Ezekiel 33
The Watchman's
Duty |
Ezek. 3.16-21 |
1 |
Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
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2 |
Son of man, speak to the children of thy
people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, if
the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him for
their watchman:
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3 |
if when he seeth the sword come upon the
land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people;
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4 |
then whosoever heareth the sound of the
trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come, and take him
away, his blood shall be upon his own head.
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5 |
He heard the sound of the trumpet, and
took not warning; his blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh
warning shall deliver his soul.
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6 |
But if the watchman see the sword come,
and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword
come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away
in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's
hand.
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7 |
So thou, O son of man, I have set thee
a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the
word at my mouth, and warn them from me.
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8 |
When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn
the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his
iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
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9 |
Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of
his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall
die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.
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God's Way Is
Just |
Ezek. 18.21-32 |
10 |
Therefore, O thou son of man, speak
unto the house of Israel; Thus ye speak, saying, If our
transgressions and our sins be upon us, and we pine away in
them, how should we then live?
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11 |
Say unto them, As I live, saith
the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death
of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn
ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of
Israel?
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12 |
Therefore, thou son of man, say unto the
children of thy people, The righteousness of the righteous shall not
deliver him in the day of his transgression: as for the wickedness
of the wicked, he shall not fall thereby in the day that he turneth
from his wickedness; neither shall the righteous be able to live for
his righteousness in the day that he sinneth.
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13 |
When I shall say to the righteous, that he shall surely live; if he trust to his own
righteousness, and commit iniquity, all his righteousnesses shall
not be remembered; but for his iniquity that he hath committed, he
shall die for it.
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14 |
Again, when I say unto the wicked, Thou
shalt surely die; if he turn from his sin, and do that which is
lawful and right;
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15 |
if the wicked restore the pledge,
give again that he had robbed, walk in the statutes of life, without
committing iniquity; he shall surely live, he shall not
die.
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16 |
None of his sins that he hath committed
shall be mentioned unto him: he hath done that which is lawful and
right; he shall surely live.
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17 |
Yet the children of thy people say, The
way of the Lord is not equal: but as for them, their way is not
equal.
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18 |
When the righteous turneth from his
righteousness, and committeth iniquity, he shall even die
thereby.
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19 |
But if the wicked turn from his
wickedness, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall live
thereby.
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20 |
Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not
equal. O ye house of Israel, I will judge you every one after his
ways.
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The News of
Jerusalem's Fall |
21 |
And it came to pass in the twelfth year
of our captivity, in the tenth month, in the fifth day of the month, that one that had escaped out of Jerusalem came
unto me, saying, The city is smitten. 2 Kgs. 25.3-10 · Jer. 39.2-8 ; 52.4-14
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22 |
Now the hand of the LORD was upon me in the evening, afore he that was
escaped came; and had opened my mouth, until he came to me in the
morning; and my mouth was opened, and I was no more dumb.
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23 |
Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
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24 |
Son of man, they that inhabit those
wastes of the land of Israel speak, saying, Abraham was one, and he
inherited the land: but we are many; the land is given us for
inheritance.
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25 |
Wherefore say unto them, Thus saith the
Lord GOD; Ye eat with the blood, and lift up
your eyes toward your idols, and shed blood: and shall ye possess
the land?
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26 |
Ye stand upon your sword, ye work
abomination, and ye defile every one his neighbor's wife: and shall
ye possess the land?
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27 |
Say thou thus unto them, Thus saith the
Lord GOD; As I live, surely they that are in the wastes shall fall by the sword, and him that is in the open field will I give to the beasts to be
devoured, and they that be in the forts and in the caves
shall die of the pestilence.
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28 |
For I will lay the land most desolate,
and the pomp of her strength shall cease; and the mountains of
Israel shall be desolate, that none shall pass through.
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29 |
Then shall they know that I am the
LORD, when I have laid the land most desolate,
because of all their abominations which they have
committed.
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30 |
Also, thou son of man, the children of
thy people still are talking against thee by the walls and in the
doors of the houses, and speak one to another, every one to his
brother, saying, Come, I pray you, and hear what is the word that
cometh forth from the LORD.
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31 |
And they come unto thee as the people
cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear
thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they show
much love, but their heart goeth after their
covetousness.
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32 |
And, lo, thou art unto them as a
very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play
well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them
not.
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33 |
And when this cometh to pass, (lo, it
will come,) then shall they know that a prophet hath been among
them.
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