Discovery Box

Ezekiel 33:10-16

33:10 “And you, son of man, say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what you have said: “Our rebellious acts and our sins have caught up with us, ¹  and we are wasting away because of them. How then can we live?”’ 33:11 Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but prefer that the wicked change his behavior ²  and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil deeds! ³  Why should you die, O house of Israel?’

33:12 “And you, son of man, say to your people, ⁴  ‘The righteousness of the righteous will not deliver him if he rebels. ⁵  As for the wicked, his wickedness will not make him stumble if he turns from it. ⁶  The righteous will not be able to live by his righteousness ⁷  if he sins.’ ⁸  33:13 Suppose I tell the righteous that he will certainly live, but he becomes confident in his righteousness and commits iniquity. None of his righteous deeds will be remembered; because of the iniquity he has committed he will die. 33:14 Suppose I say to the wicked, ‘You must certainly die,’ but he turns from his sin and does what is just and right. 33:15 He ⁹  returns what was taken in pledge, pays back what he has stolen, and follows the statutes that give life, ¹⁰  committing no iniquity. He will certainly live – he will not die. 33:16 None of the sins he has committed will be counted ¹¹  against him. He has done what is just and right; he will certainly live.