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1 Again the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

2 Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman:

3 If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people;

4 Then whosoever hears the sound of the trumpet, and takes not warning, then if the sword come and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head.

5 He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning: his blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul.

6 But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand.

7 So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me.

8 When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.

9 Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.

10 Therefore, O thou son of man, speak unto the house of Israel; Thus ye speak, saying, If our transgressions and our sins be upon us, and we pine away in them, how should we then live?

11 Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why should you die, O house of Israel?

12 Therefore, thou son of man, say unto the children of thy people, The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression: as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall thereby in the day that he turns from his wickedness; neither shall the righteous be able to live for his righteousness in the day that he sins.

13 When I shall say to the righteous, that he shall surely live; if he trust to his own righteousness, and commit iniquity, all his righteousnesses shall not be remembered; but for his iniquity that he hath committed, he shall die for it.

14 Again, when I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; if he turn from his sin, and do that which is lawful and right;

15 If the wicked restore the pledge, give again that he had robbed, walk in the statutes of life, without committing iniquity; he shall surely live, he shall not die.

16 None of his sins that he hath committed shall be mentioned unto him: he hath done that which is lawful and right; he shall surely live.

17 Yet the children of thy people say, The way of the Lord is not equal: but as for them, their way is not equal.

18 When the righteous turns from his righteousness, and committs iniquity, he shall even die thereby.

19 But if the wicked turn from his wickedness, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall live thereby.

20 Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. O ye house of Israel, I will judge you every one after his ways.

21 And it came to pass in the twelfth year of our captivity, in the tenth month, in the fifth day of the month, that one that had escaped out of Jerusalem came unto me, saying, The city is smitten.

22 Now the hand of the Lord was upon me in the evening, afore he that was escaped came; and had opened my mouth, until he came to me in the morning; and my mouth was opened, and I was no more dumb.

23 Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

24 Son of man, they that inhabit those wastes of the land of Israel speak, saying, Abraham was one, and he inherited the land: but we are many; the land is given us for inheritance.

25 Wherefore say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Ye eat with the blood, and lift up your eyes toward your idols, and shed blood: and shall ye possess the land?

26 You live by the sword[a], you work abomination, and you defile every one his neighbour's wife: shall you then possess the land?

27 Say this to them, “Thus says the Lord God: As I live, surely those who are in the waste places shall fall by the sword; and him that is in the open field I will give to the beasts to be devoured; and those who are in strongholds and in caves shall die by pestilence.”

28 For I will lay the land most desolate, and the pomp of her strength shall cease; and the mountains of Israel shall be desolate, that none shall pass through.

29 Then shall they know that I am the Lord, when I have laid the land most desolate because of all their abominations which they have committed.

30 Also, thou son of man, the children of thy people still are talking against thee by the walls and in the doors of the houses, and speak one to another, every one to his brother, saying, Come, I pray you, and hear what is the word that cometh forth from the Lord.

31 And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness.

32 And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them not.

33 And when this cometh to pass, (lo, it will come,) then shall they know that a prophet hath been among them.

[26] a. “Ye stand upon your sword,” (KJV) or “You resort to the sword,” (RSV). This is a reference to “Live by the sword, die by the sword.” implying the same theme as the saying; it would have been better had they lived peacefully.

<html><b>as a lookout</b> [Heb. לְצֹפֶה,] badete in O.F., sentry, watchman.</html>

<html><b>And he sees the army</b> [lit. the sword.] They are the armies.</html>

<html><b>his blood will be on his own head</b> The iniquity of causing his death will be required of himself, because he was neglected his life.</html>

<html><b>for had he taken heed, he would have saved his life</b> Had he taken heed, he would have escaped.</html>

<html><b>I have made you a lookout</b> Like that lookout, who is appointed to give warning so that no soul be lost, so have I appointed you to warn Israel.</html>

<html><b>So have you spoken</b> Therefore, you do not wish to repent, because you believe that repentance will not avail you.</html>

<html><b>live with it</b> with his righteousness.</html>

<html><b>none… will be remembered</b> to save him from being punished for his sin.</html>

<html><b>the pledge</b> the pledge that I commanded [one] to return at sunset.</html>

<html><b>he will die because of them</b> He will be punished for them.</html>

<html><b>and He opened my mouth</b> as He says in the beginning of the Book (3:26): “and you shall become mute, and you shall not be a reprover to them.” Afterward, He said to him (24:25ff.): “on the day I take from them their strength, etc., the fugitive will come to you, etc., on that day, your mouth will be opened with the fugitive, and you will speak and no longer be mute.” <b>before [his] coming to me in the morning</b> [Heb. עַד בּוֹא אֵלִי בַּבֹּקֶר,] i.e., when he had not yet (בְּעוֹד) come to me in the morning, like: before he came to me in the morning.</html>

<html><b>Abraham was one</b> This is one of four things that Rabbi Akiva interpreted [in one way] and which his disciple, Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai, did not interpret as he did. Rabbi Shimon interpreted it in this manner: Abraham, who was commanded with only one commandment [namely circumcision], inherited the land. We, then, who have been commanded with many commandments, should surely have the land given to us for an inheritance (Tosefta Sotah 6:7). This is what the prophet answers them.</html>

<html><b>You eat on the blood, etc., and you should inherit the land</b> This is a rhetorical question. If you were commanded [many commandments], you do not keep [them]. You eat on the blood: you eat delicacies through murder, for you slay those who have money and take away their money.</html>

<html><b>You stood on your sword</b> i.e., all your trust. You strengthened yourself on your sword. <b>you committed abominations</b> homosexual acts.</html>

<html><b>those who are in the ruins</b> in the fortified cities that will ultimately become ruins. <b>and those who are in the strongholds</b> in a hideout, to hide from the sword - I shall send the pestilence upon them.</html>

<html><b>who talk about you</b> who mock you.</html>

<html><b>and they will sit before you as My people</b> as if they were My people. <b>jokes</b> [Heb. עֲגָבִים,] laughter, related to עוּגָב, a flute. <b>their gain</b> their stolen goods.</html>

<html><b>And you are to them as a song on the flute</b> And you are to them as a song on the flute.</html>

<html><b>And when it comes</b> the evil to them. <b>behold it is coming</b> for, indeed, it is ready to come; then they will know that your words were not a jest, but that a true prophet was in their midst.

Chapter 34