The Lord wants people to change their lives
1The Lord talked to me and He said: 2‘Why do your people all over the land use this proverb? You say: “The fathers have eaten sour grapes and that is why their children's teeth became bad.” ’
3The Lord God says: ‘You may not say this or use this proverb again in Israel. This is sure, as sure as I live. 4You must know that everyone who lives belongs to Me. I give life to a father and to his child. They belong to Me. The person who sins is the one who will die. 5Someone who lives in the right way, and does what is right, does as I want him to do:
6He does not go to feasts
for idols on the mountains,
he does not love the idols
of the people of Israel,
he does not sleep with other men's wives
and make them impure,
he does not have sex with women
who are menstruating,
7he does not oppress anyone,
he gives back the clothes or things
that he took from someone
when that person could not pay his debt,
he does not steal or take something
that belongs to other people,
he gives food to hungry people
and he gives clothes to people
who do not have clothes.
8He does not ask people to pay interest
when they borrow money from him,
and if he tells them to pay interest,
he does not ask them to pay too much.
He does not do things that are wrong,
he is fair when he judges people,
9he lives like I say
and he does what I want.
He does things that are right.
Someone who does that is good and he will live for a long time.’ This is what the Lord God said.
10‘But maybe someone like that has a son who is bad and loves to fight and kill people and does things that are wrong. 11His father has not done one of these wrong things, but his son
goes to feasts for idols on the mountains,
he has sex with wives of other men
and makes them impure,
12he oppresses people
who can not help themselves
and who have nothing,
he steals and takes things
that belong to other people,
he does not give back the clothes
and things that he took from someone
who could not pay,
he loves idols and he does things that I hate.
13He tells people to pay him interest
when he lends them money,
and when they must pay him interest,
he asks them to pay too much.
A son who does these things will not live for a long time, because he does all these things that I hate, and it will be his own fault when he dies.
14But a bad son like that can become a father, and his son can see all the sins that his father does and he can change and not do the same.
15He does not go to feasts for idols
on the mountains,
he does not love the idols
of the people of Israel,
he does not sleep with the wives
of other men and make them impure,
16he does not oppress anyone,
he does not keep something
when he lends money to someone,
he does not steal or take things
from other people,
he gives food to hungry people
and he gives clothes to people
who do not have clothes.
17This good son does what is right
to people who can not help themselves,
he does not tell people to pay him
interest when he lends them money
and when he tells them to pay interest,
he does not ask them to pay too much.
This good son does what I want
and he lives like I said.
Someone like that will not die, even if his father did wrong. No, he will live for a long time, this is sure. 18But his father oppressed people, he took things from them and he did nothing that was good in his land, and that is why the father died for his sin, but not his son.
19But you ask Me why I don't punish the son for the sins of his father. The son has done what is right and fair, he listened to everything I said and he did what is good. I will not punish him, and he will live, this is sure. 20The person who sins is the person who will die. I will not punish a son for the sins of his father and I will not punish a father for the sins of his son. I will bless everyone who lives in the right way and who is righteous, and I will punish everyone who does what is wrong.
21If a bad and sinful person stops doing what is wrong and turns away from sin, and he starts to live in the right way and does the things that I say, then I will not punish him. He will not die, but he will live, this is sure. 22I will not remember that he was sinful, and I will not think about the bad things that he did before. He will live because he has done things that are righteous.’
23The Lord God says: ‘I don't want sinful people to die. I want them to change their lives so that they can live.
24But if a good person who always did what is right stops doing right and starts to sin and does what is wrong, then I will punish him and he will not live, because he does things that I hate, wrong things that sinful people always do. I will not remember the good things that he did before, things that were right, because he became unfaithful and he sinned, and that is why he will die.
25You say I don't do what is right and fair. Listen, Israelites, I am asking you this: Is it I who am not doing what is right or is it you who are not doing what is right? It is you. You are doing what is wrong. 26If someone who was righteous and who always lived in the right way stops doing what is right and turns away from God and starts to sin, I will punish him and he will die because of the sins that he does, because he has done wrong. 27And if a bad person who was sinful and always did what was wrong stops doing wrong and starts doing what is right, then he will not die. I will not punish him and he will go on living. 28He saw what could happen and he turned away from his sin and stopped doing what is wrong. That is why I will not punish him. He will live, this is sure. He will not die. 29But still the Israelites say I don't do what is right. Why do they say that? Israelites, it is not I who am doing what is wrong. It is you who are not doing what is right.
30That is why I will judge each one of you for the things that you have done. You must turn to Me and change your lives. If you don't listen to Me, your sins will become like a stone over which you will fall.’ This is what the Lord God said.
31‘You must turn away from your sin and stop being rebellious. You must get a new heart and a new spirit. Israelites, why do you want to die?’ 32The Lord God says: ‘I do not want people to die. I want them to change their lives so that they can live.’
