1And the word of the Lord was made to me, and he said,

2Thou, son of man, speak to the sons of thy people, and thou shalt say to them, A land when I bring in a sword on it, and the people of the land take one man of his last men, and maketh him a beholder, either espyer, on him,

3and when he seeth a sword coming on the land, and soundeth with a clarion, and telleth to the people,

4forsooth a man that heareth, whoever he is, the sound of the clarion, and keepeth not himself, and the sword cometh, and taketh him away, the blood of him shall be on the head of him.

5He heard the sound of the clarion, and kept not himself, his blood shall be in him; forsooth if he keepeth himself, he shall save his life.

6That if the beholder or the espyer, seeth a sword coming, and soundeth not with a clarion, and the people keepeth not himself, and the sword cometh, and taketh away a man of them, soothly he is taken in his wickedness; but I shall seek the blood of him of the hand of the espyer.

7And thou, son of man, I gave thee an espyer, to the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear of my mouth a word, and shalt tell to them of me.

8If when I say to the wicked man, Thou, wicked man, shalt die by death, thou speakest not, that the wicked man keep himself from his way, that wicked man shall die in his wicked-ness, but I shall seek his blood of thine hand.

9Forsooth if when thou tellest to the wicked man, that he be converted from his ways, and he is not con-verted from his ways, he shall die in his wickedness; certainly thou hast delivered thy soul.

10Therefore thou, son of man, say to the house of Israel, Thus ye spake, saying, Our wickednesses and our sins be [up] on us, and we fail in those [or them]; how therefore may we live?

11say thou to them, I live, saith the Lord God, I desire not the death of the wicked man, but that the wicked man be converted from his ways, and live; be ye converted from your worst ways, and why shall ye die, the house of Israel?

12Therefore thou, son of man, say to the sons of thy people, The rightfulness [or rightwiseness] of a rightful man shall not deliver him, in whatever day he doeth sin; and the wickedness of a wicked man shall not annoy him, in whatever day he is converted from his wickedness; and a just man shall not be able to live in his rightfulness [or rightwiseness], in whatever day he doeth sin.

13Also if I say to a just man, that he shall live by life, and he trusteth in his rightfulness [or rightwiseness], and doeth wickedness, all his rightfulnesses [or rightwisenesses] shall be given to forgetting, and in his wickedness which he wrought, in that he shall die.

14Forsooth if I say to the wicked man, Thou shalt die by death, and he doeth penance for his sin, and doeth doom and rightfulness,

15and if that wicked man restoreth a wed, and yieldeth raven, and goeth in the commandments of life, and doeth not any unjust thing, he shall live by life, and shall not die.

16All his sins which he sinned, shall not be areckoned to him; he did doom and rightfulness, he shall live by life.

17And the sons of thy people said, The way of the Lord is not of even weight, [or even charge]; and the way of them is unjust.

18For when a just man goeth away from his rightfulness [or rightwiseness], and doeth wickednesses, he shall die in those [or them];

19and when a wicked man goeth away from his wickedness, and doeth doom and rightfulness, he shall live in those [or them].

20And ye say, The way of the Lord is not rightful [or right]. I shall deem each man by his ways of you, the house of Israel.

21And it was done in the twelfth year, in the tenth month, in the fifth day of the month of our passing over, he that fled from Jerusalem came to me, and said, The city is destroyed.

22Forsooth the hand of the Lord was made to me in the eventide, before that he came that fled; and he opened my mouth, till he came to me early; and when my mouth was opened, I was no more still.

23And the word of the Lord was made to me, and he said,

24Thou, son of man, they that dwell in these ruinous things, either ready to fall down, on the earth of Israel, say, speaking, Abraham was one, and by heritage he had the land in possession; forsooth we be many, the land is given to us into possession.

25Therefore thou shalt say to them, The Lord God saith these things, Whether ye that eat in blood, and raise your eyes to your uncleannesses, and shed blood, shall have in pos-session the land by heritage?

26Ye stood in your swords, ye did your abominations, and each man defouled the wife of his neighbour; and shall ye wield the land by heritage?

27Thou shalt say these things to them, Thus saith the Lord God, I live, for they that dwell in ruinous things, either ready to fall down, shall fall down by sword, and he that is in the field, shall be given to beasts to be devoured; but they that be in strong-holds and in dens, shall die by pestilence.

28And I shall give the land into wilderness, and into desert, and the pride and the strength thereof shall fail; and the hills of Israel shall be made desolate, for none is that shall pass by those [or them].

29And they shall know, that I am the Lord, when I shall give their land desolate and desert, for all their abominations which they wrought.

30And thou, son of man, the sons of thy people that speak of thee beside walls, and in the doors of houses, and say, one to another, a man to his neighbour, and speak, Come ye, and hear we, what is the word going out from the Lord;

31and they come to thee, as if my people entereth, and my people sit before thee, and they hear thy words, and do not those [or them]; for they turn those [or them] into the song of their mouth, and their heart pursueth their avarice;

32and it is to them as a song of music, which is sung by soft and sweet sound; and they hear thy words, and they do not those [or them];

33and when that that was before-said cometh, for lo! it cometh, then they shall know, that a prophet was among them.