1 Yahweh’s word came to me, saying, 2 "Son of man, speak to the children of your people, and tell them, ‘When I bring the sword on a land, and the people of the land take a man from among them, and set him for their watchman, 3 if, when he sees the sword come on the land, he blows the trumpet and warns the people, 4 then whoever hears the sound of the trumpet and doesn’t heed the warning, if the sword comes and takes him away, his blood will be on his own head. 5 He heard the sound of the trumpet and didn’t take warning. His blood will be on him; whereas if he had heeded the warning, he would have delivered his soul. 6 But if the watchman sees the sword come and doesn’t blow the trumpet, and the people aren’t warned, and the sword comes and takes any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at the watchman’s hand.’

7 "So you, son of man, I have set you a watchman to the house of Israel. Therefore hear the word from my mouth, and give them warnings from me. 8 When I tell the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you will surely die,’ and you don’t speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man will die in his iniquity, but I will require his blood at your hand. 9 Nevertheless, if you warn the wicked of his way to turn from it, and he doesn’t turn from his way; he will die in his iniquity, but you have delivered your soul.

10 "You, son of man, tell the house of Israel: ‘You say this, "Our transgressions and our sins are on us, and we pine away in them. How then can we live?"’ 11 Tell them, ‘"As I live," says the Lord Yahweh, "I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why will you die, house of Israel?"’

12 "You, son of man, tell the children of your people, ‘The righteousness of the righteous will not deliver him in the day of his disobedience. And as for the wickedness of the wicked, he will not fall by it in the day that he turns from his wickedness; neither will he who is righteous be able to live by it in the day that he sins. 13 When I tell the righteous that he will surely live, if he trusts in his righteousness and commits iniquity, none of his righteous deeds will be remembered; but he will die in his iniquity that he has committed. 14 Again, when I say to the wicked, "You will surely die," if he turns from his sin and does that which is lawful and right, 15 if the wicked restore the pledge, give again that which he had taken by robbery, walk in the statutes of life, committing no iniquity, he will surely live. He will not die. 16 None of his sins that he has committed will be remembered against him. He has done that which is lawful and right. He will surely live.

17 "‘Yet the children of your people say, "The way of the Lord is not fair;" but as for them, their way is not fair. 18 When the righteous turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, he will even die therein. 19 When the wicked turns from his wickedness and does that which is lawful and right, he will live by it. 20 Yet you say, "The way of the Lord is not fair." House of Israel, I will judge every one of you after his ways.’"

21 In the twelfth year of our captivity, in the tenth month, in the fifth day of the month, one who had escaped out of Jerusalem came to me, saying, "The city has been defeated!" 22 Now Yahweh’s hand had been on me in the evening, before he who had escaped came; and he had opened my mouth until he came to me in the morning; and my mouth was opened, and I was no longer mute.

23 Yahweh’s word came to me, saying, 24 "Son of man, those who inhabit the waste places in the land of Israel speak, saying, ‘Abraham was one, and he inherited the land; but we are many. The land is given us for inheritance.’ 25 Therefore tell them, ‘The Lord Yahweh says: "You eat with the blood, and lift up your eyes to your idols, and shed blood. So should you possess the land? 26 You stand on your sword, you work abomination, and every one of you defiles his neighbor’s wife. So should you possess the land?"’

27 "You shall tell them, ‘The Lord Yahweh says: "As I live, surely those who are in the waste places will fall by the sword. I will give whoever is in the open field to the animals to be devoured, and those who are in the strongholds and in the caves will die of the pestilence. 28 I will make the land a desolation and an astonishment. The pride of her power will cease. The mountains of Israel will be desolate, so that no one will pass through. 29 Then they will know that I am Yahweh, when I have made the land a desolation and an astonishment because of all their abominations which they have committed."’

30 "As for you, son of man, the children of your people talk about you by the walls and in the doors of the houses, and speak to one another, everyone to his brother, saying, ‘Please come and hear what the word is that comes out from Yahweh.’ 31 They come to you as the people come, and they sit before you as my people, and they hear your words, but don’t do them; for with their mouth they show much love, but their heart goes after their gain. 32 Behold, you are to them as a very lovely song of one who has a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument; for they hear your words, but they don’t do them.

33 "When this comes to pass—behold, it comes—then they will know that a prophet has been among them."

1 En die woord van die HERE het tot my gekom en gesê:

2 Mensekind, spreek met die kinders van jou volk en sê vir hulle: As Ek die swaard oor 'n land bring, en die mense van die land neem 'n man uit hulle kring en stel hom as wag vir hulle aan,

3 en hy sien die swaard aankom oor die land en blaas met die basuin en waarsku die mense --

4 as dan iemand die geluid van die basuin hoor, maar hom nie laat waarsku nie, en die swaard kom en neem hom weg, dan is sy bloed op sy hoof.

5 Hy het die geluid van die basuin gehoor, maar het hom nie laat waarsku nie: sy bloed is op hom. Maar as hy hom laat waarsku, dan red hy sy siel.

6 As daarenteen die wag die swaard sien kom en met die basuin nie blaas nie, sodat die mense nie gewaarsku is nie, en die swaard kom en neem 'n siel uit hulle weg -- dan is hy deur sy ongeregtigheid weggeneem, maar sy bloed sal Ek van die hand van die wag eis.

7 En jy, o mensekind, Ek het jou as wag oor die huis van Israel aangestel; en as jy 'n woord uit my mond hoor, moet jy hulle van my kant waarsku.

8 As Ek aan die goddelose sê: o Goddelose, jy sal sekerlik sterwe, en jy spreek nie om die goddelose vir sy weg te waarsku nie, dan sal hy, die goddelose, deur sy ongeregtigheid sterwe; maar sy bloed sal Ek van jou hand eis.

9 Maar as jy die goddelose waarsku vir sy weg, dat hy hom daarvan moet bekeer, en hy hom nie bekeer van sy weg nie, dan sal hy deur sy ongeregtigheid sterwe; maar jy het jou siel gered.

10 En jy, mensekind, sê aan die huis van Israel: So het julle gesê: Gewis, ons oortredinge en ons sondes is op ons, en daardeur teer ons weg -- hoe kan ons dan lewe?

11 Sê vir hulle: So waar as Ek leef, spreek die Here HERE, gewis, Ek het geen behae in die dood van die goddelose nie, maar daarin dat die goddelose hom bekeer van sy weg en lewe. Bekeer julle, bekeer julle van jul verkeerde weë! Waarom tog wil julle sterwe, o huis van Israel?

12 En jy, mensekind, sê aan die kinders van jou volk: Die geregtigheid van die regverdige sal hom nie red op die dag van sy oortreding nie; en aangaande die goddeloosheid van die goddelose, hy sal daardeur nie struikel op die dag as hy hom van sy goddeloosheid bekeer nie; en die regverdige sal deur sy geregtigheid nie kan lewe op die dag as hy sondig nie.

13 As Ek aan die regverdige sê dat hy sekerlik sal lewe, en hy vertrou op sy geregtigheid en doen onreg, dan sal aan al sy geregtighede nie gedink word nie, maar deur sy onreg wat hy doen, daardeur sal hy sterwe.

14 En as Ek aan die goddelose sê: Jy sal sekerlik sterwe -- en hy hom van sy sonde bekeer, en reg en geregtigheid doen --

15 gee die goddelose die pand terug, vergoed hy wat geroof is, wandel hy in die insettinge van die lewe, sodat hy geen onreg doen nie -- dan sal hy sekerlik lewe, hy sal nie sterwe nie.

16 Al sy sondes wat hy gedoen het, sal hom nie toegereken word nie; hy het reg en geregtigheid gedoen, hy sal sekerlik lewe.

17 Maar die kinders van jou volk sê: Die weg van die Here is nie reg nie, terwyl tog hulle eie weg nie reg is nie.

18 As die regverdige afwyk van sy geregtigheid en onreg doen, dan sal hy ten gevolge daarvan sterwe.

19 En as die goddelose hom bekeer van sy goddeloosheid en reg en geregtigheid doen, dan sal hy ten gevolge daarvan lewe.

20 Tog sê julle: Die weg van die Here is nie reg nie. Ek sal julle oordeel, elkeen volgens sy weë, o huis van Israel!

21 En in die twaalfde jaar van ons ballingskap, in die tiende maand op die vyfde van die maand, het 'n vlugteling uit Jerusalem na my gekom met die woorde: Die stad is ingeneem!

22 En die hand van die HERE was op my in die aand, voordat die vlugteling gekom het; en Hy het my mond geopen teen die tyd dat hy in die môre na my gekom het. So is dan my mond geopen, en ek was nie meer stom nie.

23 Toe het die woord van die HERE tot my gekom en gesê:

24 Mensekind, die bewoners van daardie puinhope in die land van Israel spreek en sê: Abraham was 'n eenling, en tog het hy die land as besitting ontvang; maar ons is baie; aan ons is die land as besitting gegee!

25 Daarom, sê vir hulle: So spreek die Here HERE: Julle eet vleis saam met die bloed en slaan julle oë op na jul drekgode en vergiet bloed -- en sal julle die land as besitting ontvang?

26 Julle steun op jul swaard, julle doen gruwels en verontreinig elkeen die vrou van sy naaste -- en sal julle die land as besitting ontvang?

27 So moet jy vir hulle sê: So spreek die Here HERE: So waar as Ek leef, die wat in die puinhope is, sal gewis deur die swaard val; en hom wat op die oop veld is, gee Ek aan die wilde diere oor om opgeëet te word; en die wat in die vestings en in die spelonke is, sal deur die pes sterwe.

28 En Ek sal die land 'n wildernis en 'n woesteny maak, en aan sy trotse mag sal 'n einde kom; en die berge van Israel sal woes wees sonder dat iemand daar oorgaan.

29 Dan sal hulle weet dat Ek die HERE is, as Ek die land 'n wildernis en 'n woesteny maak oor al hul gruwels wat hulle bedryf het.

30 En jy, mensekind, die kinders van jou volk wat oor jou gesels langs die mure en in die deure van die huise -- hulle spreek die een met die ander, elkeen met sy broer, en sê: Kom tog en hoor wat die woord is wat van die HERE uitgaan.

31 En hulle kom na jou toe soos 'n volk saamstroom en sit voor jou as my volk en hoor jou woorde, maar hulle doen dit nie; want hulle maak liefdesverklaringe met hulle mond, maar hulle hart gaan agter hulle onregverdige wins aan.

32 En kyk, jy is vir hulle soos 'n minnelied, soos een skoon van stem, wat goed op die snare speel: hulle hoor jou woorde, maar hulle doen dit nie.

33 Maar as dit kom -- kyk, dit kom! -- dan sal hulle weet dat daar 'n profeet onder hulle gewees het.