17 Thathath taken off his hand from the poor, thathath not received usury nor increase, hath
executed my judgments, hath walked in my statutes; he shall not die for the iniquity of his
father, he shall surely live.
18 As forhis father, because he cruelly oppressed, spoiled his brother by violence, and did that
which isnot good among his people, lo, even he shall die in his iniquity.
19 Yet say ye, Why? doth not the son bear the iniquity of the father? When the son hath done
that which is lawful and right, andhath kept all my statutes, and hath done them, he shall
surely live.
20 The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither
shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon
him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.
21 But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my
statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die.
22 All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his
righteousness that he hath done he shall live.
23 Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: andnot that he
should return from his ways, and live?
24 But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and
doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked mandoeth, shall he live? All his
righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed,
and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die.
25 Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. Hear now, O house of Israel; Is not my way
equal? are not your ways unequal?
26 When a righteous manturneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and
dieth in them; for his iniquity that he hath done shall he die.
27 Again, when the wicked manturneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and
doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive.
28 Because he considereth, and turneth away from all his transgressions that he hath
committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die.
29 Yet saith the house of Israel, The way of the Lord is not equal. O house of Israel, are not my
ways equal? are not your ways unequal?
30 Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord
GOD. Repent, and turn yourselvesfrom all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin.
31 Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a
new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel?
32 For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn
yourselves, and live ye.
1 Moreover take thou up a lamentation for the princes of Israel,
2 And say, What isthy mother? A lioness: she lay down among lions, she nourished her whelps
among young lions.
3 And she brought up one of her whelps: it became a young lion, and it learned to catch the prey;
it devoured men.
4 The nations also heard of him; he was taken in their pit, and they brought him with chains
unto the land of Egypt.
5 Now when she saw that she had waited, andher hope was lost, then she took another of her
whelps, andmade him a young lion.
6 And he went up and down among the lions, he became a young lion, and learned to catch the
prey, anddevoured men.
7 And he knew their desolate palaces, and he laid waste their cities; and the land was desolate,

and the fulness thereof, by the noise of his roaring.
8 Then the nations set against him on every side from the provinces, and spread their net over
him: he was taken in their pit.
9 And they put him in ward in chains, and brought him to the king of Babylon: they brought him
into holds, that his voice should no more be heard upon the mountains of Israel.
10 Thy mother islike a vine in thy blood, planted by the waters: she was fruitful and full of
branches by reason of many waters.
11 And she had strong rods for the sceptres of them that bare rule, and her stature was exalted
among the thick branches, and she appeared in her height with the multitude of her branches.
12 But she was plucked up in fury, she was cast down to the ground, and the east wind dried up
her fruit: her strong rods were broken and withered; the fire consumed them.
13 And now she isplanted in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty ground.
14 And fire is gone out of a rod of her branches, whichhath devoured her fruit, so that she hath
no strong rod to bea sceptre to rule. This isa lamentation, and shall be for a lamentation.
1 And it came to pass in the seventh year, in the fifth month, the tenth dayof the month, that
certain of the elders of Israel came to enquire of the LORD, and sat before me.
2 Then came the word of the LORD unto me, saying,
3 Son of man, speak unto the elders of Israel, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Are
ye come to enquire of me? AsI live, saith the Lord GOD, I will not be enquired of by you.
4 Wilt thou judge them, son of man, wilt thou judge them? cause them to know the
abominations of their fathers:
5 And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; In the day when I chose Israel, and lifted up mine
hand unto the seed of the house of Jacob, and made myself known unto them in the land of Egypt,
when I lifted up mine hand unto them, saying, I amthe LORD your God;
6 In the day thatI lifted up mine hand unto them, to bring them forth of the land of Egypt into a
land that I had espied for them, flowing with milk and honey, which isthe glory of all lands:
7 Then said I unto them, Cast ye away every man the abominations of his eyes, and defile not
yourselves with the idols of Egypt: I amthe LORD your God.
8 But they rebelled against me, and would not hearken unto me: they did not every man cast
away the abominations of their eyes, neither did they forsake the idols of Egypt: then I said, I
will pour out my fury upon them, to accomplish my anger against them in the midst of the land
of Egypt.
9 But I wrought for my name's sake, that it should not be polluted before the heathen, among
whom they were, in whose sight I made myself known unto them, in bringing them forth out of
the land of Egypt.
10 Wherefore I caused them to go forth out of the land of Egypt, and brought them into the
wilderness.
11 And I gave them my statutes, and shewed them my judgments, which ifa man do, he shall
even live in them.
12 Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might
know that I amthe LORD that sanctify them.
13 But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness: they walked not in my
statutes, and they despised my judgments, which ifa man do, he shall even live in them; and my
sabbaths they greatly polluted: then I said, I would pour out my fury upon them in the
wilderness, to consume them.
14 But I wrought for my name's sake, that it should not be polluted before the heathen, in
whose sight I brought them out.
15 Yet also I lifted up my hand unto them in the wilderness, that I would not bring them into
the land which I had given them, flowing with milk and honey, which isthe glory of all lands;

16 Because they despised my judgments, and walked not in my statutes, but polluted my
sabbaths: for their heart went after their idols.
17 Nevertheless mine eye spared them from destroying them, neither did I make an end of them
in the wilderness.
18 But I said unto their children in the wilderness, Walk ye not in the statutes of your fathers,
neither observe their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols:
19 I amthe LORD your God; walk in my statutes, and keep my judgments, and do them;
20 And hallow my sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and you, that ye may know that
I amthe LORD your God.
21 Notwithstanding the children rebelled against me: they walked not in my statutes, neither
kept my judgments to do them, which ifa man do, he shall even live in them; they polluted my
sabbaths: then I said, I would pour out my fury upon them, to accomplish my anger against them
in the wilderness.
22 Nevertheless I withdrew mine hand, and wrought for my name's sake, that it should not be
polluted in the sight of the heathen, in whose sight I brought them forth.
23 I lifted up mine hand unto them also in the wilderness, that I would scatter them among the
heathen, and disperse them through the countries;
24 Because they had not executed my judgments, but had despised my statutes, and had polluted
my sabbaths, and their eyes were after their fathers' idols.
25 Wherefore I gave them also statutes that werenot good, and judgments whereby they should
not live;
26 And I polluted them in their own gifts, in that they caused to pass through the fireall that
openeth the womb, that I might make them desolate, to the end that they might know that I am
the LORD.
27 Therefore, son of man, speak unto the house of Israel, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord
GOD; Yet in this your fathers have blasphemed me, in that they have committed a trespass
against me.
28 Forwhen I had brought them into the land, forthe which I lifted up mine hand to give it to
them, then they saw every high hill, and all the thick trees, and they offered there their
sacrifices, and there they presented the provocation of their offering: there also they made
their sweet savour, and poured out there their drink offerings.
29 Then I said unto them, What isthe high place whereunto ye go? And the name thereof is
called Bamah unto this day.
30 Wherefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Are ye polluted after the
manner of your fathers? and commit ye whoredom after their abominations?
31 For when ye offer your gifts, when ye make your sons to pass through the fire, ye pollute
yourselves with all your idols, even unto this day: and shall I be enquired of by you, O house of
Israel? AsI live, saith the Lord GOD, I will not be enquired of by you.
32 And that which cometh into your mind shall not be at all, that ye say, We will be as the
heathen, as the families of the countries, to serve wood and stone.
33 AsI live, saith the Lord GOD, surely with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and
with fury poured out, will I rule over you:
34 And I will bring you out from the people, and will gather you out of the countries wherein ye
are scattered, with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out.
35 And I will bring you into the wilderness of the people, and there will I plead with you face
to face.
36 Like as I pleaded with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so will I plead
with you, saith the Lord GOD.
37 And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant: