Ezekiel 18:10-24

10“Now suppose he fathers a son who is violent, who sheds blood and does any of these things to a brother

11(though the father himself does none of these things). He has even eaten at mountain shrines, defiled his neighbor’s wife,

12wronged the poor and needy, taken by robbery, not restored the pledge, lifted up his eyes to the idols, committed abomination,

13loaned with interest and taken unjust gain. Will he then live? He will not live! He has done all these detestable things. He will surely be put to death and his blood will be on him.

14“Now behold, suppose he fathers a son who sees all his father’s sins that he committed, and observing, does not do likewise.

15He does not eat at mountain shrines, or lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, or defile his neighbor’s wife,

16nor does he wrong anyone, take pledged property or commit robbery, but he gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with a garment,

17withholds his hand from mistreating the poor, does not take interest or increase, practices My laws and walks in My statutes—he will not die for the iniquity of his father, he will surely live.

18“As for his father, because he cruelly oppressed, committed robbery from his brother and did what is not good among his people—behold, he will die for his iniquity.

19Yet you say, ‘Why does the son not bear the iniquity of the father with him?’ When the son has done what is lawful and right, has kept all My statutes and has done them, he will surely live.

20The soul that sins, he will die. The son will not bear the iniquity of the father with him, nor will the father bear the iniquity of the son with him. The righteousness of the righteous will be on him and the wickedness of the wicked will be on him.

21But if the wicked turns from all his sins that he has committed, and keeps all My laws and does what is lawful and right, he will surely live, he will not die.

22None of his transgressions that he committed will be remembered; because of his righteousness that he practiced, he will live.

23“Do I delight at all in the death of the wicked?” It is a declaration of Adonai. “Rather, should he not return from his ways, and live?

24But when the righteous turns away from his righteousness, and commits iniquity and does according to all the detestable acts that the wicked man does, will he live? None of his righteous deeds that he has done will be remembered; for his trespass that he trespassed and for his sin that he has sinned, for them he will die.