The Soul Who Sins Will Die
The word of the LORD challenges Israel's proverb about sour grapes, which implies that children bear the direct guilt of their fathers. God swears that the proverb will no longer be used in Israel because every soul belongs to Him alike. Therefore the decisive principle is stated plainly: the soul who sins is the one who will die.
T1hen the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2“What do you people mean by quoting this proverb about the land of Israel: 3As surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, you will no longer quote this proverb in Israel. 4Behold, every soul belongs to Me; both father and son are Mine. The soul who sins is the one who will die.
The LORD gives a three-generation case study. A righteous man who avoids idolatry, oppression, adultery, and exploitation will live. If he fathers a violent and unjust son, that son will die for his own abominations. But if that son has a son who sees his father's sins and refuses to imitate them, he will live and not die for his father's guilt. The conclusion is explicit: the son will not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father the guilt of the son; righteousness and wickedness return upon the person who practices them.
5Now suppose a man is righteous and does what is just and right: 6He does not eat at the mountain 7He does not oppress another, 8He does not engage in usury 9He follows My statutes 10Now suppose that man has a violent son, who sheds blood or does any of these things, 11though the father has done none of them: 12He oppresses the poor and needy; 13He engages in usury 14Now suppose this son has a son who sees all the sins his father has committed, considers them, and does not do likewise: 15He does not eat at the mountain 16He does not oppress another, 17He withholds his hand from harming the poor 18As for his father, he will die for his own iniquity, because he practiced extortion, robbed his brother, and did what was wrong among his people. 19Yet you may ask, ‘Why shouldn’t the son bear the iniquity of his father?’ 20The soul who sins is the one who will die. A son will not bear the iniquity of his father, and a father will not bear the iniquity of his son. The righteousness of the righteous man will fall upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked man will fall upon him.
The principle of responsibility is then made dynamic rather than static. A wicked person who turns from sin, keeps God's statutes, and does what is just will surely live, and his prior transgressions will not be remembered. Conversely, a righteous person who turns to iniquity will die for the evil he now practices. When Israel complains that the Lord's way is unjust, the LORD turns the charge back on them and insists that His way is just while theirs is crooked.
21But if the wicked man turns from all the sins he has committed, keeps all My statutes, and does what is just and right, he will surely live; he will not die. 22None of the transgressions he has committed will be held against him. Because of the righteousness he has practiced, he will live. 23Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Lord GOD. Wouldn’t I prefer that he turn from his ways and live? 24But if a righteous man turns from his righteousness and practices iniquity, committing the same abominations as the wicked, will he live? None of the righteous acts he did will be remembered. Because of the unfaithfulness and sin he has committed, he will die. 25Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ 26If a righteous man turns from his righteousness and practices iniquity, he will die for this. He will die because of the iniquity he has committed. 27But if a wicked man turns from the wickedness he has committed and does what is just and right, he will save his life. 28Because he considered and turned from all the transgressions he had committed, he will surely live; he will not die. 29Yet the house of Israel says, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’
Because each person will be judged according to his own ways, the house of Israel is urged to repent and turn from all transgressions so that iniquity will not destroy them. They are commanded to cast away their sins and make for themselves a new heart and a new spirit. The appeal closes with God's own heart laid bare: He takes no pleasure in anyone's death, so His people must repent and live.
30Therefore, O house of Israel, I will judge you, each according to his ways, declares the Lord GOD. Repent and turn from all your transgressions, so that your iniquity will not become your downfall. 31Cast away from yourselves all the transgressions you have committed, and fashion for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. Why should you die, O house of Israel? 32For I take no pleasure in anyone’s death, declares the Lord GOD. So repent and live![’’]