Self-interpreting Bible

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Ezekiel 33

1According to the duty of a watchman in warning the people, Ezekiel is admonished of his duty in warning sinners. 10God sheweth the manner of his dealings with the righteous that revolteth, and with the returning sinner. 17He maintaineth the equity of his proceeding. 21Upon the news of the taking of Jerusalem Ezekiel prophesieth the desolation of the land. 30The hypocrisy of the captive Jews reproved.

1 AGAIN the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

    2 Son of man, aspeak to bthe children of thy people, and say unto them, 1When cI bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their *coasts, and set him for their dwatchman:

    3 If when ehe seeth the sword come upon the land, he fblow the trumpet, and warn the people;

    4 Then 2whosoever gheareth hthe sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come, and take him away, ihis blood shall be upon his own head.

    5 He jheard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his kblood shall be upon him. But lhe that taketh warning shall deliver his soul.

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

    7 ¶oSo thou, O son of man, I have pset thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; qtherefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me.

    8 When I say unto the wicked, rO wicked man, sthou shalt surely die; tif thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his uiniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.

    9 Nevertheless, vif thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; wif he do not turn from his way, he shall xdie in his iniquity; but ythou hast delivered thy soul.

    10 Therefore, O thou son of man, zspeak unto the house of Israel; Thus ye speak, saying, aIf our transgressions and our sins be upon us, and we pine away in them, bhow should we then live?

    11 Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, cI have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: dturn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?

    12 Therefore, thou son of man, say unto the children of thy people, eThe righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression: as for the wickedness of the wicked, fhe shall not fall thereby in the day that he turneth from his wickedness; neither shall the righteous be able to live for his grighteousness in the day that he sinneth.

    13 hWhen I shall say to the righteous, that he shall surely live; iif he trust to his own righteousness, and commit iniquity, all his righteousnesses shall not be remembered; but for his iniquity that he hath committed, jhe shall die for it.

    14 Again, kwhen I say unto the wicked, lThou shalt surely die; mif he turn from his sin, and do that which is 3lawful and right;

    15 nIf the wicked restore the pledge, give again that he had robbed, walk oin the statutes of life, without committing iniquity; he shall surely live, phe shall not die.

    16 qNone of his sins that he hath committed shall be mentioned unto him: he hath done that which is lawful and right; he shall surely live.

    17 ¶Yet the children of thy people say, rThe way of the Lord is not equal: but as for them, their way is not equal.

    18 sWhen the righteous turneth from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, he shall even die thereby.

    19 tBut if the wicked turn from his wickedness, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall live thereby.

    20 ¶uYet ye say, vThe way of the Lord is not equal. O ye house of Israel, wI will judge you every one after his ways.

    21 ¶And it came to pass in the xtwelfth year of our captivity, in the tenth month, in the fifth day of the month, that yone that had escaped out of Jerusalem came unto me, saying, zThe city is smitten.

    22 Now athe hand of the LORD was upon me in the evening, *afore he that was escaped came; and had opened bmy mouth, until he came to me in the morning; and my mouth was opened, and I was no more dumb.

    23 Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

      24 Son of man, cthey that inhabit those dwastes of the land of Israel speak, saying, eAbraham was one, and he inherited the land: but we are fmany; gthe land is given us for inheritance.

      25 Wherefore say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; hYe eat with the blood, and ilift up your eyes toward your idols, and jshed blood: and shall ye kpossess the land?

      26 Ye stand upon your sword, lye work abomination, and mye defile every one his neighbour's wife: and nshall ye possess the land?

      27 Say thou thus unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; As I live, osurely they that are in the wastes shall fall by the sword, and him that is in the open field will I give to the beasts 4to be devoured, and they that be in the forts and in the pcaves shall die of the pestilence.

      28 For qI will lay the land 5most desolate, and the rpomp of her strength shall cease; and sthe mountains of Israel shall be desolate, that none shall pass through.

      29 tThen shall they know that I am the LORD, when I have laid the land most desolate ubecause of all their abominations which they have committed.

      30 ¶Also, thou son of man, the children of thy people still are talking 6against thee by the walls and in the doors of the houses, and speak one to another, every one to his brother, saying, vCome, I pray you, and hear what is the word that cometh forth from the LORD.

      31 And they come unto thee 7as the people cometh, and 8they sit before thee as my people, and they whear thy words, but they will not do them: xfor with their mouth 9they shew much love, but their heart ygoeth after their covetousness.

      32 And, lo, thou art unto them as 10a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for zthey hear thy words, but they do them not.

      33 And when this cometh to pass, (lo, 11it will come,) then ashall they know that a prophet hath been among them.