Yehezkiel 3:17-21

3:17 “Son of man, I have appointed you a watchman ¹  for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you must give them a warning from me. 3:18 When I say to the wicked, “You will certainly die,” ²  and you do not warn him – you do not speak out to warn the wicked to turn from his wicked deed and wicked lifestyle so that he may live – that wicked person will die for his iniquity, ³  but I will hold you accountable for his death. ⁴  3:19 But as for you, if you warn the wicked and he does not turn from his wicked deed and from his wicked lifestyle, he will die for his iniquity but you will have saved your own life. ⁵ 

3:20 “When a righteous person turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and I set an obstacle ⁶  before him, he will die. If you have not warned him, he will die for his sin. The righteous deeds he performed will not be considered, but I will hold you accountable for his death. 3:21 However, if you warn the righteous person not to sin, and he ⁷  does not sin, he will certainly live because he was warned, and you will have saved your own life.”

Yehezkiel 33:2-9

33:2 “Son of man, speak to your people, ⁸  and say to them, ‘Suppose I bring a sword against the land, and the people of the land take one man from their borders and make him their watchman. 33:3 He sees the sword coming against the land, blows the trumpet, ⁹  and warns the people, ¹⁰  33:4 but there is one who hears the sound of the trumpet yet does not heed the warning. Then the sword comes and sweeps him away. He will be responsible for his own death. ¹¹  33:5 He heard the sound of the trumpet but did not heed the warning, so he is responsible for himself. ¹²  If he had heeded the warning, he would have saved his life. 33:6 But suppose the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people. Then the sword comes and takes one of their lives. He is swept away for his iniquity, ¹³  but I will hold the watchman accountable for that person’s death.’ ¹⁴ 

33:7 “As for you, son of man, I have made you a watchman ¹⁵  for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you must warn them on my behalf. 33:8 When I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you must certainly die,’ ¹⁶  and you do not warn ¹⁷  the wicked about his behavior, ¹⁸  the wicked man will die for his iniquity, but I will hold you accountable for his death. ¹⁹  33:9 But if you warn the wicked man to change his behavior, ²⁰  and he refuses to change, ²¹  he will die for his iniquity, but you have saved your own life.

[3:17]  ¹ tn The literal role of a watchman is described in 2 Sam 18:24; 2 Kgs 9:17.

[3:18]  ² sn Even though the infinitive absolute is used to emphasize the warning, the warning is still implicitly conditional, as the following context makes clear.

[3:18]  ³ tn Or “in his punishment.” The phrase “in/for [a person’s] iniquity” occurs fourteen times in Ezekiel: here and v. 19; 4:17; 7:13, 16; 18: 17, 18, 19, 20; 24:23; 33:6, 8, 9; 39:23. The Hebrew word for “iniquity” may also mean the “punishment for iniquity.”

[3:18]  ⁴ tn Heb “his blood I will seek from your hand.” The expression “seek blood from the hand” is equivalent to requiring the death penalty (2 Sam 4:11-12).

[3:19]  ⁵ tn Verses 17-19 are repeated in Ezek 33:7-9.

[3:20]  ⁶ tn Or “stumbling block.” The Hebrew term refers to an obstacle in the road in Lev 19:14.

[3:21]  ⁷ tn Heb “the righteous man.”

[33:2]  ⁸ tn Heb “sons of your people.”

[33:3]  ⁹ tn Heb “shofar,” a ram’s horn rather than a brass instrument (so throughout the chapter).

[33:3]  ¹⁰ tn Sounding the trumpet was a warning of imminent danger (Neh 4:18-20; Jer 4:19; Amos 3:6).

[33:4]  ¹¹ tn Heb “his blood will be on his own head.”

[33:5]  ¹² tn Heb “his blood will be on him.”

[33:6]  ¹³ tn Or “in his punishment.” The phrase “in/for [a person’s] iniquity/punishment” occurs fourteen times in Ezekiel: here and in vv. 8 and 9; 3:18, 19; 4:17; 7:13, 16; 18: 17, 18, 19, 20; 24:23; 39:23. The Hebrew word for “iniquity” may also mean the “punishment” for iniquity or “guilt” of iniquity.

[33:6]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “his blood from the hand of the watchman I will seek.”

[33:7]  ¹⁵ sn Jeremiah (Jer 6:17) and Habakkuk (Hab 2:1) also served in the role of a watchman.

[33:8]  ¹⁶ tn The same expression occurs in Gen 2:17.

[33:8]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “and you do not speak to warn.”

[33:8]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “way.”

[33:8]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “and his blood from your hand I will seek.”

[33:9]  ²⁰ tn Heb “from his way to turn from it.”

[33:9]  ²¹ tn Heb “and he does not turn from his way.”