Ezekiel 18:1-20

God Deals Justly with Individuals

¹Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ²“What do you people mean by using this proverb about the land of Israel, saying,

‘The fathers eat sour grapes,

But it is the children’s teeth that have become blunt’?

³As I live,” declares the Lord God, “you certainly are not going to use this proverb in Israel anymore. ⁴Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine. The soul who sins will die.

⁵“But if a man is righteous and practices justice and righteousness, ⁶if he does not eat at the mountain shrines or raise his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, or defile his neighbor’s wife or approach a woman during her menstrual period— ⁷and if a man does not oppress anyone, but restores to the debtor his pledge, does not commit robbery, but gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with clothing, ⁸and if he does not lend money at interest or take interest, if he keeps his hand from injustice and executes true justice between one person and another, ⁹if he walks in My statutes and keeps My ordinances so as to deal faithfully—he is righteous and will certainly live,” declares the Lord God.

¹⁰“However, he may father a violent son who sheds blood, and does any one of these things to a brother ¹¹(though he himself did not do any of these things), that is, he even eats at the mountain shrines, and defiles his neighbor’s wife, ¹²oppresses the poor and needy, commits robbery, does not restore a pledge, but raises his eyes to the idols and commits abomination, ¹³lends money at interest and takes interest; will he live? He will not live! He has committed all these abominations, he shall certainly be put to death; his blood will be on himself.

¹⁴“Now behold, he has fathered a son who saw all his father’s sins which he committed, but he has seen them and does not do likewise. ¹⁵He does not eat at the mountain shrines or raise his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel; he has not defiled his neighbor’s wife, ¹⁶nor oppressed anyone, nor retained a pledge, nor committed robbery; instead, he gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with clothing, ¹⁷he keeps his hand from the poor, does not take any kind of interest on loans, but executes My ordinances, and walks in My statutes; he will not die for his father’s guilt, he will certainly live. ¹⁸As for his father, because he practiced extortion, robbed his brother, and did what was not good among his people, behold, he will die for his guilt.

¹⁹“Yet you say, ‘Why should the son not suffer the punishment for the father’s guilt?’ When the son has practiced justice and righteousness and has kept all My statutes and done them, he shall certainly live. ²⁰The person who sins will die. A son will not suffer the punishment for the father’s guilt, nor will a father suffer the punishment for the son’s guilt; the righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself.