2
"Son of man, speak to the sons of your people and say to them, 'If I bring a sword upon a land, and the people of the landtakeoneman from among them and make him their watchman,
6
'But if the watchmansees the swordcoming and does not blow the trumpet and the people are not warned, and a swordcomes and takes a person from them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require from the watchman'shand.'
7
"Now as for you, son of man, I have appointed you a watchman for the house of Israel; so you will hear a message from My mouth and give them warning from Me.
8
"When I say to the wicked, 'O wickedman, you will surelydie,' and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wickedman shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require from your hand.
9
"But if you on your partwarn a wickedman to turn from his way and he does not turn from his way, he will die in his iniquity, but you have delivered your life.
10
"Now as for you, son of man, say to the house of Israel, 'Thus you have spoken, saying, "Surely our transgressions and our sins are upon us, and we are rottingaway in them; how then can we survive?"'
11
"Say to them, 'As I live!' declares the LordGOD, 'I takenopleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather* that the wickedturn from his way and live. Turnback, turnback from your evilways! Why then will you die, O house of Israel?'
12
"And you, son of man, say to your fellowcitizens, 'The righteousness of a righteousman will not deliver him in the day of his transgression, and as for the wickedness of the wicked, he will not stumble because of it in the day when he turns from his wickedness; whereas a righteousman will not be able to live by his righteousness on the day when he commitssin.'
13
"When I say to the righteous he will surelylive, and he so trusts in his righteousness that he commitsiniquity, none* of his righteousdeeds will be remembered; but in that same iniquity of his which he has committed he will die.
15
if a wickedmanrestores a pledge, paysbackwhat he has taken by robbery, walks by the statutes which ensure lifewithoutcommittinginiquity, he shall surelylive; he shall not die.