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I will make many peoples aghast at you; their kings will shudder in horror over you when I brandish my sword before them. On the day of your downfall they will tremble continuously, each man in fear of his life.'

"All of these Pharaoh will see, and he will be consoled about his hordes, Pharaoh and all his army, slain by the sword," says Adonai Elohim .

"For I have put my terror in the land of the living, and he will lie among the uncircumcised, with those killed by the sword, Pharaoh and all his hordes," says Adonai Elohim .

then, if the sword comes and takes away someone who heard the sound of the shofar but paid no attention to it, the responsibility for that person's death will be his own —

he heard the shofar but paid no attention, so the responsibility for his death is his own; whereas if he had paid attention, he would have saved his life.

But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the shofar, so that the people are not warned; and then the sword comes and takes any one of them, that one is indeed taken away in his guilt, but I will hold the watchman responsible for his death.'

When I tell the wicked person, ‘Wicked person, you will certainly die'; and you fail to speak and warn the wicked person to leave his way; then that wicked person will die guilty; and I will hold you responsible for his death.

On the other hand, if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he doesn't turn from his way; then he will still die guilty, but you will have saved your own life.

Say to them, ‘As I live,' swears Adonai Elohim , ‘I take no pleasure in having the wicked person die, but in having the wicked person turn from his way and live. So repent! Turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, house of Isra'el?'

"Next, you, human being, say to your people: ‘The righteousness of the righteous person will not save him, once he starts committing crimes; and likewise, the wickedness of the wicked person will not cause him to fall, once he turns from his wickedness. No, the righteous person cannot live by virtue of [his former righteousness], once he starts sinning.

So if, after I tell the righteous person that he will surely live, he begins trusting in his own [former] righteousness and starts committing crimes; then none of his [former] righteous actions will be remembered; on the contrary, he will die for the evil deeds he has committed.

Likewise, if, after I tell the wicked person, "You must die," he turns from his sin and does what is lawful and right —

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

And when the wicked person turns from his wickedness and does what is lawful and right, he will live because of it.

Yet you say, ‘Adonai's way isn't fair!' House of Isra'el, I will judge each of you according to his ways."

Now the hand of Adonai had been on me that evening, before the fugitive arrived — he had opened my mouth prior to his coming to me in the morning, so my mouth was open, and I was no longer mute.

You depend on your swords, you commit disgusting practices, and each of you defiles his neighbor's wife — and you still expect to possess the land?'

"Now you, human being, your people are gathering and talking about you by the walls and in the doorways of houses. They're saying to each other, each one telling his brother, ‘Come, let's go and hear the latest word coming from Adonai .'

Just as a shepherd looks after his flock when he finds himself among his scattered sheep, so I will look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered when it was cloudy and dark.

I will fill his mountains with his slain; in your hills and valleys and in all your ravines will fall those slain by the sword.