Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say untothem, When I bring the swordupon a land, if the people of the landtake a man of theircoasts, and set him for theirwatchman:
But if the watchman see the swordcome, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the swordcome, and take any personfromamongthem, he is takenaway in his iniquity; but his bloodwill I require at the watchman’shand.
When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thoushaltsurely die; if thoudost not speak to warn the wickedfrom his way, thatwicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his bloodwill I require at thinehand.
Nevertheless, if thouwarn the wicked of his way to turnfrom it; if he do not turnfrom his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thouhastdelivered thy soul.
Therefore, O thou son of man, speakunto the house of Israel; Thus ye speak, saying, If our transgressions and our sins be upon us, and we pineaway in them, how should we thenlive?
Say untothem, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wickedturnfrom his way and live: turn ye, turn ye fromyourevilways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?
Therefore, thou son of man, say unto the children of thy people, The righteousness of the righteousshall not deliver him in the day of his transgression: as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fallthereby in the day that he turnethfrom his wickedness; neithershall the righteous be able to live for his righteousness in the day that he sinneth.
When I shall say to the righteous, that he shallsurelylive; if he trust to his own righteousness, and commitiniquity, all his righteousnessesshall not be remembered; but for his iniquitythat he hathcommitted, he shall die for it.
If the wickedrestore the pledge, giveagainthat he had robbed, walk in the statutes of life, withoutcommittinginiquity; he shallsurelylive, he shall not die.
And it came to pass in the twelfthyear of our captivity, in the tenthmonth, in the fifth day of the month, that one that had escaped out of Jerusalemcameunto me, saying, The city is smitten.
Now the hand of the LORD was upon me in the evening, afore he that was escapedcame; and had opened my mouth, until he came to me in the morning; and my mouth was opened, and I was no moredumb.
Son of man, theythatinhabitthosewastes of the land of Israelspeak, saying, Abraham was one, and he inherited the land: but we are many; the land is given us for inheritance.
Wherefore say untothem, Thussaith the Lord GOD; Ye eat with the blood, and lift up youreyestowardyouridols, and shedblood: and shall ye possess the land?
Say thouthusuntothem, Thussaith the Lord GOD; As I live, surelytheythat are in the wastesshallfall by the sword, and him that is in the openfieldwill I give to the beasts to be devoured, and theythat be in the forts and in the cavesshall die of the pestilence.
Also, thou son of man, the children of thy peoplestill are talkingagainstthee by the walls and in the doors of the houses, and speak one to another, every one to his brother, saying, Come, I pray you, and hearwhat is the wordthatcomethforthfrom the LORD.
And theycomeuntothee as the peoplecometh, and they sit beforethee as my people, and theyhear thy words, but theywill not do them: for withtheirmouththeyshewmuchlove, but theirheartgoethaftertheircovetousness.
And, lo, thou art untothem as a verylovelysong of one thathath a pleasantvoice, and can playwell on an instrument: for theyhear thy words, but they do them not.