Ezekiel 18:5-20

5“But if a man is righteous and practices justice and righteousness, 6if he does not 1eat at the mountain shrines or 2raise his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, or 3defile his neighbor’s wife or approach a woman during her menstrual period-- 7and if a man does not oppress anyone, but 4restores to the debtor his pledge, 5does not commit robbery, but 6gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with clothing, 8and if he does not 7lend money at 8interest or take 910interest, if he keeps his hand from injustice and 11executes true justice between one person and another, 9if he walks in 12My statutes and keeps My ordinances so as to deal faithfully--13he is righteous and will certainly 14live,” declares the Lord God.

10“However, he may father a violent son who sheds blood, and does any one of these things to a brother 11(though he himself did not do any of these things), that is, he even eats at the mountain shrines, and 15defiles his neighbor’s wife, 12oppresses the 16poor and needy, 17commits robbery, does not restore a pledge, but raises his eyes to the idols and 18commits abomination, 1319lends money at interest and takes 20interest; will he live? He will not live! He has committed all these abominations, he shall certainly be put to death; his 21blood will be on himself.

14“Now behold, he has fathered a son who saw all his father’s sins which he committed, but he has 22seen them and does not do likewise. 15He does not eat at the mountain shrines or raise his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel; he has not defiled his neighbor’s wife, 16nor oppressed anyone, nor retained a pledge, nor committed robbery; instead, he 23gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with clothing, 17he keeps his hand from 24the poor, does not take any kind of interest on loans, but executes My ordinances, and walks in My statutes; 25he will not die for his father’s guilt, he will certainly live. 18As for his father, because he practiced extortion, robbed his brother, and did what was not good among his people, behold, he will die for his guilt.

19“Yet you say, ‘26Why should the son not suffer the punishment for the father’s guilt?’ When the son has practiced 27justice and righteousness and has kept all My statutes and done them, he shall certainly live. 20The person who 28sins will die. A 29son will not suffer the punishment for the father’s guilt, nor will a father suffer the punishment for the son’s guilt; the 30righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself.