Ezekiel 33:11-31

11 say thou to them, I live, saith the Lord God, I desire not the death of the wicked man, but that the wicked man be converted from his way(s), and live; be ye converted from your worst ways, and why shall ye die, the house of Israel? (say thou to them, As I live, saith the Lord God, I do not desire the death of the wicked, but that the wicked person be turned from his evil ways, and live; yea, be ye turned from your evil ways, and then why should ye die, ye house of Israel?)
12 Therefore thou, son of man, say to the sons of thy people, The rightfulness of a rightful man shall not deliver him, in whatever day he doeth sin; and the wickedness of a wicked man shall not harm him, in whatever day he is converted from his wickedness; and a just man shall not be able to live in his rightfulness, in whatever day he doeth sin. (And so thou, son of man, say to thy people, The righteousness of a righteous person shall not save him, on whatever day he doeth sin; and the wickedness of a wicked person shall not harm him, on whatever day he is converted from his wickedness; and a good person shall not be able to live because of his past righteousness, on whatever day he doeth sin.)
13 Also if I say to a just man, that he shall live by life, and he trusteth in his rightfulness, and doeth wickedness, all his rightfulnesses shall be given to forgetting, and in his wickedness which he wrought, in that he shall die. (And if I say to a good person, that he shall live, and he trusteth in his own righteousness, and doeth wickedness, then all his righteousnesses shall be given to forgetting, and he shall die in his wickedness, which he himself did.)
14 Forsooth if I say to the wicked man, Thou shalt die by death, and he doeth penance for his sin, and doeth doom and rightfulness, (And if I say to the wicked person, Thou shalt die, and he doeth penance for his sin, and doeth justice and righteousness,)
15 and if that wicked man restoreth a wed, and yieldeth raven, and goeth in the commandments of life, and doeth not any unjust thing, he shall live by life, and shall not die. (and if that wicked person restoreth a pledge, and giveth back what he hath stolen, and goeth in the commandments of life, and doeth not any unjust thing, then he shall live, and shall not die.)
16 All his sins which he sinned, shall not be areckoned to him; he did doom and rightfulness, he shall live by life (he did justice and righteousness, and he shall live).
17 And the sons of thy people said, The way of the Lord is not of even weight, [or (of) even charge]; and the way of them is unjust. (And thy people said, The way of the Lord is not equal, or not fair; but it is their way that is unjust, or unfair.)
18 For when a just man goeth away from his rightfulness, and doeth wickednesses, he shall die in those; (For when a just, or a righteous, person goeth away from his righteousness, and doeth wickednesses, he shall die in them;)
19 and when a wicked man goeth away from his wickedness, and doeth doom and rightfulness, he shall live in those. (but if a wicked person goeth away from his wickedness, and doeth justice and righteousness, he shall live in them.)
20 And ye say, The way of the Lord is not rightful. I shall deem each man by his ways of you, the house of Israel. (And so ye say, The way of the Lord is not right, or not fair. But I shall judge everyone of you after your own ways, ye house of Israel.)
21 And it was done in the twelfth year, in the tenth month, in the fifth day of the month of our passing over, he that fled from Jerusalem came to me, and said, The city is destroyed. (And it was done in the twelfth year, in the tenth month, on the fifth day of the month of our exile, or of our captivity, one who had fled from Jerusalem came to me, and said, The city is destroyed.)
22 Forsooth the hand of the Lord was made to me in the eventide, before that he came that fled; and he opened my mouth, till he came to me early; and when my mouth was opened, I was no more still. (And the hand of the Lord was made upon me in the evening, before that he who had fled had come; and the Lord closed my mouth, until he who had fled came to me early in the morning; and then my mouth was opened, and I was silent no more.)
23 And the word of the Lord was made to me, and he said,
24 Thou, son of man, they that dwell in these ruinous things, either ready to fall down, on the earth of Israel, say, speaking, Abraham was one, and by heritage he had the land in possession; forsooth we be many, (and) the land is given to us into possession. (Thou, son of man, they who live in these ruined places, or in places ready to fall down, in the land of Israel, speak, saying, Abraham was but one, and he had the land in possession; and we be many, and the land is given to us by inheritance for a possession.)
25 Therefore thou shalt say to them, The Lord God saith these things, Whether ye that eat in blood, and raise your eyes to your uncleannesses, and shed blood, shall have in possession the land by heritage? (And so thou shalt say to them, The Lord God saith these things, Shall ye who eat things with blood, and raise up your eyes to your idols, and shed blood, have the land in possession by inheritance?)
26 Ye stood in your swords, ye did your abominations, and each man defouled the wife of his neighbour; and shall ye wield the land by heritage? (Ye trusted in your swords, ye did your abominations, and every man defiled his neighbour's wife; and so shall ye get the land by inheritance?)
27 Thou shalt say these things to them, Thus saith the Lord God, I live, for they that dwell in ruinous things, either ready to fall down, shall fall down by sword, and he that is in the field, shall be given to beasts to be devoured; but they that be in strongholds and in dens, shall die by pestilence. (Thou shalt say these things to them, Thus saith the Lord God, As I live, for they who live in ruined places, or in places ready to fall down, shall fall by the sword, and he who is in the field, shall be given to the beasts to be devoured; and they who be in strongholds and in dens, shall die by pestilence.)
28 And I shall give the land into wilderness, and into desert, and the pride and the strength thereof shall fail; and the hills of Israel shall be made desolate, for none is that shall pass by those. (And I shall make the land into a wilderness, and into a desert, and its pride and its strength shall fail; and the hills of Israel shall be made desolate, and no one shall travel over them.)
29 And they shall know, that I am the Lord, when I shall give their land desolate and desert (when I shall make their land a desolate wilderness), for all their abominations which they wrought.
30 And thou, son of man, the sons of thy people that speak of thee beside walls, and in the doors of houses, and say, one to another, a man to his neighbour, and speak, Come ye, and hear we, what is the word going out from the Lord; (And thou, son of man, thy people who speak of thee beside the walls, and in the doors of houses, and speak one to another, yea, a person to his neighbour, and say, Come ye, and hear we, what is the word going out from the Lord;)
31 and they come to thee, as if my people entereth, and my people sit before thee, and they hear thy words, and do not those; for they turn those into the song of their mouth, and their heart followeth their avarice; (and my people come to thee, like any people entereth, and they sit before thee, and they hear thy words, but they do not do them; they turn them into the song of their mouths, but their hearts follow after their greed;)

Ezekiel 33:11-31 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.

Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.