Ezekiel 33:6-16

6 1But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, so that the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any one of them, 2that person is taken away in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at the watchman's hand.
7 3"So you, 4son of man, I have made a watchman for the house of Israel. 5Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me.
8 6If I say to the wicked, O wicked one, you shall surely die, 7and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from his way, 8that wicked person shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand.
9 9But if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, 10that person shall die in his iniquity, 11but you will have delivered your soul.

Why Will You Die, Israel?

10 "And you, 12son of man, say to the house of Israel, Thus have you said: 'Surely our transgressions and our sins are upon us, and 13we rot away because of them. 14How then can we live?'
11 Say to them, 15As I live, declares the Lord GOD, 16I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; 17turn back, turn back from your evil ways, 18for why will you die, O house of Israel?
12 19"And you, son of man, say to 20your people, 21The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him when he transgresses, 22and as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall by it when he turns from his wickedness, 23and the righteous shall not be able to live by his righteousness[a] when he sins.
13 Though I say to the righteous that he shall surely live, yet 24if he trusts in his righteousness and does injustice, none of his righteous deeds shall be remembered, but in his injustice that he has done he shall die.
14 Again, 25though I say to the wicked, 26'You shall surely die,' yet 27if he turns from his sin and does what is just and right,
15 if the wicked 28restores the pledge, 29gives back what he has taken by robbery, and walks 30in the statutes of life, not doing injustice, he shall surely live; he shall not die.
16 31None of the sins that he has committed shall be remembered against him. He has done what is just and right; he shall surely live.

Ezekiel 33:6-16 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO EZEKIEL 33

This chapter treats of the prophet's duty, and the people's sins; contains a vindication of the justice of God; a threatening of destruction to those who remained in the land after the taking of the city; and a detection of the hypocrisy of the prophet's hearers. The duty of a watchman in general is declared, Eze 33:1-6, an application of this to the prophet, Eze 33:7: the sum of whose business is to warn the wicked man of his wickedness; and the consequence of doing, or not doing it, is expressed, Eze 33:8,9, an objection of the people, and the prophet's answer to it, Eze 33:10,11, who is bid to acquaint them, that a righteous man trusting to his righteousness, and sinning, should not live; and that a sinner repenting of his sins should not die, Eze 33:12-16, the people's charge of inequality in the ways of God is retorted upon them, and removed from the Lord, and proved against them, Eze 33:17-20, then follows a prophecy, delivered out after the news was brought of the taking of the city, threatening with ruin those that remained in the land, confident of safety, and that for their sins, which are particularly enumerated, Eze 33:21-29, and the chapter is closed with a discovery of the hypocrisy of those that attended the prophet's ministry, Eze 33:30-33.

Cross References 31

Footnotes 1

The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.