| International Standard Version | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1This message came to me from the LORD: | 1The word of the LORD came to me: " |
| 2"Why do you cite this proverb when you talk about Israel's land: 'The fathers eat sour grapes but it's their children's teeth that have become numb.' | 2What do you mean by using this proverb concerning the land of Israel: The fathers eat sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge? |
| 3As long as I live," declares the LORD, "you won't use this proverb about Israel anymore. | 3As I live"--this is the declaration of the Lord GOD--"you will no longer use this proverb in Israel. |
| 4Look! Every living soul belongs to me—the father's as well as the son's. So pay attention! The person who keeps on sinning is going to die." | 4Look, every life belongs to Me. The life of the father is like the life of the son--both belong to Me. The person who sins is the one who will die." |
| 5"If a person is righteous, and practices what's lawful and right, | 5Now suppose a man is righteous and does what is just and right: |
| 6if he doesn't eat at mountain shrines, and doesn't look to the idols that have been erected in Israel's house, if he doesn't defile his neighbor's wife or approach a woman during her time of menstrual separation, | 6He does not eat at the mountain shrines or raise his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel. He does not defile his neighbor's wife or come near a woman during her menstrual impurity. |
| 7if he doesn't oppress anyone, but instead returns the debtor's security for his debt, if he doesn't rob anyone, but instead shares his food with the hungry and gives clothes to those who are naked, | 7He doesn't oppress anyone but returns his collateral to the debtor. He does not commit robbery, but gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with clothing. |
| 8if he doesn't lend with usury or exact interest, but instead refuses to participate in what is unjust, if he administers true justice between people, | 8He doesn't lend at interest or for profit but keeps his hand from wrongdoing and carries out true justice between men. |
| 9if he lives his life consistent with my statutes and keeps my ordinances by practicing what's true, then he's righteous and will certainly live," declares the Lord GOD. | 9He follows My statutes and keeps My ordinances, acting faithfully. Such a person is righteous; he will certainly live." This is the declaration of the Lord GOD." |
| 10"Now suppose that person produces a son who's violent, a murderer, and practices any of these things, | 10Now suppose the man has a violent son, who sheds blood and does any of these things, |
| 11even though the father hasn't done any of these things. The son who eats at mountain shrines, defiles his neighbor's wife, | 11though the father has done none of them. Indeed, when the son eats at the mountain shrines and defiles his neighbor's wife, |
| 12oppresses the afflicted and the poor, robs others, doesn't return security for a debt, looks to idols, does detestable things, | 12and when he oppresses the poor and needy, commits robbery, and does not return collateral, and when he raises his eyes to the idols, commits detestable acts, |
| 13loans with usury, and exacts interest; will he live? He certainly will not! He has done all these detestable practices. He will certainly die, and his guilt will be his own fault." | 13and lends at interest or for profit, will he live? He will not live! Since he has committed all these detestable acts, he will certainly die. His blood will be on him." |
| 14"Now suppose that he produced a son who practiced all of his father's sins, but then that son began to fear me and stopped doing all of these things. | 14Now suppose he has a son who sees all the sins his father has committed, and though he sees them, he does not do likewise. |
| 15That is, suppose he doesn't eat at the mountain shrines, doesn't look to the idols of Israel's house, doesn't defile his neighbor's wife, | 15He does not eat at the mountain shrines or raise his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel. He does not defile his neighbor's wife. |
| 16doesn't oppress anyone, doesn't take possession of a debtor's pledge, or doesn't steal, but instead shares his food with the hungry, gives clothes to those who are naked, | 16He doesn't oppress anyone, hold collateral, or commit robbery. He gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with clothing. |
| 17doesn't refuse to help the afflicted, or refuses to loan with usury or exact interest, but instead follows my ordinances and lives his life consistent with my statutes. He won't die because of his father's sin, will he? No! He'll certainly live. | 17He keeps his hand from harming the poor, not taking interest or profit on a loan. He practices My ordinances and follows My statutes. Such a person will not die for his father's iniquity. He will certainly live." |
| 18As for his father, watch out! If he wrongfully oppressed or robbed his brother and did what wasn't good among his people, he'll die because of his own sin." | 18As for his father, he will die for his own iniquity because he practiced fraud, robbed his brother, and did what was wrong among his people. |
| 19"Yet you keep asking, 'Why wouldn't the son bear the punishment of his father's sin?' Because the son has done what was lawful and right, and has kept all my statutes and obeyed them, he's certainly going to live. | 19But you may ask, 'Why doesn't the son suffer punishment for the father's iniquity?' Since the son has done what is just and right, carefully observing all My statutes, he will certainly live. |
| 20The 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. | 20The 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." |
| 21But if the wicked person turns from all his sins, which he did and keeps my statutes, then he'll live. He won't die. | 21Now if the wicked person turns from all the sins he has committed, keeps all My statutes, and does what is just and right, he will certainly live; he will not die. |
| 22None of the transgressions that he had committed will be held against him. Because of the righteous deeds that he had done, he'll live. | 22None of the transgressions he has committed will be held against him. He will live because of the righteousness he has practiced. |
| 23"I don't take delight in the death of the wicked, do I?" asks the Lord GOD. "Shouldn't I rather delight when he turns from his wicked ways and lives? | 23Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked?" This is the declaration of the Lord GOD. "Instead, don't I take pleasure when he turns from his ways and lives? |
| 24But when the righteous person abandons his righteous deeds and commits evil, detestable practices, as wicked people do, he won't live, will he? None of the righteous acts that he had done will be remembered. He'll die in his treacherous unfaithfulness and sins that he had committed." | 24But when a righteous person turns from his righteousness and practices iniquity, committing the same detestable acts that the wicked do, will he live? None of the righteous acts he did will be remembered. He will die because of the treachery he has engaged in and the sin he has committed." |
| 25"Yet you keep saying, 'The LORD isn't being consistent with his standards.' Pay attention, you house of Israel: Is my behavior really inconsistent with my standards? Isn't it your behavior that isn't just? | 25But you say, 'The Lord's way isn't fair.' Now listen, house of Israel: Is it My way that is unfair? Instead, isn't it your ways that are unfair? |
| 26"When a righteous person turns from his righteous deeds and does evil, he'll die because of that evil. He'll die because of his unrighteous acts that he committed. | 26When a righteous person turns from his righteousness and practices iniquity, he will die for this. He will die because of the iniquity he has practiced. |
| 27When a wicked person quits his wicked behavior and does what's just and right, he'll be enabled to live. | 27But if a wicked person turns from the wickedness he has committed and does what is just and right, he will preserve his life. |
| 28Because he reconsidered his transgression and turned away from everything that he had been doing, he'll certainly live and not die. | 28He will certainly live because he thought it over and turned from all the transgressions he had committed; he will not die. |
| 29Yet Israel's house keeps saying, 'The LORD isn't being consistent with his standards.' Is it my behavior that's inconsistent with my standards? Is it not your behavior that's inconsistent with my standards?" | 29But the house of Israel says, 'The Lord's way isn't fair.' Is it My ways that are unfair, house of Israel? Instead, isn't it your ways that are unfair?" |
| 30"Therefore, Israel, I'm going to judge you according to the behavior of each and every one of you," declares the Lord GOD. "So repent and turn from all your sins so that sin won't keep on being a stumbling block for you. | 30Therefore, house of Israel, I will judge each one of you according to his ways." This is the declaration of the Lord GOD. "Repent and turn from all your transgressions, so they will not be a stumbling block that causes your punishment. |
| 31Stop your transgressing—the deeds by which you've rebelled—and then make for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. Why should you die, you house of Israel? | 31Throw off all the transgressions you have committed, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. Why should you die, house of Israel? |
| 32I don't take pleasure in the death of anyone who dies," declares the LORD. "So repent, so you may live!" | 32For I take no pleasure in anyone's death." This is the declaration of the Lord GOD. "So repent and live!" |
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