Discovery BoxEzekiel 18:5-9 
Context18:5 “Suppose a man is righteous. He practices what is just and right, 18:6 does not eat pagan sacrifices on the mountains 1 or pray to the idols 2 of the house of Israel, does not defile his neighbor’s wife, does not have sexual relations with a 3 woman during her period, 18:7 does not oppress anyone, but gives the debtor back whatever was given in pledge, 4 does not commit robbery, 5 but gives his bread to the hungry and clothes the naked, 18:8 does not engage in usury or charge interest, 6 but refrains 7 from wrongdoing, promotes true justice 8 between men, 18:9 and follows my statutes and observes my regulations by carrying them out. 9 That man 10 is righteous; he will certainly live, 11 declares the sovereign Lord.
1 tn Heb, “on the mountains he does not eat.” The mountains are often mentioned as the place where idolatrous sacrifices were eaten (Ezek 20:28; 22:9; 34:6).
2 tn Heb, “does not lift up his eyes.” This refers to looking to idols for help.
3 tn Heb, “does not draw near to.” “Draw near” is a euphemism for sexual intercourse (Lev 18:14; Deut 22:14; Isa 8:3).
4 tn Heb “restores to the debtor his pledge.” The root occurs in Exod 22:25 in reference to restoring a man’s garment as a pledge before nightfall.
5 tn The Hebrew term refers to seizure of property, usually by the rich (Isa 3:14; 10:2; Mic 2:2 [see Lev 5:21, 22]).
6 sn This law was given in Lev 25:36.
7 tn Heb, “turns back his hand.”
8 tn Heb “justice of truth.”
9 tc The MT reads לַעֲשׂוֹת אֱמֶת (la’asot ’emet, “to do with integrity”), while the LXX reads “to do them,” presupposing לַעֲשׂוֹת אֹתָם (la’asot ’otam). The ם (mem) and ת (tav) have been reversed in the MT. The LXX refelcts the original, supported by similar phrasing in Ezekiel 11:20; 20:19.
10 tn Heb “he.”
11 tn Heb “living, he will live.” The infinitive absolute precedes the finite verb for emphasis.
