¹ And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: What is the meaning?

² That you use among you this parable as a proverb in the land of Israel, saying: The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the teeth of the children are set on edge.

³ As I live, saith the Lord God, this parable shall be no more to you a proverb in Israel.

⁴ Behold all souls are mine: as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, the same shall die.

⁵ And if a man be just, and do judgment and justice,

⁶ And hath not eaten upon the mountains, nor lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel: and hath not defiled his neighbour's wife, nor come near to a menstruous woman:

⁷ And hath not wronged any man: but hath restored the pledge to the debtor, hath taken nothing away by violence: hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment:

⁸ Hath not lent upon usury, nor taken any increase: hath withdrawn his hand from iniquity, and hath executed true judgment between man and man:

⁹ Hath walked in my commandments, and kept my judgments, to do truth: he is just, he shall surely live, saith the Lord God.

¹⁰ And if he beget a son that is a robber, a shedder of blood, and that hath done some one of these things:

¹¹ Though he doth not all these things, but that eateth upon the mountains, and that defileth his neighbour's wife:

¹² That grieveth the needy and the poor, that taketh away by violence, that restoreth not the pledge, and that lifteth up his eyes to idols, that committeth abomination:

¹³ That giveth upon usury, and that taketh an increase: shall such a one live? he shall not live. Seeing he hath done all these detestable things, he shall surely die, his blood shall be upon him.

¹⁴ But if he beget a son, who, seeing all his father's sine, which he hath done, is afraid, and shall not do the like to them :

¹⁵ That hath not eaten upon the mountains, nor lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, and hath not defiled his neighbour's wife:

¹⁶ And hath not grieved any man, nor withholden the pledge, nor taken away with violence, but hath given his bread to the hungry, and covered the naked with a garment:

¹⁷ That hath turned away his hand from injuring the poor, hath not taken usury and increase, but hath executed my judgments, and hath walked in my commandments: this man shall not die for the iniquity of his father, but living he shall live.

¹⁸ As for his father, because he oppressed and offered violence to his brother, and wrought evil in the midst of his people, behold he is dead in his own iniquity.

¹⁹ And you say: Why hath not the son borne the iniquity of his father? Verily, because the son hath wrought judgment and justice, hath kept all my commandments, and done them, living, he shall live.

²⁰ The soul that sinneth, the same shall die: the son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, and the father shall not bear the iniquity of the son: the justice of the just shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.

²¹ But if the wicked do penance for all his sins which he hath committed, and keep all my commandments, and do judgment, and justice, living he shall live, and shall not die.

²² I will not remember all his iniquities that he hath done: in his justice which he hath wrought, he shall live.

²³ Is it my will that a sinner should die, saith the Lord God, and not that he should be converted from his ways, and live?

²⁴ But if the just man turn himself away from his justice, and do iniquity according to all the abominations which the wicked man useth to work, shall he live? all his justices which he hath done, shall not be remembered: in the prevarication, by which he hath prevaricated, and in his sin, which he hath committed, in them he shall die.

²⁵ And you have said: The way of the Lord is not right. Hear ye, therefore, O house of Israel: Is it my way that is not right, and are not rather your ways perverse?

²⁶ For when the just turneth himself away from his justice, and committeth iniquity, he shall die therein: in the injustice that he hath wrought he shall die.

²⁷ And when the wicked turneth himself away from his wickedness, which he hath wrought, and doeth judgment, and justice: he shall save his soul alive.

²⁸ Because he considereth and turneth away himself from all his iniquities which he hath wrought, he shall surely live, and not die.

²⁹ And the children of Israel say: The way of the Lord is not right. Are not my ways right, O house of Israel, and are not rather your ways perverse?

³⁰ Therefore will I judge every man according to his ways, O house of Israel, saith the Lord God. Be converted, and do penance for all your iniquities: and iniquity shall not be your ruin.

³¹ Cast away from you all your transgressions, by which you have transgressed, and make to yourselves a new heart, and a new spirit: and why will you die, O house of Israel?

³² For I desire not the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God, return ye and live.

¹ I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to walk worthily of the calling with which you were called,

² with all lowliness and humility, with patience, bearing with one another in love;

³ being eager to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

⁴ There is one body, and one Spirit, even as you also were called in one hope of your calling;

⁵ one Lord, one faith, one baptism,

⁶ one God and Father of all, who is over all, and through all, and in us all.

⁷ But to each one of us was the grace given according to the measure of the gift of Christ.

⁸ Therefore he says, "When he ascended on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men."

⁹ Now this, "He ascended," what is it but that he also first descended into the lower parts of the earth?

¹⁰ He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.

¹¹ He gave some to be apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, shepherds and teachers;

¹² for the perfecting of the saints, to the work of serving, to the building up of the body of Christ;

¹³ until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a full grown man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;

¹⁴ that we may no longer be children, tossed back and forth and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in craftiness, after the wiles of error;

¹⁵ but speaking truth in love, we may grow up in all things into him, who is the head, Christ;

¹⁶ from whom all the body, being fitted and knit together through that which every joint supplies, according to the working in measure of each individual part, makes the body increase to the building up of itself in love.

¹⁷ This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind,

¹⁸ being darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardening of their hearts;

¹⁹ who having become callous gave themselves up to lust, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

²⁰ But you did not learn Christ that way;

²¹ if indeed you heard him, and were taught in him, even as truth is in Jesus:

²² that you put away, as concerning your former way of life, the old man, that grows corrupt after the lusts of deceit;

²³ and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind,

²⁴ and put on the new man, who in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of truth.

²⁵ Therefore, putting away falsehood, speak truth each one with his neighbor. For we are members of one another.

²⁶ "Be angry, and don't sin." Don't let the sun go down on your wrath,

²⁷ neither give place to the devil.

²⁸ Let him who stole steal no more; but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing that is good, that he may have something to give to him who has need.

²⁹ Let no corrupt speech proceed out of your mouth, but such as is good for building up as the need may be, that it may give grace to those who hear.

³⁰ Don't grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

³¹ Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, outcry, and slander, be put away from you, with all malice.

³² And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, just as God also in Christ forgave you.