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The Holy Bible, Berean Study Bible

Ezekiel 3:18

If I say to the wicked man, 'You will surely die,' but you do not warn him or speak out to warn him from his wicked way to save his life, that wicked man will die in his iniquity, and I will hold you responsible for his blood.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Ignorance;   Minister, Christian;   Wicked (People);   Thompson Chain Reference - Duty;   Invitations-Warnings;   Leaders;   Ministers;   Religious;   Warn the Wicked;   Warnings;   The Topic Concordance - Death;   Warning;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Ministers;   Prophets;   Punishment of the Wicked, the;   Salvation;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Evangelist;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Requirement;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Ezekiel;   Life;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Ezekiel;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Salvation;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Roll;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
If I say to the wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ but you do not warn him—you don’t speak out to warn him about his wicked way in order to save his life—that wicked person will die for his iniquity. Yet I will hold you responsible for his blood.
Hebrew Names Version
When I tell the wicked, You shall surely die; and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at your hand.
King James Version
When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
English Standard Version
If I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,' and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, in order to save his life, that wicked person shall die for his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand.
New American Standard Bible
"When I say to the wicked, 'You will certainly die,' and you do not warn him or speak out to warn the wicked from his wicked way so that he may live, that wicked person shall die for wrongdoing, but his blood I will require from your hand.
New Century Version
When I say to the wicked, ‘You will surely die,' you must warn them so they may live. If you don't speak out to warn the wicked to stop their evil ways, they will die in their sin. But I will hold you responsible for their death.
Amplified Bible
"When I say to the wicked, 'You will certainly die,' and you do not warn him or speak out to tell him to turn from his wicked way to save his life, that same evil man will die in his sin, but you will be responsible for his blood.
World English Bible
When I tell the wicked, You shall surely die; and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at your hand.
Geneva Bible (1587)
When I shall say vnto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die, and thou giuest not him warning, nor speakest to admonish the wicked of his wicked way, that he may liue, the same wicked man shall die in his iniquitie: but his blood will I require at thine hande.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"When I say to the wicked, 'You will surely die,' and you do not warn him or speak out to warn the wicked from his wicked way that he may live, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand.
Legacy Standard Bible
When I say to the wicked, ‘You will surely die,' and you do not warn him or speak out to warn the wicked from his wicked way that he may live, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand.
Contemporary English Version
When I tell wicked people they will die because of their sins, you must warn them to turn from their sinful ways so they won't be punished. If you refuse, you are responsible for their death.
Complete Jewish Bible
If I say to a wicked person, ‘You will certainly die'; and you fail to warn him, to speak and warn the wicked person to leave his wicked way and save his life; then that wicked person will die guilty; and I will hold you responsible for his death.
Darby Translation
When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt certainly die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, that he may live: the same wicked [man] shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thy hand.
Easy-to-Read Version
If I say, ‘These evil people will die!' Then you must warn them. You must tell them to change their lives and stop doing evil. If you don't warn them, they will die because they sinned. But I will also make you responsible for their death, because you did not go to them and save their lives.
George Lamsa Translation
When I say to the sinner, You shall surely die; but you have not warned him, nor have you spoken to warn the sinner from his wicked way, to save his life; the same sinner shall die in his iniquity; and his blood will I require at your hand.
Good News Translation
If I announce that someone evil is going to die but you do not warn him to change his ways so that he can save his life, he will die, still a sinner, but I will hold you responsible for his death.
Lexham English Bible
When I say to the wicked, ‘Surely you will die,' and you do not warn him and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way so that he may live, that wicked person will die because of his guilt, and from your hand I will seek his blood.
Literal Translation
In My saying to the wicked, Dying you shall die; and you do not warn him, and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, he, the wicked, shall die in his iniquity. But I will require his blood at your hand.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Yff I saye vnto the, concernynge the vngodly ma, that (without doute) he must dye, and thou geuest him not warnynge, ner speakest vnto him, that he maye turne from his euell waye, and so to lyue: Then shall the same vngodly man dye in his owne vnrightuosnes: but his bloude will I requyre off thyne honde.
American Standard Version
When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thy hand.
Bible in Basic English
When I say to the evil-doer, Death will certainly be your fate; and you give him no word of it and say nothing to make clear to the evil-doer the danger of his evil way, so that he may be safe; that same evil man will come to death in his evil-doing; but I will make you responsible for his blood.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
When I say unto the wicked: Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at thy hand.
King James Version (1611)
When I say vnto the wicked; Thou shalt surely die, and thou giuest him not warning, nor speakest to warne the wicked from his wicked way to saue his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquitie: but his blood will I require at thine hand.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
When I shall say vnto the wicked, Thou shalt surely dye, and thou geuest not him warning, nor speakest to admonishe the wicked of his euill way, and so to liue: then shal the same vngodly man dye in his owne vnrighteousnesse, but his blood wyl I require of thyne hand.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
When I say to the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou hast not warned him, to give warning to the wicked, to turn from his ways, that he should live; that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thy hand.
English Revised Version
When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood wilt I require at thine hand.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
If whanne Y seie to the wickid man, Thou schalt die bi deth, thou tellist not to hym, and spekist not to hym, that he be turned fro his wickid weie, and lyue; thilke wickid man schal die in his wickidnesse, but Y schal seke his blood of thin hond.
Update Bible Version
When I say to the wicked, You shall surely die; and you do not give him warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand.
Webster's Bible Translation
When I say to the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked [man] shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thy hand.
New English Translation
When I say to the wicked, "You will certainly die," and you do not warn him—you do not speak out to warn the wicked to turn from his wicked deed and wicked lifestyle so that he may live—that wicked person will die for his iniquity, but I will hold you accountable for his death.
New King James Version
When I say to the wicked, "You shall surely die,' and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, that same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand.
New Living Translation
If I warn the wicked, saying, ‘You are under the penalty of death,' but you fail to deliver the warning, they will die in their sins. And I will hold you responsible for their deaths.
New Life Bible
If I say to the sinful man, ‘You will die for sure,' and you do not tell him of the danger, and try to turn him from his sinful way so that he may live, that sinful man will die in his sin. But you will be guilty for his blood.
New Revised Standard
If I say to the wicked, "You shall surely die," and you give them no warning, or speak to warn the wicked from their wicked way, in order to save their life, those wicked persons shall die for their iniquity; but their blood I will require at your hand.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
When I say to the lawless man - Thou shalt surely die, and thou hast not given him warning, neither hast spoken to warn the lawless man from his lawless way, to save him- self alive the same lawless man in his iniquity shall die, but his blood, tat thy hand will I require.
Douay-Rheims Bible
If, when I say to the wicked, Thou shalt surely die: thou declare it not to him, nor speak to him, that he may be converted from his wicked way, and live: the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but I will require his blood at thy hand.
Revised Standard Version
If I say to the wicked, 'You shall surely die,' and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, in order to save his life, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand.
Young's Literal Translation
In My saying to the wicked: Thou dost surely die; and thou hast not warned him, nor hast spoken to warn the wicked from his wicked way, so that he doth live; he -- the wicked -- in his iniquity dieth, and his blood from thy hand I require.

Contextual Overview

16At the end of seven days the word of the LORD came to me saying, 17"Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from My mouth, give them a warning from Me. 18If I say to the wicked man, 'You will surely die,' but you do not warn him or speak out to warn him from his wicked way to save his life, that wicked man will die in his iniquity, and I will hold you responsible for his blood.19But if you warn a wicked man and he does not turn from his wickedness and his wicked way, he will die in his iniquity, but you will have saved yourself. 20Now if a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and I put a stumbling block before him, he will die. If you did not warn him, he will die in his sin, and the righteous acts he did will not be remembered. And I will hold you responsible for his blood. 21But if you warn the righteous man not to sin, and he does not sin, he will indeed live because he heeded your warning, and you will have saved yourself."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

I say: Ezekiel 18:4, Ezekiel 18:13, Ezekiel 18:20, Ezekiel 33:6, Ezekiel 33:8, Genesis 2:17, Genesis 3:3, Genesis 3:4, Numbers 26:65, 2 Kings 1:4, Isaiah 3:11, Luke 13:3, Luke 13:5, Ephesians 5:5, Ephesians 5:6

to save: Ezekiel 18:30-32, Acts 2:40, Acts 3:19, 1 Timothy 4:16, James 5:19, James 5:20

the same: Ezekiel 33:6, Ezekiel 33:9, Ezekiel 33:10, Proverbs 14:32, John 8:21, John 8:24

but: Ezekiel 34:10, Genesis 9:5, Genesis 9:6, Genesis 42:22, 2 Samuel 4:11, Luke 11:50, Luke 11:51, Acts 20:26, Acts 20:27, 1 Timothy 5:22

Reciprocal: Genesis 20:7 - surely Genesis 43:9 - of my hand Exodus 33:3 - for I Numbers 18:1 - shall bear Deuteronomy 22:8 - thou bring Joshua 22:23 - let the Lord 1 Samuel 8:9 - howbeit 2 Kings 6:10 - warned him 2 Chronicles 19:10 - warn them Psalms 40:10 - not hid Proverbs 13:17 - wicked Isaiah 53:6 - his own Isaiah 55:7 - the wicked Jeremiah 6:10 - give Jeremiah 7:27 - thou shalt speak Jeremiah 31:30 - General Ezekiel 3:19 - he shall Ezekiel 3:20 - because Ezekiel 18:18 - even Ezekiel 33:14 - Thou shalt Matthew 3:7 - who Mark 6:18 - It is Acts 4:11 - you Acts 18:6 - Your Acts 27:11 - believed James 3:1 - knowing

Cross-References

Genesis 3:14
So the LORD God said to the serpent: "Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and every beast of the field! On your belly will you go, and dust you will eat, all the days of your life.
Genesis 3:15
And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel."
Joshua 23:13
know for sure that the LORD your God will no longer drive out these nations before you. Instead, they will become for you a snare and a trap, a scourge for your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land that the LORD your God has given you.
Job 1:21
saying: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I shall return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD."
Job 5:5
The hungry consume his harvest, taking it even from the thorns; and the thirsty pant after his wealth.
Job 31:40
then let briers grow instead of wheat and stinkweed instead of barley." Thus conclude the words of Job.
Psalms 90:3
You return man to dust, saying, "Return, O sons of mortals."
Psalms 104:2
He wraps Himself in light as with a garment; He stretches out the heavens like a tent,
Proverbs 22:5
Thorns and snares lie on the path of the perverse; he who guards his soul stays far from them.
Proverbs 24:31
Thorns had grown up everywhere, thistles had covered the ground, and the stone wall was broken down.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

When I say unto the wicked, thou shalt surely die,.... Not only a corporeal but an eternal death for this is what the law threatens with, and there the Lord says this; and this is the wages, end, and issue of sin, if grace prevent not:

and thou givest him not warning; of the evil nature of sin, and of the danger it exposes to:

nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way; to abstain from it, and live another course of life:

to save his life; for such warning, caution, exhortation, and doctrine, may be a means of converting a sinner from the evil of his way, and of saving a soul from death, 1 Timothy 4:16;

the same wicked [man] shall die in his iniquity; with the pollution and guilt of sin upon him, and so be punished for it; see John 8:24;

but his blood will I require at thine hands; thou shalt be answerable for him; his death shall be laid to thy charge, and thou shalt be chastised for thy negligence; see Acts 20:26.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

This passage anticipates the great moral principle of divine government Ezekiel 18:0 that each man is individually responsible for his own actions, and will be judged according to these and these alone.

Ezekiel 3:20

I lay a stumblingblock before him - I bring him to trial by placing difficulties and temptations in his way (compare Ezekiel 7:19; Ezekiel 44:12 margin; Ezekiel 14:3-4). It is true that God tempts no man in order to his destruction, but in the course of His Providence He permits men to be tried in order that their faith may be approved, and in this trial some who seem to be righteous fall.

Because thou ... his blood ... - So far as the prophet was concerned, the neglect of his duty is reckoned as the cause of the seemingly righteous man’s fall.

His righteousness ... - Or, righteousnesses, i. e. acts of righteousness. The “righteous” man here is one, who had hitherto done the “acts of righteousness” prescribed by the Law, but when trial came was shown to lack the “principle of righteousness.”

Ezekiel 3:21

The repetition of the word “righteous” is to be noted. There seems to be an intimation that sin is alien to the character of a “righteous” man. Compare 1 John 3:7-9.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Ezekiel 3:18. Thou shalt surely die — That is, If he turn not from his wickedness, and thou givest him not warning, as above, he shalt die in his iniquity, which he should not have committed; but his blood will I require at thy hand-I will visit thy soul for the loss of his. O how awful is this! Hear it, ye priests, ye preachers, ye ministers of the Gospel; ye, especially, who have entered into the ministry for a living, ye who gather a congregation to yourselves that ye may feed upon their fat, and clothe yourselves with their wool; in whose parishes and in whose congregations souls are dying unconverted from day to day, who have never been solemnly warned by you, and to whom you have never shown the way of salvation, probably because ye know nothing of it yourselves! O what a perdition awaits you! To have the blood of every soul that has died in your parishes or in your congregations unconverted laid at your door! To suffer a common damnation for every soul that perishes through your neglect! How many loads of endless wo must such have to bear! Ye take your tithes, your stipends, or your rents, to the last grain, and the last penny; while the souls over whom you made yourselves watchmen have perished, and are perishing, through your neglect. O worthless and hapless men! better for you had ye never been born! Vain is your boast of apostolical authority, while ye do not the work of apostles! Vain your boast of orthodoxy, while ye neither show nor know the way of salvation! Vain your pretensions to a Divine call, when ye do not the work of evangelists! The state of the most wretched of the human race is enviable to that of such ministers, pastors, teachers, and preachers.

But let not this discourage the faithful minister who teaches every man, and warns every man, in all wisdom, that he may present every man perfect to Christ Jesus. If after such teaching and warning they will sin on, and die in their sins, their blood will be upon themselves; but thou, O man of God, hast delivered thine own soul.


 
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