| New International Version | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1The word of the LORD came to me: | 1The word of the LORD came to me: " |
| 2"Son of man, speak to your people and say to them: 'When I bring the sword against a land, and the people of the land choose one of their men and make him their watchman, | 2Son of man, speak to your people and tell them: Suppose I bring the sword against a land, and the people of that land select a man from among them, appointing him as their watchman, |
| 3and he sees the sword coming against the land and blows the trumpet to warn the people, | 3and he sees the sword coming against the land and blows his trumpet to warn the people. |
| 4then if anyone hears the trumpet but does not heed the warning and the sword comes and takes their life, their blood will be on their own head. | 4Then, if anyone hears the sound of the trumpet but ignores the warning, and the sword comes and takes him away, his blood will be on his own head. |
| 5Since they heard the sound of the trumpet but did not heed the warning, their blood will be on their own head. If they had heeded the warning, they would have saved themselves. | 5Since he heard the sound of the trumpet but ignored the warning, his blood is on his own hands. If he had taken warning, he would have saved his life. |
| 6But 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's life will be taken because of their sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for their blood.' | 6However, if the watchman sees the sword coming but doesn't blow the trumpet, so that the people aren't warned, and the sword comes and takes away their lives, then they have been taken away because of their iniquity, but I will hold the watchman accountable for their blood." |
| 7"Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. | 7As for you, son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. When you hear a word from My mouth, give them a warning from Me. |
| 8When 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. | 8If I say to the wicked, 'Wicked one, you will surely die,' but you do not speak out to warn him about his way, that wicked person will die for his iniquity, yet I will hold you responsible for his blood. |
| 9But if you do warn the wicked person to turn from their ways and they do not do so, they will die for their sin, though you yourself will be saved. | 9But if you warn a wicked person to turn from his way and he doesn't turn from it, he will die for his iniquity, but you will have saved your life." |
| 10"Son of man, say to the Israelites, '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?"' | 10Now as for you, son of man, say to the house of Israel: You have said this, 'Our transgressions and our sins are heavy on us, and we are wasting away because of them! How then can we survive?' |
| 11Say to them, 'As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, people of Israel?' | 11Tell them: As I live"--the declaration of the Lord GOD--"I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked person should turn from his way and live. Repent, repent of your evil ways! Why will you die, house of Israel?" |
| 12"Therefore, son of man, say to your people, 'If someone who is righteous disobeys, that person's former righteousness will count for nothing. And if someone who is wicked repents, that person's former wickedness will not bring condemnation. The righteous person who sins will not be allowed to live even though they were formerly righteous.' | 12Now, son of man, say to your people: The righteousness of the righteous person will not save him on the day of his transgression; neither will the wickedness of the wicked person cause him to stumble on the day he turns from his wickedness. The righteous person won't be able to survive by his righteousness on the day he sins. |
| 13If I tell a righteous person that they will surely live, but then they trust in their righteousness and do evil, none of the righteous things that person has done will be remembered; they will die for the evil they have done. | 13When I tell the righteous person that he will surely live, but he trusts in his righteousness and commits iniquity, then none of his righteousness will be remembered, and he will die because of the iniquity he has committed." |
| 14And if I say to a wicked person, 'You will surely die,' but they then turn away from their sin and do what is just and right-- | 14So when I tell the wicked person, 'You will surely die,' but he repents of his sin and does what is just and right-- |
| 15if they give back what they took in pledge for a loan, return what they have stolen, follow the decrees that give life, and do no evil--that person will surely live; they will not die. | 15he returns collateral, makes restitution for what he has stolen, and walks in the statutes of life without practicing iniquity--he will certainly live; he will not die. |
| 16None of the sins that person has committed will be remembered against them. They have done what is just and right; they will surely live. | 16None of the sins he committed will be held against him. He has done what is just and right; he will certainly live." |
| 17"Yet your people say, 'The way of the Lord is not just.' But it is their way that is not just. | 17But your people say, 'The Lord's way isn't fair,' even though it is their own way that isn't fair. |
| 18If a righteous person turns from their righteousness and does evil, they will die for it. | 18When a righteous person turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, he will die on account of this. |
| 19And if a wicked person turns away from their wickedness and does what is just and right, they will live by doing so. | 19But if a wicked person turns from his wickedness and does what is just and right, he will live because of this. |
| 20Yet you Israelites say, 'The way of the Lord is not just.' But I will judge each of you according to your own ways." | 20Yet you say, 'The Lord's way isn't fair.' I will judge each of you according to his ways, house of Israel." |
| 21In the twelfth year of our exile, in the tenth month on the fifth day, a man who had escaped from Jerusalem came to me and said, "The city has fallen!" | 21In the twelfth year of our exile, in the tenth month, on the fifth day of the month, a fugitive from Jerusalem came to me and reported, "The city has been taken!" |
| 22Now the evening before the man arrived, the hand of the LORD was on me, and he opened my mouth before the man came to me in the morning. So my mouth was opened and I was no longer silent. | 22Now the hand of the LORD had been on me the evening before the fugitive arrived, and He opened my mouth before the man came to me in the morning. So my mouth was opened and I was no longer mute. |
| 23Then the word of the LORD came to me: | 23Then the word of the LORD came to me: " |
| 24"Son of man, the people living in those ruins in the land of Israel are saying, 'Abraham was only one man, yet he possessed the land. But we are many; surely the land has been given to us as our possession.' | 24Son of man, those who live in the ruins in the land of Israel are saying, 'Abraham was only one person, yet he received possession of the land. But we are many; the land has been given to us as a possession.' |
| 25Therefore say to them, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Since you eat meat with the blood still in it and look to your idols and shed blood, should you then possess the land? | 25Therefore say to them: This is what the Lord GOD says: You eat meat with blood in it, raise your eyes to your idols, and shed blood. Should you then receive possession of the land? |
| 26You rely on your sword, you do detestable things, and each of you defiles his neighbor's wife. Should you then possess the land?' | 26You have relied on your swords, you have committed detestable acts, and each of you has defiled his neighbor's wife. Should you then receive possession of the land?" |
| 27"Say this to them: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: As surely as I live, those who are left in the ruins will fall by the sword, those out in the country I will give to the wild animals to be devoured, and those in strongholds and caves will die of a plague. | 27Tell 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 in the open field I have given to wild animals to be devoured, and those in the strongholds and caves will die by plague. |
| 28I will make the land a desolate waste, and her proud strength will come to an end, and the mountains of Israel will become desolate so that no one will cross them. | 28I 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. |
| 29Then they will know that I am the LORD, when I have made the land a desolate waste because of all the detestable things they have done.' | 29They will know that I am Yahweh when I make the land a desolate waste because of all the detestable acts they have committed." |
| 30"As for you, son of man, your people are talking together about you by the walls and at the doors of the houses, saying to each other, 'Come and hear the message that has come from the LORD.' | 30Now, son of man, your people are talking about you near the city walls and in the doorways of their houses. One person speaks to another, each saying to his brother, 'Come and hear what the message is that comes from the LORD!' |
| 31My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before you to hear your words, but they do not put them into practice. Their mouths speak of love, but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain. | 31So My people come to you in crowds, sit in front of you, and hear your words, but they don't obey them. Although they express love with their mouths, their hearts pursue dishonest profit. |
| 32Indeed, to them you are nothing more than one who sings love songs with a beautiful voice and plays an instrument well, for they hear your words but do not put them into practice. | 32Yes, to them you are like a singer of love songs who has a beautiful voice and plays skillfully on an instrument. They hear your words, but they don't obey them. |
| 33"When all this comes true--and it surely will--then they will know that a prophet has been among them." | 33Yet when it comes--and it will definitely come--then they will know that a prophet has been among them." |
| New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. | Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. |
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