Study Desk

he doesn't wrong anyone; he returns any pledged property a debtor has given as collateral for a loan; he takes nothing by robbery, but gives his food to the hungry and clothing to those who need it;

whereas the father himself does none of them. He eats on the mountains, defiles his neighbor's wife,

wrongs the poor and needy, takes by robbery, doesn't restore pledged property, raises his eyes toward the idols, engages in disgusting practices,

demands and accepts interest. Should he live? He will not live, because he has engaged in all these disgusting practices — he must be put to death; his blood is on him.

"But now suppose he has a son who sees all the sins his father committed, thinks about them, and behaves differently.

He doesn't eat on the mountains, raise his eyes to the idols of the house of Isra'el, defile his neighbor's wife,

wrong others, keep pledged property or take by robbery, but gives his food to the hungry and clothing to those in need of it;

he refrains from oppressing the poor; and he neither demands nor accepts interest. He obeys my rulings and lives according to my laws. So he will not die for his father's sins but will certainly live.

Yet his father, because he oppressed so cruelly, committed robbery against his brother and never did anything good among his people — he will die for his sins.

"You ask, ‘Why doesn't the son bear his father's guilt?' When the son has done what is lawful and right, has kept all my laws and obeyed them, he will certainly live.

The person who sins is the one that will die — a son is not to bear his father's guilt with him, nor is the father to bear his son's guilt with him; but the righteousness of the righteous will be his own, and the wickedness of the wicked will be his own.

Do I take any pleasure at all in having the wicked person die?" asks Adonai Elohim . "Wouldn't I prefer that he turn from his ways and live?

"On the other hand, when the righteous person turns away from his righteousness and commits wickedness by acting in accordance with all the disgusting practices that the wicked person does, will he live? None of the righteous deeds he has done will be remembered; for the trespasses and sins he has committed, he will die.

When the righteous person turns away from his righteousness and commits wickedness, he will die for it — for the wickedness he commits he will die.

And when the wicked person turns away from all the wickedness he has committed and does what is lawful and right, he will save his life.

Therefore, house of Isra'el, I will judge each of you according to his ways," says Adonai Elohim . "Repent, and turn yourselves away from all your transgressions, so that they will not be a stumblingblock that brings guilt upon you.

One of her cubs she singled out: he became a young lion, he learned to seize his prey, he became a man-eater.

He prowled among the lions, grew to be a young lion, learned to seize his prey and became a man-eater.

He raped their widows and destroyed their cities; the land and all in it were appalled at the sound of his roaring.

With hooks they put him in a cage and brought him to the king of Bavel to imprison him in a fortress, so that his roar would be heard no more on the mountains of Isra'el.