Renewal of Ezekiel’s call as watchman
1The word of the Lord came to me: 2‘Son of man, speak to your people 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, 3and he sees the sword coming against the land and blows the trumpet to warn the people, 4then if anyone hears the trumpet but does not heed the warning and the sword comes and takes their life, their blood will be on their own head. 5Since they heard the sound of the trumpet but did not heed the warning, their blood will be on their own head. If they had heeded the warning, they would have saved themselves. 6But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes someone’s life, that person’s life will be taken because of their sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for their blood.”
7‘Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. 8When I say to the wicked, “You wicked person, you will surely die,” and you do not speak out to dissuade them from their ways, that wicked person will die for33:8 Or in; also in verse 9 their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. 9But if you do warn the wicked person to turn from their ways and they do not do so, they will die for their sin, though you yourself will be saved.
10‘Son of man, say to the Israelites, “This is what you are saying: ‘Our offences and sins weigh us down, and we are wasting away because of33:10 Or away in them. How then can we live?’ ” 11Say 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, people of Israel?”
12‘Therefore, son of man, say to your people, “If someone who is righteous disobeys, that person’s former righteousness will count for nothing. And if someone who is wicked repents, that person’s former wickedness will not bring condemnation. The righteous person who sins will not be allowed to live even though they were formerly righteous.” 13If I tell a righteous person that they will surely live, but then they trust in their righteousness and do evil, none of the righteous things that person has done will be remembered; they will die for the evil they have done. 14And if I say to a wicked person, “You will surely die,” but they then turn away from their sin and do what is just and right – 15if they give back what they took in pledge for a loan, return what they have stolen, follow the decrees that give life, and do no evil – that person will surely live; they will not die. 16None of the sins that person has committed will be remembered against them. They have done what is just and right; they will surely live.
17‘Yet your people say, “The way of the Lord is not just.” But it is their way that is not just. 18If a righteous person turns from their righteousness and does evil, they will die for it. 19And if a wicked person turns away from their wickedness and does what is just and right, they will live by doing so. 20Yet you Israelites say, “The way of the Lord is not just.” But I will judge each of you according to your own ways.’
Jerusalem’s fall explained
21In the twelfth year of our exile, in the tenth month on the fifth day, a man who had escaped from Jerusalem came to me and said, ‘The city has fallen!’ 22Now the evening before the man arrived, the hand of the Lord was on me, and he opened my mouth before the man came to me in the morning. So my mouth was opened and I was no longer silent.
23Then the word of the Lord came to me: 24‘Son of man, the people living in those ruins in the land of Israel are saying, “Abraham was only one man, yet he possessed the land. But we are many; surely the land has been given to us as our possession.” 25Therefore say to them, “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: since you eat meat with the blood still in it and look to your idols and shed blood, should you then possess the land? 26You rely on your sword, you do detestable things, and each of you defiles his neighbour’s wife. Should you then possess the land?”
27‘Say this to them: “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: as surely as I live, those who are left in the ruins will fall by the sword, those out in the country I will give to the wild animals to be devoured, and those in strongholds and caves will die of a plague. 28I will make the land a desolate waste, and her proud strength will come to an end, and the mountains of Israel will become desolate so that no-one will cross them. 29Then they will know that I am the Lord, when I have made the land a desolate waste because of all the detestable things they have done.”
30‘As for you, son of man, your people are talking together about you by the walls and at the doors of the houses, saying to each other, “Come and hear the message that has come from the Lord.” 31My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before you to hear your words, but they do not put them into practice. Their mouths speak of love, but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain. 32Indeed, to them you are nothing more than one who sings love songs with a beautiful voice and plays an instrument well, for they hear your words but do not put them into practice.
33‘When all this comes true – and it surely will – then they will know that a prophet has been among them.’
耶和華立以西結為守望者
1耶和華對我說： 2「人子啊，你要告訴你的同胞，『我若使戰爭降臨某地，那地方的百姓就應選一人做守望者。 3守望者發現敵人來攻打，便吹號警告百姓。 4凡聽見號聲而不接受警告的，敵人來把他殺了，這流血的罪就要由他自己承擔。 5因為他聽見號聲，卻不接受警告，他的死是咎由自取。他若接受警告，就不至於死了。 6但如果守望者看見敵人來攻打而不吹號警告百姓，以致有人被敵人殺了，那人固然是因自己的罪惡而被殺，我卻要向這守望者追討那人被殺的血債。』
7「人子啊，現在我立你為以色列人的守望者，你要聽我的信息，代我警告他們。 8如果我說惡人必定要死，你卻不警告他離開罪惡的行徑，他必因自己的罪而死，我卻要向你追討他喪命的血債。 9如果你警告惡人離開罪惡的行徑，他卻不聽，他必因自己的罪惡而死，他的死與你無關。
10「人子啊，你要對以色列人說，『你們說，我們背負過犯和罪惡，正因此而滅亡。我們怎能存活下去呢？ 11你要告訴他們，主耶和華說，「我憑我的永恆起誓，我絕不喜歡惡人死亡，我更願意惡人改邪歸正，得以存活。以色列人啊，回頭吧！回頭吧！改邪歸正吧！何必自取滅亡呢？」』 12人子啊，你要對你的同胞說，『當義人犯罪時，他以往的義救不了他；當惡人悔改時，他以往的惡不會使他滅沒。義人若犯罪，他以往的義不能使他存活。』 13我雖對義人說他必能存活，但如果他仗著自己的義而犯罪，他的義將不會被記念，他必因犯罪而死亡。 14我雖對惡人說他必定要死，但他若改邪歸正，行事公正仁義， 15償還抵押，歸還贓物，遵行生命之律例，不再犯罪，就必存活，不致死亡。 16他犯的罪不會被追究，因為他行事公正仁義，所以必得存活。
17「你的同胞卻說，主這樣做不公平。其實是他們自己行事不公。 18義人離義行惡，必因惡行而死亡。 19惡人棄惡行義，必因義行而存活。 20可是你們卻說，主這樣做不公平。以色列人啊，我必按你們各人的行為審判你們。」
21在我們被擄後第十二年十月五日，有人從耶路撒冷逃出來對我說：「城已經淪陷了。」 22逃難的人來的前一晚，耶和華的靈降在我身上，開了我的口。當那人早上來到我這裡時，我就開了口，不再沉默。
23耶和華對我說： 24「人子啊，那些住在以色列廢墟中的人說，『亞伯拉罕一人尚且能擁有這片土地，我們這麼多人更能擁有這片土地為業。』 25但你要告訴他們，主耶和華這樣說，『你們吃帶血的肉，仰賴偶像，又殺人流血，怎能擁有這片土地呢？ 26你們靠刀劍行可憎之事，個個玷污別人的妻子，你們怎能擁有這片土地呢？』 27你要告訴他們，主耶和華這樣說，『我憑我的永恆起誓，那些住在廢墟中的必死於刀下，逃到田野的必被野獸吞吃，躲進堡壘和洞穴的必死於瘟疫。 28我要使這片土地荒涼不堪，使她所誇耀的勢力消逝。以色列的山必荒涼，杳無人跡。 29因為他們所行的一切可憎之事，我必使這地方荒涼不堪，那時他們就知道我是耶和華。』
30「人子啊，你的同胞在牆邊和門口彼此議論你說，『來，聽聽耶和華要他傳什麼信息。』 31他們隨著人群來到你面前，坐著聆聽你的話，儼然像我的子民。但他們不付諸實行，嘴裡說的是甜言蜜語，心中卻追求不義之財。 32他們只聽不做，你在他們眼中只不過是善唱情歌、長於彈奏樂器的人。 33看吧，我所說的必定應驗。當一切應驗的時候，他們就知道有先知在他們當中。」
