Ezekiel 18

Ezekiel · Chapter 18

Ezekiel 18:3

1The word of the LORD came unto me again, saying,2What mean ye, that ye use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge?3As I live, saith the Lord GOD, ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel.4Behold, 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.5But if a man be just, and do that which is lawful and right,6And hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, neither hath defiled his neighbour’s wife, neither hath come near to a menstruous woman,7And hath not oppressed any, but hath restored to the debtor his pledge, hath spoiled none by violence, hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment;8He that hath not given forth upon usury, neither hath taken any increase, that hath withdrawn his hand from iniquity, hath executed true judgment between man and man,9Hath walked in my statutes, and hath kept my judgments, to deal truly; he is just, he shall surely live, saith the Lord GOD.10If he beget a son that is a robber, a shedder of blood, and that doeth the like to any one of these things,11And that doeth not any of those duties, but even hath eaten upon the mountains, and defiled his neighbour’s wife,12Hath oppressed the poor and needy, hath spoiled by violence, hath not restored the pledge, and hath lifted up his eyes to the idols, hath committed abomination,13Hath given forth upon usury, and hath taken increase: shall he then live? he shall not live: he hath done all these abominations; he shall surely die; his blood shall be upon him.14Now, lo, if he beget a son, that seeth all his father’s sins which he hath done, and considereth, and doeth not such like,15That hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, hath not defiled his neighbour’s wife,16Neither hath oppressed any, hath not withholden the pledge, neither hath spoiled by violence, but hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment,17That hath taken off his hand from the poor, that hath not received usury nor increase, hath executed my judgments, hath walked in my statutes; he shall not die for the iniquity of his father, he shall surely live.18As for his father, because he cruelly oppressed, spoiled his brother by violence, and did that which is not good among his people, lo, even he shall die in his iniquity.19Yet say ye, Why? doth not the son bear the iniquity of the father? When the son hath done that which is lawful and right, and hath kept all my statutes, and hath done them, he shall surely live.20The 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.21But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die.22All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live.23Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?24But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die.25Yet ye say, The way of the LORD is not equal. Hear now, O house of Israel; Is not my way equal? are not your ways unequal?26When a righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and dieth in them; for his iniquity that he hath done shall he die.27Again, when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive.28Because he considereth, and turneth away from all his transgressions that he hath committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die.29Yet saith the house of Israel, The way of the LORD is not equal. O house of Israel, are not my ways equal? are not your ways unequal?30Therefore 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.31Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel?32For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.

King James Version (1769)

Other translations

VerseKJVBSBASV
3As I live, saith the Lord GOD, ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel.As surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, you will no longer quote this proverb in Israel.As I live, saith the Lord Jehovah, ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel.

In context

Who is speaking and to whom, what is happening, when and where, and why it matters, each with its sources. Coming with the context cards.

Original Hebrew words

EnglishHebrewSay itStrong'sMeaning
[by] [the] lifeחַי־chai-H2416A
alive

חַי (chay) adj 1) living, alive 1a) green (of vegetation) 1b) flowing, fresh (of water) 1c) lively, active (of man) 1d) reviving (of the springtime) Aramaic equivalent: chay (חַי "living" H2417)

of meאָ֕נִי'A-niH0589
me

אֲנָא (a.na) I (first pers. sing. -usually used for emphasis) Aramaic of a.ni (אֲנִי, אָֽנֹכִ֫י "I" H0589)

[the] utterance ofנְאֻ֖םne-'UMH5002
utterance

נְאֻם (ne.um) 1) (Qal) utterance, declaration (of prophet) 1a) utterance, declaration, revelation (of prophet in ecstatic state) 1b) utterance, declaration (elsewhere always preceding divine name)

[the] Lordאֲדֹנָ֣י'a-do-NAIH0136
Lord

אֲדֹנָי (a.do.nai) Lord - a title, spoken in place of Yahweh in Jewish display of reverence Another name of ye.ho.vah (יהוה "LORD" H3068G)

Yahwehיְהוִ֑הYAH-wehH3069
YHWH/God

יְהֹוִה (ye.ho.vih) 1) Jehovah-used primarily in the combination 'Lord Jehovah' 1a) equal to ye.ho.vah (יהוה "LORD" H3068) but pointed with the vowels of e.lo.him (אֱלֹהִים "God" H0430)

ifאִם־'im-H0518HNo entry
it will belongיִֽהְיֶ֨הyih-YEHH1961
to be

הָיָה (ha.yah) 1) to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out 1a) (Qal) 1a1) --- 1a1a) to happen, fall out, occur, take place, come about, come to pass 1a1b) to come about, come to pass 1a2) to come into being, become 1a2a) to arise, appear, come 1a2b) to become 1a2b1) to become 1a2b2) to become like 1a2b3) to be instituted, be established 1a3) to be 1a3a) to exist, be in existence 1a3b) to abide, remain, continue (with word of place or time) 1a3c) to stand, lie, be in, be at, be situated (with word of locality) 1a3d) to accompany, be with 1b) (Niphal) …

againע֗וֹדodH5750
still

עוֹד (od) subst 1) a going round, continuance adv 2) still, yet, again, besides 2a) still, yet (of continuance or persistence) 2b) still, yet, more (of addition or repetition) 2c) again 2d) still, moreover, besides Aramaic equivalent: od (עוֹד "still" H5751)

to speak a proverbמְשֹׁ֛לme-SHOLH4911B
to use a proverb

מָשַׁל (ma.shal) 1) to speak in a proverb, use a proverb, speak in parables, speak in sentences of poetry 1a) (Qal) to use a proverb, speak a parable or proverb 1b) (Piel) to make a parable 1b1) maker of parables (participle)

the proverbהַמָּשָׁ֥לha-ma-SHALH4912
proverb

מָשָׁל (ma.shal) 1) proverb, parable 1a) proverb, proverbial saying, aphorism 1b) byword 1c) similitude, parable 1d) poem 1e) sentences of ethical wisdom, ethical maxims

the thisהַזֶּ֖הha-ZEHH2088
that

דִּי (di) part of relation 1) who, which, that mark of genitive 2) that of, which belongs to, that conj 3) that, because

in Israelבְּיִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃be-YIS-ra-'ELH3478
Jacob

יַעֲקֹב (ya.a.qov) A man living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.25.26; son of: Isaac (H3327) and Rebekah (H7259); brother of: Esau (H6215); married to Rachel (H7354), Leah (H3812), Zilpah (H2153) and Bilhah (H1090A); father of: Reuben (H7205), Simeon (H8095), Levi (H3878), Judah (H3063), Dan (H1835H), Naphtali (H5321), Gad (H1410), Asher (H0836), Issachar (H3485), Zebulun (H2074), Dinah (H1783), Joseph (H3130) and Benjamin (H1144); also called Jacob frequently Another name of yis.ra.el (יִשְׂרָאֵל "Israel" H3478) § Jacob = "heel holder" or "supplanter" …

Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.