Ezekiel 18:2-20

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?’

3“As surely as I live, declares the sovereign Lord, you will not quote this proverb in Israel anymore!

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 man is righteous. He practices what is just and right,

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,

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,

8does not engage in usury or charge interest, but refrains from wrongdoing, promotes true justice between men,

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“Suppose such a man has a violent son who sheds blood and does any of these things mentioned previously

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 the needy, commits robbery, does not give back what was given in pledge, prays to idols, performs abominable acts,

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 he in turn has a son who notices all the sins his father commits, considers them, and does not follow his father’s example.

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,

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,

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.

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“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. 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.