| New Living Translation | NET Bible |
| 1Then another message came to me from the LORD: | 1The word of the LORD came to me: |
| 2“Why do you quote this proverb concerning the land of Israel: ‘The parents have eaten sour grapes, but their children’s mouths pucker at the taste’? | 2"What do you mean by quoting this proverb concerning the land of Israel, "'The fathers eat sour grapes And the children's teeth become numb?' |
| 3As surely as I live, says the Sovereign LORD, you will not quote this proverb anymore in Israel. | 3"As surely as I live, declares the sovereign LORD, you will not quote this proverb in Israel anymore! |
| 4For all people are mine to judge—both parents and children alike. And this is my rule: The person who sins is the one who will die. | 4Indeed! All lives are mine--the life of the father as well as the life of the son is mine. The one who sins will die. |
| 5“Suppose a certain man is righteous and does what is just and right. | 5"Suppose a man is righteous. He practices what is just and right, |
| 6He does not feast in the mountains before Israel’s idols or worship them. He does not commit adultery or have intercourse with a woman during her menstrual period. | 6does not eat pagan sacrifices on the mountains or pray to the idols of the house of Israel, does not defile his neighbor's wife, does not have sexual relations with a woman during her period, |
| 7He is a merciful creditor, not keeping the items given as security by poor debtors. He does not rob the poor but instead gives food to the hungry and provides clothes for the needy. | 7does not oppress anyone, but gives the debtor back whatever was given in pledge, does not commit robbery, but gives his bread to the hungry and clothes the naked, |
| 8He grants loans without interest, stays away from injustice, is honest and fair when judging others, | 8does not engage in usury or charge interest, but refrains from wrongdoing, promotes true justice between men, |
| 9and faithfully obeys my decrees and regulations. Anyone who does these things is just and will surely live, says the Sovereign LORD. | 9and follows my statutes and observes my regulations by carrying them out. That man is righteous; he will certainly live, declares the sovereign LORD. |
| 10“But suppose that man has a son who grows up to be a robber or murderer and refuses to do what is right. | 10"Suppose such a man has a violent son who sheds blood and does any of these things mentioned previously |
| 11And that son does all the evil things his father would never do—he worships idols on the mountains, commits adultery, | 11(though the father did not do any of them). He eats pagan sacrifices on the mountains, defiles his neighbor's wife, |
| 12oppresses the poor and helpless, steals from debtors by refusing to let them redeem their security, worships idols, commits detestable sins, | 12oppresses the poor and the needy, commits robbery, does not give back what was given in pledge, prays to idols, performs abominable acts, |
| 13and lends money at excessive interest. Should such a sinful person live? No! He must die and must take full blame. | 13engages in usury and charges interest. Will he live? He will not! Because he has done all these abominable deeds he will certainly die. He will bear the responsibility for his own death. |
| 14“But suppose that sinful son, in turn, has a son who sees his father’s wickedness and decides against that kind of life. | 14"But suppose he in turn has a son who notices all the sins his father commits, considers them, and does not follow his father's example. |
| 15This son refuses to worship idols on the mountains and does not commit adultery. | 15He does not eat pagan sacrifices on the mountains, does not pray to the idols of the house of Israel, does not defile his neighbor's wife, |
| 16He does not exploit the poor, but instead is fair to debtors and does not rob them. He gives food to the hungry and provides clothes for the needy. | 16does not oppress anyone or keep what has been given in pledge, does not commit robbery, gives his food to the hungry, and clothes the naked, |
| 17He helps the poor, does not lend money at interest, and obeys all my regulations and decrees. Such a person will not die because of his father’s sins; he will surely live. | 17refrains from wrongdoing, does not engage in usury or charge interest, carries out my regulations and follows my statutes. He will not die for his father's iniquity; he will surely live. |
| 18But the father will die for his many sins—for being cruel, robbing people, and doing what was clearly wrong among his people. | 18As for his father, because he practices extortion, robs his brother, and does what is not good among his people, he will die for his iniquity. |
| 19“‘What?’ you ask. ‘Doesn’t the child pay for the parent’s sins?’ No! For if the child does what is just and right and keeps my decrees, that child will surely live. | 19"Yet you say, 'Why should the son not suffer for his father's iniquity?' When the son does what is just and right, and observes all my statutes and carries them out, he will surely live. |
| 20The person who sins is the one who will die. The child will not be punished for the parent’s sins, and the parent will not be punished for the child’s sins. Righteous people will be rewarded for their own righteous behavior, and wicked people will be punished for their own wickedness. | 20The person who sins is the one who will die. A son will not suffer for his father's iniquity, and a father will not suffer for his son's iniquity; the righteous person will be judged according to his righteousness, and the wicked person according to his wickedness. |
| 21But if wicked people turn away from all their sins and begin to obey my decrees and do what is just and right, they will surely live and not die. | 21"But if the wicked person turns from all the sin he has committed and observes all my statutes and does what is just and right, he will surely live; he will not die. |
| 22All their past sins will be forgotten, and they will live because of the righteous things they have done. | 22None of the sins he has committed will be held against him; because of the righteousness he has done, he will live. |
| 23“Do you think that I like to see wicked people die? says the Sovereign LORD. Of course not! I want them to turn from their wicked ways and live. | 23Do I actually delight in the death of the wicked, declares the sovereign LORD? Do I not prefer that he turn from his wicked conduct and live? |
| 24However, if righteous people turn from their righteous behavior and start doing sinful things and act like other sinners, should they be allowed to live? No, of course not! All their righteous acts will be forgotten, and they will die for their sins. | 24"But if a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and practices wrongdoing according to all the abominable practices the wicked carry out, will he live? All his righteous acts will not be remembered; because of the unfaithful acts he has done and the sin he has committed, he will die. |
| 25“Yet you say, ‘The Lord isn’t doing what’s right!’ Listen to me, O people of Israel. Am I the one not doing what’s right, or is it you? | 25"Yet you say, 'The Lord's conduct is unjust!' Hear, O house of Israel: Is my conduct unjust? Is it not your conduct that is unjust? |
| 26When righteous people turn from their righteous behavior and start doing sinful things, they will die for it. Yes, they will die because of their sinful deeds. | 26When a righteous person turns back from his righteousness and practices wrongdoing, he will die for it; because of the wrongdoing he has done, he will die. |
| 27And if wicked people turn from their wickedness, obey the law, and do what is just and right, they will save their lives. | 27When a wicked person turns from the wickedness he has committed and does what is just and right, he will preserve his life. |
| 28They will live because they thought it over and decided to turn from their sins. Such people will not die. | 28Because he considered and turned from all the sins he had done, he will surely live; he will not die. |
| 29And yet the people of Israel keep saying, ‘The Lord isn’t doing what’s right!’ O people of Israel, it is you who are not doing what’s right, not I. | 29Yet the house of Israel says, 'The Lord's conduct is unjust!' Is my conduct unjust, O house of Israel? Is it not your conduct that is unjust? |
| 30“Therefore, I will judge each of you, O people of Israel, according to your actions, says the Sovereign LORD. Repent, and turn from your sins. Don’t let them destroy you! | 30"Therefore I will judge each person according to his conduct, O house of Israel, declares the sovereign LORD. Repent and turn from all your wickedness; then it will not be an obstacle leading to iniquity. |
| 31Put all your rebellion behind you, and find yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O people of Israel? | 31Throw away all your sins you have committed and fashion yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why should you die, O house of Israel? |
| 32I don’t want you to die, says the Sovereign LORD. Turn back and live! | 32For I take no delight in the death of anyone, declares the sovereign LORD. Repent and live! |
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