Yehezkiel 18:14-20

18:14 “But suppose he in turn has a son who notices all the sins his father commits, considers them, and does not follow his father’s example. ¹  18:15 He does not eat pagan sacrifices on the mountains, does not pray to the idols of the house of Israel, does not defile his neighbor’s wife, 18:16 does not oppress anyone or keep what has been given in pledge, does not commit robbery, gives his food to the hungry, and clothes the naked, 18:17 refrains from wrongdoing, ²  does not engage in usury or charge interest, carries out my regulations and follows my statutes. He will not die for his father’s iniquity; ³  he will surely live. 18:18 As for his father, because he practices extortion, robs his brother, and does what is not good among his people, he will die for his iniquity.

18:19 “Yet you say, ‘Why should the son not suffer ⁴  for his father’s iniquity?’ When the son does what is just and right, and observes all my statutes and carries them out, he will surely live. 18:20 The person who sins is the one who will die. A son will not suffer ⁵  for his father’s iniquity, and a father will not suffer ⁶  for his son’s iniquity; the righteous person will be judged according to his righteousness, and the wicked person according to his wickedness. ⁷ 

[18:14]  ¹ tn Heb “and he sees and does not do likewise.”

[18:17]  ² tc This translation follows the LXX. The MT reads “restrains his hand from the poor,” which makes no sense here.

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

[18:19]  ⁴ tn Heb “lift up, bear.”

[18:20]  ⁵ tn Heb “lift up, bear.”

[18:20]  ⁶ tn Heb “lift up, bear.”

[18:20]  ⁷ tn Heb “the righteousness of the righteous one will be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked one will be upon him.”