¹ Again the word of Jehovah came to me, saying:

² Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say to them, When I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man out of their whole number, and set him for their watchman,

³ and he seeth the sword coming on the land, and bloweth the trumpet, and warneth the people,

⁴ then whoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning, and the sword cometh and taketh him away, his blood shall be upon his own head.

⁵ He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning. His blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall save his life.

⁶ But if the watchman see the sword coming, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned, and the sword come and take away any person from among them, he is taken away for his iniquity, but his blood will I require at the watchman’s hand.

⁷ So thou, son of man, I have set thee a watchman to the house of Israel, that thou shouldst hear the word from my mouth, and warn them from me.

⁸ When I say to the wicked, "O wicked man, thou shalt surely die!" and thou speakest not to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die for his iniquity, but his blood will I require at thy hand.

⁹ Yet if thou warn the wicked of his way, to turn from it, and he turneth not from his way, he shall die for his iniquity, but thou hast delivered thyself.

¹⁰ Thou, therefore, O son of man, say to the house of Israel: Rightly do ye say, "Our transgressions and our sins are upon us, and through them we pine away. How then can we live?"

¹¹ Say to them, As I live, saith the Lord Jehovah, 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?

¹² Thou also, son of man, say to the sons of thy people, The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression; and through his wickedness shall not the wicked man fall in the day when he turneth from his wickedness; neither shall the righteous be able to live in the day when he sinneth.

¹³ When I say concerning the righteous, "He shall surely live," and he trusteth in his righteousness, and doeth iniquity, all his righteousness shall not be remembered, but for his iniquity which he hath committed shall he die.

¹⁴ Again, when I say concerning the wicked, "He shall surely die," and he turneth from his sin, and doeth that which is just and right,

¹⁵ and the wicked restoreth the pledge, giveth back that which he hath taken by violence, and walketh in the statutes of life without committing iniquity, he shall surely live, he shall not die.

¹⁶ None of his sins which he hath committed shall be mentioned to him; he hath done that which is just and right; he shall surely live.

¹⁷ And yet the sons of thy people say, "The way of the Lord is not right!" But it is their way which is not right.

¹⁸ When the righteous man turneth from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, he dieth because of it.

¹⁹ And when the wicked turneth from his wickedness, and doeth that which is just and right, he shall live thereby.

²⁰ And yet ye say, "The way of the Lord is not right!" O house of Israel, I will judge you every one according to his ways!

²¹ And it came to pass in the twelfth year of our captivity, in the tenth month, on the fifth day of the month, that one who had escaped from Jerusalem came to me, saying, "The city is smitten!"

²² Now the hand of Jehovah had been upon me in the evening before he that had escaped came; and he opened my mouth, until he came to me in the morning; he opened my mouth, so that I was no longer dumb.

²³ And the word of Jehovah came to me, saying:

²⁴ Son of man, they that inhabit those wastes in the land of Israel say, "Abraham was but one, and he inherited the land; but we are many; to us is the land given for an inheritance."

²⁵ Therefore say to them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Ye eat with the blood, and life up your eyes to your idols, and shed blood; and shall ye possess the land?

²⁶ Ye trust to your swords, ye commit abomination, and ye defile, every one, his neighbor’s wife; and shall ye possess the land?

²⁷ Say thou thus to them: Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: As I live, surely they that are in the wastes shall fall by the sword, and him that is in the open country will I give to the beasts to be devoured, and they that are in the forts and caves shall fall by the pestilence.

²⁸ And I will make the land an utter desolation; and the pride of her strength shall cease; and the mountains of Israel shall be desolate, so that none shall pass through.

²⁹ Then shall they know that I am Jehovah, when I have made the land an utter desolation, on account of all the abominations which they practise.

³⁰ As for thee, O son of man, the sons of thy people speak concerning thee by the walls, and in the doors of houses; and speak one to another, every man to his neighbor, saying, "Come, I pray you, and hear what is the word that goeth forth from Jehovah."

³¹ And they come to thee, as the people assembleth, and they sit before thee, as my people, and they hear thy words: but will not do them; for with their mouth they do what is lovely, but their heart goeth after gain.

³² And behold, thou art to 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 do them not.

³³ But when this cometh to pass, (and behold, it shall come to pass,) then shall they know that a prophet hath been among them.