Ezekiel 33:7-20

7“Now as for you, son of man, I have 12appointed you as a watchman for the house of Israel; so you will hear a 3message from My mouth and give them a 4warning from Me. 8When I say to the wicked, ‘You wicked person, you will 5certainly die,’ and you do not speak to warn the wicked about his way, that wicked person shall die for his wrongdoing, but I will 6require his blood from your hand. 9But if you on your part warn a wicked person to turn from his way and he 7does not turn from his way, he will die for his wrongdoing, but you have 8saved your life.

10“Now as for you, son of man, say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what you have 9said: “Surely our offenses and our sins are upon us, and we are 10rotting away in them; 11how then can we 12survive?”’ 11Say to them, ‘13As I live!’ declares the Lord 14God, ‘I take 15no pleasure at all in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked 16turn from his way and live. 17Turn back, turn back from your evil ways! Why then should you die, house of Israel?’ 12And you, son of man, say to 18your fellow citizens, ‘The 19righteousness of a righteous one will not save him on the day of his offense, and as for the wickedness of a wicked one, he will 20not stumble because of it on the day when he turns from his wickedness; whereas a righteous one will not be able to live 21by his righteousness on the day when he commits sin.’ 13When I say to the righteous that he will certainly live, and he so trusts in his righteousness that he 22commits injustice, none of his righteous deeds will be remembered; but for that same injustice of his which he has committed he will die. 14But when I say to the wicked, ‘You will certainly die,’ and he 23turns from his sin and practices 24justice and righteousness, 15if a wicked person returns a pledge, 25pays back what he has taken by robbery, walks by the 26statutes 27which ensure life without committing injustice, he shall certainly live; he shall not die. 1628None of his sins that he has committed will be remembered against him. He has practiced justice and righteousness; he shall certainly live.

17“Yet 29your fellow citizens say, ‘The way of the Lord is not right,’ when it is their own way that is not right. 18When the righteous turns from his righteousness and 30commits injustice, then he shall die in 31it. 19But when the wicked turns from his wickedness and practices justice and righteousness, he will live by them. 20Yet you say, ‘32The way of the Lord is not right.’ I will judge each of you according to his ways, house of Israel.”