1Again the Devar Hashem came unto me, saying,

2Ben Adam, speak to the Bnei Amecha, and say unto them, When I bring the cherev upon eretz, if the Am HaAretz take ish echad (one man) within their midst, and appoint him for their tzofeh (watchman, sentinel),

3If when he seeth the cherev come upon HaAretz, he blow the shofar, and warn HaAm;

4Then whosoever heareth the sound of the shofar, and taketh not warning; if the cherev come, and take him away, his dahm shall be upon his own rosh.

5He heard the sound of the shofar, and took not warning; his dahm shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall save his nefesh.

6But if the tzofeh (watchman, sentinel) see the cherev coming, and blow not the shofar, and HaAm be not warned; if the cherev come, and take any nefesh from among them, he is taken away in his avon (iniquity); but for his dahm will I require [an accounting] at the yad HaTzofeh.

7So thou, O Ben Adam, I have set thee a tzofeh unto the Bais Yisroel; therefore thou shalt hear the Davar at My mouth, and give them warning from Me.

8When I say unto the rashah (wicked man), O rashah, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the rashah from his derech, that rashah shall die in his avon (iniquity); but for his dahm will I require [an accounting] at thine yad.

9Nevertheless, if thou warn the rashah of his derech to turn from it; if he does not turn from his derech, he shall die in his avon (iniquity); but thou hast saved thy nefesh.

10Therefore, O thou Ben Adam, speak unto Bais Yisroel: Thus ye have spoken, saying, If peysha'einu (our transgressions, rebellions) and chattoteinu (our sins) be upon us, and because of them we are rotting away, how should we then live?

11Say unto them, As I live, saith Adonoi Hashem, I have no pleasure in the mot of the rashah; but that the rashah make teshuvah from his derech and live; shuvu (turn ye), shuvu (turn ye) from your drakhim hara'im; for why will ye die, O Bais Yisroel?

12Therefore, thou Ben Adam, say unto the Bnei Amecha, The tzidkat hatzaddik (righteousness of a righteous man) shall not save him in his Yom Peysha (Day of Rebellion, Day of his Transgession); as for the rishat harashah, he shall not fall thereby in his Yom Shuv (Day of Turning, Repentance) from his resha; neither shall the tzaddik be able to live his tzedakah in his Yom Chattot (day when he commits sin).

13When I shall say to the tzaddik, that he shall surely live, if he trust in his own tzedakah, and commit evil, all his tzidkot (righteousnesses) shall not be remembered; but for his evil that he hath committed, he shall die in it.

14Again, when I say unto the rashah, Thou shalt surely die and he turn from his chattat, and do that which is mishpat and tzedakah;

15If the rashah give back the chavol (borrowerʼs pledge), give back what he has stolen, walk in the chukkot hachayyim, without committing evil; he shall surely live, he shall not die.

16None of his chattot that he hath committed shall be remembered against him; he hath done that which is mishpat and tzedakah; he shall surely live.

17Yet the Bnei Amecha say, The Derech Adonoi is not proper; but as for them, their derech is not proper.

18When the tzaddik turneth from his tzedakah, and committeth evil, he shall even die thereby.

19But if the rashah turn from his resha, and do that which is mishpat and tzedakah, he shall live thereby.

20Yet ye say, The Derech Adonoi is not proper. O ye Bais Yisroel, I will judge you every one according to his drakhim.

21And it came to pass in the twelfth shanah of our Golus, in the tenth month, on the fifth day of the month, that one that had escaped out of Yerushalayim came unto me, saying, The Ir (City, Jerusalem) has fallen. ⁵⁵

22Now the Yad Hashem was upon me in the erev before he that was escaped arrived; and He had opened my mouth before he came to me in the boker; and my mouth was opened, and I was no more dumb.

23Then the Devar Hashem came unto me, saying,

24Ben Adam, they that inhabit those ruins of Admat Yisroel speak, saying, Avraham was one, and he inherited HaAretz; but we are rabbim; HaAretz is given to us for an inherited possession.

25Therefore say unto them, Thus saith Adonoi Hashem; Ye eat al hadahm ⁵⁶and lift up your eyes toward your gillulim, and do shefach dahm — even so shall you inherit the possession of HaAretz?

26Ye rely upon your cherev, ye work toevah, and ye defile every one his neighborʼs isha; and shall ye inherit as a possession HaAretz?

27Say thou thus unto them, Thus saith Adonoi Hashem: As I live, surely they that are in the ruins shall fall by the cherev, and him that is in the open sadeh will I give to the wild animals to be devoured, and they that be in the metzudot (strongholds) and in the me'arot (caves) shall die of dever (plague).

28For I will make HaAretz most desolate, and the ga'on (pride, pomp) of her oz (strength) shall cease; and the harim of Yisroel shall be desolate, that none pass through.

29Then shall they know that I am Hashem, when I have made HaAretz a desolation and a waste because of all their to'avot which they have committed.

30Also, thou Ben Adam, the Bnei Amecha still are talking against thee by the kirot (walls) and in the doorways of the batim (houses), and speak one to another, every one to achiv (his brother), saying, Come, now, and hear what is the Davar that cometh forth from Hashem.

31And they come unto thee as Am cometh, and they sit before thee as Ami, and they hear thy devarim, but they will not practice them; for with their mouth there is agavim (lusts), but their lev pursueth after their betza (unjust gain).

32And, hinei, thou art unto them nothing more than one with a kol yafeh (beautiful voice) who sings shir agavim (sensual love songs) and can play well on a musical instrument; for they hear thy devarim, but they do them not.

33And when this cometh to pass — hinei, it will come — then shall they know that a navi hath been among them.