1The word of Yahweh came to me, saying,
2Son of man, speak to the people of your nation and tell them: 'When I bring a sword upon a land, and the people of the land choose a man from among them and appoint him to be their watchman,'
3If he sees the sword coming on the land, blows the trumpet, and warns the people,
4Then anyone who hears the sound of the trumpet but does not take warning, and the sword comes and takes him away, his death will be his own fault.
5He heard the sound of the trumpet but did not take warning; his death is his own fault. But if he had taken warning, he would have saved his life.
6But if the watchman sees the enemy approaching and doesn't blow the trumpet to warn the people, and the enemy comes and takes someone from among them, that person will die because of their own sin, but I will hold the watchman responsible for their death.
7So you, son of man, I have appointed you as a watchman for the people of Israel. Therefore, listen to what I tell you and warn them for me.
8When I tell a wicked person, 'You will surely die,' and you don't speak up to warn them to change their ways, that wicked person will die because of their sin, but I will hold you responsible for their death.
9However, if you warn a wicked person to change their ways, and they don't, they will die because of their own sin, but you will have saved yourself.
10Son of man, tell the people of Israel, 'You keep saying, "Our wrongdoings and our sins are weighing us down, and we are wasting away because of them. How can we possibly live?"'
11Tell them, 'As surely as I live, says the Lord Yahweh, I do not enjoy seeing wicked people die. Instead, I want them to turn from their wicked ways and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil ways! Why would you want to die, people of Israel?'
12Son of man, tell your people, 'A righteous person's good deeds will not save them on the day they do wrong; and a wicked person's wickedness will not cause their downfall on the day they turn from it. Nor will a righteous person be able to live by their righteousness if they sin.'
13When I promise a righteous person that they will surely live, if they then trust in their own righteousness and do wrong, none of their good deeds will be remembered. They will die because of the wrong they have committed.
14Again, when I tell a wicked person, 'You will surely die,' if they turn from their sin and do what is lawful and right,
15if the wicked person returns what they used as collateral, gives back what they stole, follows the laws that lead to life, and commits no wrongdoing, they will surely live and not die.
16None of the sins they committed will be remembered against them. Since they have done what is lawful and right, they will surely live.
17Yet your people say, 'The way of the Lord is unfair.' But in truth, it is their own way that is unfair.
18When a righteous person turns from their righteousness and does wrong, they will die because of it.
19When a wicked person turns from their wickedness and does what is lawful and right, they will live because of it.
20Yet you say, 'The way of the Lord is unfair.' People of Israel, I will judge each of you according to your own ways.
21In the twelfth year of our exile, on the fifth day of the tenth month, someone who had escaped from Jerusalem came to me and announced, 'The city has fallen!'
22The evening before the escapee arrived, Yahweh's power had come over me, and he had opened my mouth. By the morning when the escapee reached me, my mouth was opened, and I was no longer silent.
23The word of Yahweh came to me, saying,
24"Son of man, those who live in the ruined places in the land of Israel are saying, 'Abraham was just one person, and he inherited the land. Since there are many of us, surely the land has been given to us as an inheritance!'"
25Therefore, tell them, 'This is what the Lord Yahweh says: You eat meat with the blood still in it, you worship idols, and you shed blood. Do you really think you will possess the land?'
26You rely on violence, you commit disgusting acts, and each of you sleeps with your neighbor's wife. Do you really expect to keep the land?
27You must tell them, 'This is what the Lord Yahweh says: As surely as I live, those in the ruined places will die by the sword. I will give those in the open fields to wild animals to be eaten. And those in strongholds and caves will die from disease.'
28I will turn the land into a desolate and horrifying wasteland. Its powerful pride will end. The mountains of Israel will become so barren that no one will pass through.
29Then they will know that I am Yahweh, when I have made the land a desolate and horrifying wasteland because of all the detestable things they have done.
30As for you, Son of Man, your people talk about you by the walls and at the doors of their houses. They say to each other, 'Please come and hear what word is coming from Yahweh.'
31They come to you like people coming to a gathering, and they sit in front of you as if they are my people. They listen to your words, but they don't follow them. They show much love with their mouths, but their hearts are focused on making a profit.
32Look, to them you are like a beautiful song, sung by someone with a pleasant voice who plays an instrument well. They listen to your words, but they don't act on them.
33When this comes true (and it will certainly come true), then they will know that a prophet has been among them.