath and anger. ...

1 Corinthians 3:8
He who plants and he who waters are one in purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor.

Revelation 20:12-13
And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne. And books were opened, and one of them was the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their deeds, as recorded in the books. / The sea gave up its dead, and Death and Hades gave up their dead, and each one was judged according to his deeds.

John 9:2-3
and His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” / Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the works of God would be displayed in him.

Numbers 16:22
But Moses and Aaron fell facedown and said, “O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, when one man sins, will You be angry with the whole congregation?”


Treasury of Scripture

The soul that sins, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be on him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be on him.

soul that

Ezekiel 18:4,13
Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die…

Deuteronomy 24:16
The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin.

1 Kings 14:13
And all Israel shall mourn for him, and bury him: for he only of Jeroboam shall come to the grave, because in him there is found some good thing toward the LORD God of Israel in the house of Jeroboam.

bear

Ezekiel 4:4
Lie thou also upon thy left side, and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel upon it: according to the number of the days that thou shalt lie upon it thou shalt bear their iniquity.

Leviticus 5:1,17
And if a soul sin, and hear the voice of swearing, and is a witness, whether he hath seen or known of it; if he do not utter it, then he shall bear his iniquity…

Leviticus 10:17
Wherefore have ye not eaten the sin offering in the holy place, seeing it is most holy, and God hath given it you to bear the iniquity of the congregation, to make atonement for them before the LORD?

righteousness

Ezekiel 18:30
Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord GOD. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin.

Ezekiel 33:10
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?

1 Kings 8:32
Then hear thou in heaven, and do, and judge thy servants, condemning the wicked, to bring his way upon his head; and justifying the righteous, to give him according to his righteousness.

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Bear Charged Credited Death Die Evil-Doing Father's Guilt Iniquity Punishment Responsible Righteous Righteousness Share Sin Sinneth Sins Son's Soul Suffer Upright Wicked Wickedness
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Bear Charged Credited Death Die Evil-Doing Father's Guilt Iniquity Punishment Responsible Righteous Righteousness Share Sin Sinneth Sins Son's Soul Suffer Upright Wicked Wickedness
Ezekiel 18
1. God defends his justice
31. and exhorts to repentance














The soul who sins is the one who will die
The word "soul" in Hebrew is "nephesh," which refers to the living being, the essence of life. This phrase emphasizes personal responsibility, a key theme in Ezekiel's message. In the ancient Near Eastern context, communal and generational punishment was common, but here, God is establishing a principle of individual accountability. The phrase "will die" underscores the spiritual and physical consequences of sin, aligning with the broader biblical narrative that sin leads to death (Romans 6:23).

A son will not bear the iniquity of his father
The Hebrew word for "iniquity" is "avon," which denotes guilt or the consequences of sin. This phrase challenges the prevailing belief in generational curses, as seen in Exodus 20:5, where God visits "the iniquity of the fathers on the children." Ezekiel clarifies that each person is responsible for their own sin, reflecting a shift towards individual moral responsibility. This is a profound declaration of justice and fairness in God's dealings with humanity.

and a father will not bear the iniquity of his son
This reiteration reinforces the principle of personal accountability. In a patriarchal society where family honor and shame were collective, this statement is revolutionary. It liberates individuals from the burden of their ancestors' sins, emphasizing that each person stands alone before God. This aligns with the New Testament teaching that each will give an account of themselves to God (Romans 14:12).

The righteousness of the righteous man will fall upon him
"Righteousness" in Hebrew is "tsedaqah," which implies justice, rightness, and ethical conduct. This phrase assures that the rewards of righteousness are personal and not transferable. It highlights God's justice and the importance of living a life aligned with His commandments. The imagery of righteousness "falling upon" the individual suggests a divine bestowal of blessing and favor.

and the wickedness of the wicked man will fall upon him
"Wickedness" is translated from the Hebrew word "rasha," indicating moral wrongness or guilt. This phrase serves as a warning that the consequences of wickedness are also personal. It underscores the biblical principle of sowing and reaping (Galatians 6:7), where one's actions determine their outcomes. This reinforces the theme of divine justice, where each person is judged according to their deeds.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
The soul
הַנֶּ֥פֶשׁ (han·ne·p̄eš)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 5315: A soul, living being, life, self, person, desire, passion, appetite, emotion

who sins
הַחֹטֵ֖את (ha·ḥō·ṭêṯ)
Article | Verb - Qal - Participle - feminine singular
Strong's 2398: To miss, to sin, to forfeit, lack, expiate, repent, lead astray, condemn

is the one who
הִ֣יא (hî)
Pronoun - third person feminine singular
Strong's 1931: He, self, the same, this, that, as, are

will die.
תָמ֑וּת (ṯā·mūṯ)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 4191: To die, to kill

A son
בֵּ֞ן (bên)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1121: A son

will not
לֹא־ (lō-)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

bear
יִשָּׂ֣א ׀ (yiś·śā)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5375: To lift, carry, take

the iniquity
בַּעֲוֺ֣ן (ba·‘ă·wōn)
Preposition-b | Noun - common singular construct
Strong's 5771: Iniquity, guilt, punishment for iniquity

of the father,
הָאָ֗ב (hā·’āḇ)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1: Father

and a father
וְאָב֙ (wə·’āḇ)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1: Father

will not
לֹ֤א (lō)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

bear
יִשָּׂא֙ (yiś·śā)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5375: To lift, carry, take

the iniquity
בַּעֲוֺ֣ן (ba·‘ă·wōn)
Preposition-b | Noun - common singular construct
Strong's 5771: Iniquity, guilt, punishment for iniquity

of the son.
הַבֵּ֔ן (hab·bên)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1121: A son

The righteousness
צִדְקַ֤ת (ṣiḏ·qaṯ)
Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 6666: Rightness, subjectively, objectively

of the righteous man
הַצַּדִּיק֙ (haṣ·ṣad·dîq)
Article | Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 6662: Just, righteous

will fall
תִּֽהְיֶ֔ה (tih·yeh)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

upon him,
עָלָ֣יו (‘ā·lāw)
Preposition | third person masculine singular
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

and the wickedness
וְרִשְׁעַ֥ת (wə·riš·‘aṯ)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 7564: Wickedness

of the wicked man
הָרָשָׁ֖ע (hā·rā·šā‘)
Article | Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 7563: Wrong, an, bad person

will fall
תִּֽהְיֶֽה׃ (tih·yeh)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

upon him.
עָלָ֥יו (‘ā·lāw)
Preposition | third person masculine singular
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against


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OT Prophets: Ezekiel 18:20 The soul who sins he shall die: (Ezek. Eze Ezk)
Ezekiel 18:19
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