Ezekiel 33

vayehi devar-Adonai elay lemor

The word of GOD came to me:

ben-adam dabber el-bene-ammekha ve'amarta alehem erets ki-avi aleha kharev velaqekhu am-ha'arets ish ekhad miqtsehem venatenu oto lahem letsofeh

O mortal, speak to your people and say to them: When I bring the sword against a country, the citizens of that country take one of their number and appoint him their lookout.

vera'ah et-hakherev ba'ah al-ha'arets vetaqa bashofar vehizhir et-ha'am

Suppose he sees the sword advancing against the country, and he blows the horn and warns the people.

veshama hashomea et-qol hashofar velo nizhar vattavo kherev vattiqqakhehu damo berosho yihyeh

If anybody hears the sound of the horn but ignores the warning, and the sword comes and dispatches them, their blood shall be on their own head.

et qol hashofar shama velo nizhar damo bo yihyeh vehu nizhar nafsho millet

Since they heard the sound of the horn but ignored the warning, their bloodguilt shall be upon themselves; had they taken the warning, they would have saved their life.

vehatsofeh ki-yireh et-hakherev ba'ah velo-taqa bashofar veha'am lo-nizhar vattavo kherev vattiqqakh mehem nafesh hu ba'avono nilqakh vedamo miyyad-hatsofeh edrosh

But if the lookout sees the sword advancing and does not blow the horn, so that the people are not warned, and the sword comes and destroys one of them, that person was destroyed for their own sins; however, I will demand a reckoning for their blood from the lookout.

ve'attah ven-adam tsofeh netattikha levet yisra'el veshamata mippi davar vehizharta otam mimmenni

Now, O mortal, I have appointed you a lookout for the House of Israel; and whenever you hear a message from My mouth, you must transmit My warning to them.

be'omri larasha rasha mot tamut velo dibbarta lehazhir rasha middarko hu rasha ba'avono yamut vedamo miyyadekha avaqqesh

When I say to someone wicked, “Wicked one, you shall die,” but you have not spoken to warn them against their ways, then that wicked one shall die for their own iniquity, while from you I will demand a reckoning for their blood.

ve'attah ki-hizharta rasha middarko lashuv mimmennah velo-shav middarko hu ba'avono yamut ve'attah nafshekha hitsalta

But if you have warned someone wicked to turn back from their ways, and they have not turned from their ways, they shall die for their own iniquity, while you will have saved your life.

ve'attah ven-adam emor el-bet yisra'el ken amartem lemor ki-fesha'enu vekhattotenu alenu uvam anakhnu nemaqqim ve'ekh nikhyeh

Now, O mortal, say to the House of Israel: This is what you have been saying: “Our transgressions and our sins weigh heavily upon us; we are sick at heart about them. How can we survive?”

emor alehem khay-ani ne'um adonay Elohim im-ekhpots bemot harasha ki im-beshuv rasha middarko vekhayah shuvu shuvu middarkhekhem hara'im velammah tamutu bet yisra'el

Say to them: As I live—declares the Sovereign GOD—it is not My desire that the wicked shall die, but that the wicked turn from their [evil] ways and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil ways, that you may not die, O House of Israel!

ve'attah ven-adam emor el-bene-ammekha tsidqat hatsaddiq lo tatsilennu beyom pisho verishat harasha lo-yikkashel bah beyom shuvo merisho vetsaddiq lo yukhal likhyot bah beyom khatoto

Now, O mortal, say to your people: The righteousness of the righteous shall not save them when they transgress, nor shall the wickedness of the wicked cause them to stumble when they turn back from their wickedness. The righteous shall not survive through their righteousness when they sin.

be'omri latsaddiq khayoh yikhyeh vehu-vatakh al-tsidqato ve'asah avel kol-tsidqotav lo tizzakharnah uve'avlo asher-asah bo yamut

When I say of the righteous “They shall surely live,” and, relying on their righteousness, they commit iniquity, none of their righteous deeds shall be remembered; but for the iniquity that they have committed they shall die.

uve'omri larasha mot tamut veshav mekhattato ve'asah mishpat utsedaqah

So, too, when I say to the wicked, “You shall die,” and they turn back from their sinfulness and do what is just and right—

khavol yashiv rasha gezelah yeshallem bekhuqqot hakhayyim halakh levilti asot avel khayo yikhyeh lo yamut

if the wicked restore a pledge, make good what they have taken by robbery, follow the laws of life, and do not commit iniquity—they shall live, they shall not die.

kol-khattotav asher khata lo tizzakharnah lo mishpat utsedaqah asah khayo yikhyeh

None of the sins that they committed shall be remembered against them; since they do what is just and right, they shall live.

ve'ameru bene ammekha lo yittakhen derekh adonay vehemmah darkam lo-yittakhen

Your people say, “The Sovereign’s way is unfair.” But it is their way that is unfair!

beshuv-tsaddiq mitsidqato ve'asah avel umet bahem

When someone righteous turns away from their righteous deeds to commit iniquity, they shall die for it.

uveshuv rasha merishato ve'asah mishpat utsedaqah alehem hu yikhyeh

And when someone wicked turns back from wickedness and does what is just and right, it is they who shall live by virtue of these things.

va'amartem lo yittakhen derekh adonay ish kidrakhayw eshpot etkhem bet yisra'el

And will you say, “The Sovereign’s way is unfair”? I will judge each one of you according to your own ways, O House of Israel!

vayehi bishte esreh shanah ba'asiri bakhamisha lakhodesh legalutenu ba-elay happalit mirushalai͏m lemor hukketah ha'ir

In the twelfth year of our exile, on the fifth day of the tenth month, a fugitive came to me from Jerusalem and reported, “The city has fallen.”

veyad-Adonai hayetah elay ba'erev lifne bo happalit vayyiftakh et-pi ad-bo elay babboqer vayyippatakh pi velo ne'elamti od

Now GOD’s hand had come upon me the evening before the fugitive arrived, opening my mouth before he came to me in the morning; thus my mouth was opened and I was no longer speechless.

vayehi devar-Adonai elay lemor

The word of GOD came to me:

ben-adam yosheve hekhoravot ha'elleh al-admat yisra'el omerim lemor ekhad hayah avraham vayyirash et-ha'arets va'anakhnu rabbim lanu nittenah ha'arets lemorashah

O mortal, those who live in these ruins in the land of Israel argue, “Abraham was but one man, yet he was granted possession of the land. We are many; surely, the land has been given as a possession to us.”

lakhen emor alehem koh-amar adonay Elohim al-haddam tokhelu ve'enekhem tisu el-gillulekhem vedam tishpokhu veha'arets tirashu

Therefore say to them: Thus said the Sovereign GOD: You eat with the blood, you raise your eyes to your fetishes, and you shed blood—yet you expect to possess the land!

amadtem al-kharbekhem asiten to'evah ve'ish et-eshet re'ehu timmetem veha'arets tirashu

You men have relied on your sword, you have committed abominations, you have defiled one another’s wives—yet you expect to possess the land!

koh-tomar alehem koh-amar adonay Elohim khay-ani im-lo asher bekhoravot bakherev yippolu va'asher al-pene hassadeh lakhayyah netattiv le'okhlo va'asher bammetsadot uvamme'arot baddever yamutu

Thus shall you speak to them: Thus said the Sovereign GOD: As I live, those who are in the ruins shall fall by the sword, and those who are in the open I have allotted as food to the beasts, and those who are in the strongholds and caves shall die by pestilence.

venatatti et-ha'arets shemamah umeshammah venishbat ge'on uzzah veshamemu hare yisra'el me'en over

I will make the land a desolate waste, and its proud glory shall cease; and the mountains of Israel shall be desolate, with none passing through.

veyade'u ki-ani Adonai betitti et-ha'arets shemamah umeshammah al kol-to'avotam asher asu

And they shall know that I am GOD, when I make the land a desolate waste on account of all the abominations that they have committed.

ve'attah ven-adam bene ammekha hannidbarim bekha etsel haqqirot uvefitkhe habbattim vedibber-khad et-akhad ish et-akhiv lemor bo'u-na veshimu mah haddavar hayyotse me'et Adonai

Note well, O mortal: your people who converse about you by the walls and in the doorways of their houses and say to each other and propose to one another, “Come and hear what word has issued from GOD.”

veyavo'u elekha kimvo-am veyeshevu lefanekha ammi veshame'u et-devarekha ve'otam lo ya'asu ki-agavim befihem hemmah osim akhare vitsam libbam holekh

They will come to you in crowds and sit before you in throngs and will hear your words, but they will not obey them. For they produce nothing but lust with their mouths; and their hearts pursue nothing but gain.

vehinnekha lahem keshir agavim yefeh qol umetiv naggen veshame'u et-devarekha ve'osim enam otam

To them you are just a singer of bawdy songs, who has a sweet voice and plays skillfully; they hear your words, but will not obey them.

uvevo'ah hinneh va'ah veyade'u ki navi hayah vetokham

But when the predicted punishment comes—and come it will—they shall know that a prophet has been among them.