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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="//www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"><title>Ezekiel 18 CEV</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/chapnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="../cmenus/ezekiel/18.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="../topmenuchap/ezekiel/18-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="//biblehub.com">Bible</a> > <a href="../">CEV</a> > Ezekiel 18</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="../ezekiel/17.htm" title="Ezekiel 17">◄</a> Ezekiel 18 <a href="../ezekiel/19.htm" title="Ezekiel 19">►</a></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheading">Contemporary English Version</div><div class="chap"><h3 class="s1">Those Who Sin Will Die</h3><p class="par"><span class="v26_18_1"><span class="reftext" id="Ezek.18.1" class="v26_18_1">1</span>The <span class="nd">Lord</span> said:</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v26_18_2"><span class="reftext" id="Ezek.18.2" class="v26_18_2">2</span><a href="#fn" id="link_Ezek.18.2!x.1" class="notelink x-link"><span></span></a> Ezekiel, I hear the people of Israel using the old saying,</span></p><p class="b"></p><p class="q1"><span class="v26_18_2">“Sour grapes eaten by parents</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v26_18_2">leave a sour taste in the mouths</span></p><p class="q2"><span class="v26_18_2">of their children.”</span></p><p class="b"></p><p class="par"><span class="v26_18_3"><span class="reftext" id="Ezek.18.3" class="v26_18_3">3</span>Now tell them that I am the <span class="nd">Lord</span> God, and as surely as I live, that saying will no longer be used in Israel. </span><span class="v26_18_4"><span class="reftext" id="Ezek.18.4" class="v26_18_4">4</span>The lives of all people belong to me—parents as well as children. However, only those who sin will be put to death.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v26_18_5"><span class="reftext" id="Ezek.18.5" class="v26_18_5">5</span>Suppose there is a truly good man who always does what is fair and right. </span><span class="v26_18_6"><span class="reftext" id="Ezek.18.6" class="v26_18_6">6</span>He refuses to eat meat sacrificed to foreign gods at local shrines or to worship Israel's idols. He doesn't have sex with someone else's wife or with a woman having her monthly period. </span><span class="v26_18_7"><span class="reftext" id="Ezek.18.7" class="v26_18_7">7</span>He never cheats or robs anyone and always returns anything taken as security for a loan; he gives food and clothes to the poor </span><span class="v26_18_8"><span class="reftext" id="Ezek.18.8" class="v26_18_8">8</span>and doesn't charge interest when lending money. He refuses to do anything evil; he is fair to everyone </span><span class="v26_18_9"><span class="reftext" id="Ezek.18.9" class="v26_18_9">9</span><a href="#fn" id="link_Ezek.18.9!x.1" class="notelink x-link"><span></span></a> and faithfully obeys my laws and teachings. This man is good, and I promise he will live.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v26_18_10"><span class="reftext" id="Ezek.18.10" class="v26_18_10">10</span>But suppose this good man has an evil son who is violent and commits sins </span><span class="v26_18_11"><span class="reftext" id="Ezek.18.11" class="v26_18_11">11</span>his father never did. He eats meat at local shrines, has sex with someone else's wife, </span><span class="v26_18_12"><span class="reftext" id="Ezek.18.12" class="v26_18_12">12</span>cheats the poor, and robs people. He keeps what is given to him as security for a loan. He worships idols, does disgusting things, </span><span class="v26_18_13"><span class="reftext" id="Ezek.18.13" class="v26_18_13">13</span>and charges high interest when lending money. An evil man like that will certainly not live. He is the one who has done these horrible sins, so it's his own fault that he will be put to death.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v26_18_14"><span class="reftext" id="Ezek.18.14" class="v26_18_14">14</span>But suppose this evil man has a son who sees his father do these things and refuses to act like him. </span><span class="v26_18_15"><span class="reftext" id="Ezek.18.15" class="v26_18_15">15</span>He doesn't eat meat at local shrines or worship Israel's idols, and he doesn't have sex with someone else's wife. </span><span class="v26_18_16"><span class="reftext" id="Ezek.18.16" class="v26_18_16">16</span>He never cheats or robs anyone and doesn't even demand security for a loan. He gives food and clothes to the poor </span><span class="v26_18_17"><span class="reftext" id="Ezek.18.17" class="v26_18_17">17</span>and refuses to do anything evil<a href="#fn" id="link_Ezek.18.17!f.1" class="notelink f-link"><span>+</span></a> or to charge interest. And he obeys all my laws and teachings. Such a man will live. His own father sinned, but this good man will not be put to death for the sins of his father. </span><span class="v26_18_18"><span class="reftext" id="Ezek.18.18" class="v26_18_18">18</span>It is his father who will die for cheating and robbing and doing evil.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v26_18_19"><span class="reftext" id="Ezek.18.19" class="v26_18_19">19</span>You may wonder why a son isn't punished for the sins of his father. It is because the son does what is right and obeys my laws. </span><span class="v26_18_20"><span class="reftext" id="Ezek.18.20" class="v26_18_20">20</span><a href="#fn" id="link_Ezek.18.20!x.1" class="notelink x-link"><span></span></a> Only those who sin will be put to death. Children won't suffer for the sins of their parents, and parents won't suffer for the sins of their children. Good people will be rewarded for what they do, and evil people will be punished for what they do.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v26_18_21"><span class="reftext" id="Ezek.18.21" class="v26_18_21">21</span>Suppose wicked people stop sinning and start obeying my laws and doing right. They won't be put to death. </span><span class="v26_18_22"><span class="reftext" id="Ezek.18.22" class="v26_18_22">22</span>All their sins will be forgiven, and they will live because they did right. </span><span class="v26_18_23"><span class="reftext" id="Ezek.18.23" class="v26_18_23">23</span>I, the <span class="nd">Lord</span> God, don't like to see wicked people die. I had much rather see them turn back from their sins and live.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v26_18_24"><span class="reftext" id="Ezek.18.24" class="v26_18_24">24</span>But when good people start sinning and doing disgusting things, will they live? No! All their good deeds will be forgotten, and they will be put to death because of their sins.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v26_18_25"><span class="reftext" id="Ezek.18.25" class="v26_18_25">25</span>You people of Israel accuse me of being unfair! But listen—I'm not unfair; you are! </span><span class="v26_18_26"><span class="reftext" id="Ezek.18.26" class="v26_18_26">26</span>If good people start doing evil, they must be put to death, because they have sinned. </span><span class="v26_18_27"><span class="reftext" id="Ezek.18.27" class="v26_18_27">27</span>And if wicked people start doing right, they will save themselves from punishment. </span><span class="v26_18_28"><span class="reftext" id="Ezek.18.28" class="v26_18_28">28</span>They will think about what they've done and stop sinning, and so they won't be put to death. </span><span class="v26_18_29"><span class="reftext" id="Ezek.18.29" class="v26_18_29">29</span>But you still say that I am unfair. You are the ones who have done wrong and are unfair!</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v26_18_30"><span class="reftext" id="Ezek.18.30" class="v26_18_30">30</span>I will judge each of you for what you've done. So stop sinning, or else you will certainly be punished. </span><span class="v26_18_31"><span class="reftext" id="Ezek.18.31" class="v26_18_31">31</span>Give up your evil ways and start thinking pure thoughts. And be faithful to me! Do you really want to be put to death for your sins? </span><span class="v26_18_32"><span class="reftext" id="Ezek.18.32" class="v26_18_32">32</span><a href="#fn" id="link_Ezek.18.32!x.1" class="notelink x-link"><span></span></a> I, the <span class="nd">Lord</span> God, don't want to see that happen to anyone. So stop sinning and live!</span></p> <a name="fn"></a><br /><br /><br /><b>Footnotes:<br /><br /><note caller="+" style="f"><char style="fr" closed="false">18.17 </char><char style="fq" closed="false">evil: </char><char style="ft" closed="false">One ancient translation; Hebrew “for the poor.”</char></note></div></div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div align="center"><p><span style="font-size:11pt;">Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt;">© 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt;">Bible text from the Contemporary English Version 2nd Edition (CEV®) is not to be reproduced in copies or otherwise by any means except as permitted in writing by American Bible Society, 101 North Independence Mall East, Floor 8, Philadelphia, PA 19106-2155 (<a href="http://www.americanbible.org">www.americanbible.org</a>). Learn more at <a href="http://www.cev.bible">www.cev.bible</a>. 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