Mamamatay ang Nagkasala
1Sinabi sa akin ng Panginoon, 2“Ano ang ibig ninyong sabihin sa kasabihang ito sa Israel, ‘Ang mga magulang ay kumain ng maasim na ubas at ang asim nitoʼy matitikman pati ng kanilang mga anak?’
3“Ako, ang Panginoong Dios na buhay, ay sumusumpang hindi nʼyo na babanggitin ang kasabihang ito sa Israel. 4Makinig kayo! Akin ang lahat ng may buhay, maging ang buhay ng mga magulang o buhay ng mga anak. Ang taong nagkasala ang siyang mamamatay. 5Halimbawa, may isang taong matuwid na ginagawa kung ano ang tama. 6Hindi siya sumasamba sa mga dios-diosan ng Israel o kumakain ng mga inihandog sa mga dios-diosang ito sa mga sambahan sa mga bundok. Hindi siya sumisiping sa asawa ng iba o sa babaeng may buwanang dalaw. 7Hindi siya nang-aapi at ibinabalik niya ang mga isinangla ng mga nangungutang sa kanya. Hindi siya nagnanakaw, pinapakain niya ang mga nagugutom at binibigyan ng damit ang mga walang damit. 8Hindi siya nagpapatubo kapag nagpapahiram ng pera. Hindi rin siya gumagawa ng masama at wala siyang kinakampihan sa kanyang paghatol. 9Sinusunod niyang mabuti ang mga utos koʼt mga tuntunin. Ang taong ganito ay matuwid at patuloy na mabubuhay. Ako, ang Panginoong Dios, ang nagsasabi nito.
10“Pero kung may anak siyang lalaki na malupit at mamamatay-tao, o gumagawa ng sumusunod na masasamang gawain 11na hindi ginawa ng kanyang ama: Kumakain siya ng mga pagkaing inihandog sa mga dios-diosan sa mga sambahan sa bundok at sumisiping sa asawa ng iba. 12Nang-aapi ng mahihirap at nangangailangan. Nagnanakaw at hindi isinasauli ang isinangla ng mga nangutang sa kanya. Sumasamba sa mga dios-diosan, gumagawa ng mga kasuklam-suklam na bagay, 13at nagpapatubo sa mga may utang sa kanya. Maliligtas kaya siya? Hindi! Mamamatay siya dahil sa mga ginawa niyang kasuklam-suklam at walang ibang dapat sisihin sa kamatayan niya kundi siya.
14“Kung ang masamang taong ito ay may anak na lalaki at nakita niya ang lahat ng masamang ginawa ng kanyang ama pero hindi niya ito ginaya, 15hindi siya sumamba sa mga dios-diosan ng Israel o kumain ng mga pagkaing inihandog sa mga dios-diosang ito sa mga sambahan sa bundok, hindi siya sumisiping sa hindi niya asawa, 16hindi siya nang-aapi at hindi niya inaangkin ang mga garantiya ng mga umutang sa kanya, hindi siya nagnanakaw, pinapakain niya ang mga nagugutom at binibigyan ng damit ang mga walang damit, 17hindi siya gumagawa ng masama at hindi nagpapatubo sa may utang sa kanya, tinutupad niya ang mga utos koʼt mga tuntunin, ang taong itoʼy hindi mamamatay dahil sa kasalanan ng kanyang ama. Patuloy siyang mabubuhay. 18Pero ang kanyang ama ay mamamatay dahil mukha siyang pera, magnanakaw at gumagawa ng masama sa kanyang mga kababayan.
19“Pero maaaring itanong ninyo kung bakit hindi dapat parusahan ang anak dahil sa kasalanan ng kanyang ama. Kung ang anak ay matuwid, gumagawa ng tama at sinusunod ang mga tuntunin ko, patuloy siyang mabubuhay. 20Ang taong nagkasala ang siyang dapat mamatay. Hindi dapat parusahan ang anak dahil sa kasalanan ng kanyang ama at ang ama naman ay hindi dapat parusahan dahil sa kasalanan ng kanyang anak. Ang taong matuwid ay gagantimpalaan sa ginawa niyang kabutihan at ang taong masama ay parurusahan dahil sa ginawa niyang kasamaan.
21“Ngunit kung ang taong masama ay magsisi sa lahat ng kasalanan niya at sumunod sa aking mga tuntunin at gumawa ng matuwid at tama, hindi siya mamamatay kundi patuloy na mabubuhay. 22Hindi na siya mananagot sa lahat ng nagawa niyang kasalanan at dahil sa ginawa niyang matuwid, patuloy siyang mabubuhay. 23Ako, ang Panginoong Dios ay hindi natutuwa kapag namamatay ang masama. Masaya ako kapag nagsisi siya at patuloy na mabuhay.
24“Pero kung ang taong matuwid ay tumigil sa paggawa ng matuwid, nagpakasama at gumawa pa ng kasuklam-suklam gaya ng ginagawa ng mga taong masama, patuloy pa rin kaya siyang mabubuhay? Siyempre hindi! Kalilimutan na ang mga ginawa niyang matuwid. At dahil sa pagtataksil niya sa akin at sa mga ginawa niyang kasalanan, mamamatay siya.
25“Pero baka naman sabihin ninyo, ‘Hindi tama ang ginagawa ng Panginoon.’ Makinig kayo, kayong mga mamamayan ng Israel! Ang ginagawa ko ba ang hindi tama o ang ginagawa ninyo ang hindi tama? 26Kapag ang taong matuwid ay tumigil sa paggawa ng matuwid at magpakasama, mamamatay siya dahil sa kanyang kasalanan. 27Pero kung ang taong masama ay tumigil sa paggawa ng masama at gumawa ng matuwid at tama, maililigtas niya ang buhay niya. 28Dahil inamin niya ang kasalanan niya at pinagsisihan ito, hindi siya mamamatay at patuloy na mabubuhay. 29Ngunit baka sabihin ninyo mamamayan ng Israel, ‘Hindi tama ang ginagawa ng Panginoon!’ Mga mamamayan ng Israel, ang mga ginagawa ko ba ang hindi tama o ang ginagawa ninyo?”
30“Kaya sinasabi ko sa inyo, mga mamamayan ng Israel, ako, ang Panginoong Dios, ako ang hahatol sa bawat isa sa inyo ayon sa inyong mga ginawa. Kaya, magsisi na kayo! Talikuran na ninyo ang lahat ng inyong kasalanan para hindi kayo mapahamak. 31Mga mamamayan ng Israel, bakit gusto ninyong mamatay? Tumigil na kayo sa paggawa ng kasalanan at baguhin na ang inyong pamumuhay. 32Hindi ako natutuwa kapag may namamatay. Kaya magsisi na kayo para kayoʼy mabuhay! Ako, ang Panginoong Dios, ang nagsasabi nito.”
People Will Die Because of Their Own Sins
1A message from the Lord came to me. The Lord said, 2“You people have a proverb about the land of Israel. What do you mean by it? It says,
“ ‘The parents eat sour grapes.
But the children have a bitter taste in their mouths.’
3“You will not use that proverb in Israel anymore,” announces the Lord and King. “And that is just as sure as I am alive. 4Everyone belongs to me. Parents and children alike belong to me. A person will die because of their own sins.
5“Suppose there is a godly man
who does what is fair and right.
6And he does not eat at the mountain temples.
He does not worship the statues of Israel’s gods.
He does not sleep with another man’s wife.
He does not have sex with his own wife
during her monthly period.
7He does not treat anyone badly.
Instead, he always returns things he takes
to make sure loans are paid back.
He does not steal.
Instead, he gives his food to hungry people.
He provides clothes for those who are naked.
8He does not charge interest when he lends money to them.
He does not make money from them.
He keeps himself from doing what is wrong.
He judges cases fairly.
9He obeys my rules.
He is faithful in keeping my laws.
He always does what is right.
You can be sure he will live,”
announces the Lord and King.
10“But suppose he has a mean son who harms other people. The son commits murder. Or he does some other things that are wrong. 11Suppose he does these things even though his father never did.
“Suppose the son eats at the mountain temples.
And he sleeps with another man’s wife.
12He treats poor and needy people badly.
He steals.
He does not pay back what he owes.
He worships statues of gods.
He does other things I hate.
13He charges interest when he lends money to poor people. He makes money from them.
Will a man like that live? He will not! He must be put to death. And what happens to him will be his own fault. He did many things I hate.
14“But suppose this son has a son of his own. And the son sees all the sins his father commits. He sees them, but he does not do them.
15“Suppose he does not eat at the mountain temples.
And he does not worship the statues of Israel’s gods.
He does not sleep with another man’s wife.
16He does not treat anyone badly.
He does not make people give him something
to prove they will pay back what they owe him.
He does not steal.
Instead, he gives his food to hungry people.
He provides clothes for those who are naked.
17He keeps himself from committing sins.
He does not charge interest when he lends money to poor people.
He does not make money from them.
He keeps my laws and obeys my rules.
He will not die because of his father’s sin. You can be sure he will live. 18But his father will die because of his own sin. He got rich by cheating others. He robbed his relatives. He also did what was wrong among his people.
19“But you still ask, ‘Is the son guilty along with his father?’ No! The son did what was fair and right. He was careful to obey all my rules. So you can be sure he will live. 20A person will die because of their own sins. A child will not be guilty because of what their parent did. And a parent will not be guilty because of what their child did. The right things a godly person does will be added to their account. The wrong things a sinful person does will be charged against them.
21“But suppose a sinful person turns away from all the sins they have committed. And they obey all my rules. They do what is fair and right. Then you can be sure they will live. They will not die. 22None of the sins they have committed will be held against them. Because of the godly things they have done, they will live. 23When sinful people die, it does not give me any joy,” announces the Lord and King. “But when they turn away from their sins and live, that makes me very happy.
24“Suppose a godly person stops doing what is right. And they sin. They do the same evil things a sinful person does. They do things I hate. Then they will not live. I will not remember any of the right things they have done. They have not been faithful to me. They have also committed many other sins. So they are guilty. They will die.
25“But you say, ‘What the Lord does isn’t fair.’ Listen to me, you Israelites. What I do is always fair. What you do is not. 26Suppose a godly person stops doing what is right. And they sin. Then they will die because of it. They will die because of the sin they have committed. 27But suppose a sinful person turns away from the evil things they have done. And they do what is fair and right. Then they will save their life. 28They think about all the evil things they have done. And they turn away from them. So you can be sure they will live. They will not die. 29But the Israelites still say, ‘What the Lord does isn’t fair.’ People of Israel, what I do is always fair. What you do is not.
30“So I will judge you Israelites. I will judge each of you in keeping with what you have done,” announces the Lord and King. “Turn away from your sins! Turn away from all the evil things you have done. Then sin will not bring you down. 31Get rid of all the evil things you have done. Let me give you a new heart and a new spirit. Then you will be faithful to me. Why should you die, people of Israel? 32When anyone dies, it does not give me any joy,” announces the Lord and King. “So turn away from your sins. Then you will live!
