1And the word of YHWH came to me, saying:
2What is it to you, that you use this proverb upon the ground (adamah) of Israel, saying: The fathers eat sour grapes, and the teeth of the sons are set on edge?
3As I live (chai), declares my Lord (Adonai) YHWH, surely this proverb shall no more be yours to use in Israel.
4Behold, all the souls (nephesh) are mine; as the soul (nephesh) of the father, so also the soul (nephesh) of the son — they are mine; the soul (nephesh) that sins, it shall die.
5And a man (ish), when he is righteous, and does judgment (mishpat) and righteousness;
6to the mountains he has not eaten, and his eyes he has not lifted up to the idols of the house of Israel, and the wife (ishah) of his neighbor he has not defiled, and to a woman (ishah) in her menstruation he has not drawn near;
7and a man (ish) he has not wronged, his pledge for a debt he returns, robbery he does not rob, his bread to the hungry he gives, and the naked he covers with a garment;
8with interest he does not give, and increase he does not take, from injustice he turns back his hand, true judgment (mishpat) he does between man (ish) and man (ish);
9in my statutes (chuqqot) he walks, and my judgments (mishpat) he keeps, to do truth — he is righteous, he shall surely live, declares my Lord (Adonai) YHWH.
10And he begets a son, a robber, a shedder of blood, and he does — ah! — one of these;
11though he himself did not do any of these — for indeed upon the mountains he has eaten, and the wife (ishah) of his neighbor he has defiled,
12the poor and needy he has wronged, robberies he has robbed, a pledge he does not return, and to the idols he has lifted up his eyes, abomination he has done,
13with interest he has given, and increase he has taken — and shall he live? He shall not live; all these abominations he has done; he shall surely be put to death; his blood shall be upon him.
14And behold, he begets a son, and he sees all the sins of his father that he did, and he sees and does not do like them:
15upon the mountains he has not eaten, and his eyes he has not lifted up to the idols of the house of Israel, the wife (ishah) of his neighbor he has not defiled,
16and a man (ish) he has not wronged, a pledge he has not taken in pledge, and robbery he has not robbed, his bread to the hungry he has given, and the naked he has covered with a garment;
17from the poor he has turned back his hand, interest and increase he has not taken, my judgments (mishpat) he has done, in my statutes (chuqqot) he has walked — he shall not die for the iniquity of his father, he shall surely live.
18His father, because he cruelly oppressed, robbed the robbery of a brother, and what is not good did in the midst of his people — and behold, he dies for his iniquity.
19Yet you say: Why does the son not bear of the iniquity of the father? But the son has done judgment (mishpat) and righteousness, all my statutes (chuqqot) he has kept and done them — he shall surely live.
20The soul (nephesh) that sins, it shall die; a son shall not bear of the iniquity of the father, and a father shall not bear of the iniquity of the son; the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.
21And the wicked, when he turns back from all his sins that he did, and keeps all my statutes (chuqqot), and does judgment (mishpat) and righteousness — he shall surely live, he shall not die.
22All his transgressions that he did shall not be remembered against him; in his righteousness that he did he shall live.
23Do I at all delight in the death of the wicked, declares my Lord (Adonai) YHWH? Is it not in his turning back from his ways that he may live?
24And when the righteous turns back from his righteousness, and does injustice, according to all the abominations that the wicked does he does — shall he live? All his righteous deeds that he did shall not be remembered; in his trespass that he trespassed, and in his sin that he sinned, in them he shall die.
25Yet you say: The way of my Lord (Adonai) is not measured. Hear now, house of Israel: Is my way not measured? Is it not your ways that are not measured?
26In the turning back of the righteous from his righteousness, and he does injustice, and dies for them — in his injustice that he did he dies.
27And in the turning back of the wicked from his wickedness that he did, and he does judgment (mishpat) and righteousness — he, his soul (nephesh) he keeps alive.
28And he sees, and turns back from all his transgressions that he did — he shall surely live, he shall not die.
29Yet the house of Israel says: The way of my Lord (Adonai) is not measured. House of Israel, are my ways not measured? Is it not your ways that are not measured?
30Therefore, each man (ish) according to his ways I will judge you, house of Israel, declares my Lord (Adonai) YHWH. Return, and turn yourselves back from all your transgressions, that iniquity may not be for you a stumbling-block.
31Cast away from upon you all your transgressions by which you have transgressed, and make for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit (ruach); and why will you die, house of Israel?
32For I do not delight in the death of the one who dies, declares my Lord (Adonai) YHWH; so turn yourselves back, and live.