EZEKIEL Chapter 33:1-20 - Ezekiel A Watchman

Ezekiel A Watchman

The Word of the Lord came to me:

2 'Son of man, spake to your country men 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,

3 And he sees the Sword coming against the land

And blows the Trumpet to warn the people,

4 Then if anyone hears the Trumpet

But does not take warning

And the Sword comes and take his life,

His blood will be on his own head.

5 Since he heard the sound of the Trumpet

But did not take warning,

His blood will be on his own head.

If he had taken warning, he would have saved himself.

6 But if the Watchman sees the Sword coming

And does not blow the Trumpet to warn the people

And the Sword comes and takes the life of one of them,

That man will be taken away because of his Sin,

But I will hold the Watchman accountable for his blood.

7 'Son of man,

I have made you a Watchman for the House of Israel;

So hear the Word I speak and give them warning from Me.

8 When I say to the Wicked,

'O Wicked man, you will surely Die,'

And you do not speak out to Dissuade him from his ways,

That Wicked man will Die for his Sin,

And I will hold you accountable for his blood.

6 But if you do warn the Wicked man

To turn from his ways and he does not do so,

He will Die for his Sin,

But you will have Saved yourself.

10 'Son of man, say to the House of Israel,

'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?'

11'Say 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, O HOUSE OF ISRAEL?'

12 'Therefore , son of man, say to your Countrymen,

'The Righteousness of the Righteous man

Will not save him when he Disobeys,

And the Wickedness of the Wicked man

Will not cause him to Fall when he turns from it.

The Righteous man, if he Sins,

Will not be allowed to live because of his former Righteousness.'

13 If I tell the Righteous man that he will surely live,

But then he trust in his Righteousness and does Evil,

None of the Righteous things he has done will be remembered;

He will Die for the Evil he has done.

14 And if I say to the Wicked man,

'You will surely Die,'

But he then turns away from his Sin

And does what is Just and Right--

15 If he gives back what he took in pledge for a loan,

Returns what he has stolen,

Follows the Decrees that give life,

And does no Evil, he will surely live;

He will not Die.

16 None of the Sins he has committed

Will be remembered against him.

He has done what is Just and Right;

He will surely live.

17 'Yet your country men say,

'The way of the Lord is not Just.'

But it is their way that is not Just.

18 If a Righteous man turns from his Righteousness

And does Evil, he will Die for it.

19 And if a Wicked man turns away from his Wickedness

And does what is Just and Right,

He will live by doing so.

20 Yet, O House of Israel, you say,

'The way of the Lord is not Just.'

BUT I WILL JUDGE EACH OF YOU ACCORDING TO HIS OWN WAYS.'

(Ezekiel 33:1-20)