Ezekiel 18

And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:

Son of man, what is this proverb to you among the sons of Israel, saying: The fathers ate an unripe grape, and the children's teeth were set on edge?

As I live, says the Lord, this proverb shall surely no longer be spoken in Israel.

For all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son — they are mine. The soul that sins, that soul shall die.

But the man who will be righteous, who does judgment and righteousness —

he shall not eat upon the mountains, and he shall not lift up his eyes to the notions of the house of Israel, and he shall not defile his neighbor's wife, and he shall not approach a woman while she is in her menstrual separation;

and he shall not oppress anyone; he shall return the pledge of a debtor; he does not seize plunder; he shall give his bread to the hungry and clothe the naked;

and he shall not lend his silver at interest, nor take increase; he shall turn his hand away from injustice; he shall execute righteous judgment between a man and his neighbor;

and he has walked in my ordinances and has kept my judgments so as to do them — this man is righteous; he shall surely live, says the Lord.

And if he begets a son who is a pest, shedding blood and committing sins,

and he did not walk in the way of his righteous father, but even ate upon the mountains and defiled his neighbor's wife,

and oppressed the poor and needy, and seized plunder, and did not return the pledge, and set his eyes upon the idols, and has committed lawlessness,

he lent at interest and took increase — this one shall not live. He has done all these lawless deeds; he shall surely be put to death; his blood shall be upon him.

But if he begets a son, and the son sees all the sins of his father which he committed, and fears, and does not act according to them:

he has not eaten upon the mountains, and he has not set his eyes on the notions of the house of Israel, and he has not defiled his neighbor's wife,

and he did not oppress anyone, and did not take a pledge, and did not seize plunder; he gave his bread to the hungry and clothed the naked,

and he turned his hand away from injustice, took neither interest nor increase, did righteousness, and walked in my ordinances — he shall not die for the iniquities of his father; he shall surely live.

But as for his father, because he grievously oppressed and seized plunder, he did contrary things in the midst of my people, and he shall die in his own iniquity.

And you will say: Why has the son not borne the iniquity of his father? Because the son did righteousness and mercy, kept all my statutes and did them — he shall surely live.

But the soul that sins shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of his father, nor shall the father bear the iniquity of his son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the lawlessness of the lawless shall be upon himself.

And if the lawless one turns from all his lawless deeds which he has done, and keeps all my commandments, and does righteousness and mercy, he shall surely live; he shall not die.

All his transgressions, as many as he committed, shall not be remembered; in his righteousness which he did he shall live.

Do I at all desire the death of the lawless one, says the Lord, as much as that he should turn from his evil way and live?

But when a righteous one turns from his righteousness and commits injustice, according to all the lawless deeds which the lawless one did — all his righteous acts which he did shall not be remembered; in his transgression by which he fell away and in his sins by which he sinned, in them he shall die.

And you said: The way of the Lord is not right. Hear now, all the house of Israel: Is it my way that is not right? Is it not your way that is not right?

When the righteous one turns from his righteousness and commits a transgression and dies, in the transgression which he committed, in it he shall die.

And when a lawless one turns from his lawlessness which he has done, and does judgment and righteousness, this one has preserved his soul.

And he turned from all his impieties which he had done; he shall surely live, he shall not die.

And the house of Israel says: The way of the Lord is not straight. Is it my way that is not straight, O house of Israel? Is it not your way that is not straight?

I will judge you, each according to his own way, O house of Israel, says the Lord. Turn back and turn away from all your impieties, and they shall not become for you a punishment of iniquity.

Cast away from yourselves all your impieties by which you acted impiously against me, and make for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. And why should you die, O house of Israel?

For I do not desire the death of the one who dies, says the Lord.