Passage
Ezekiel 18.21
Book: Ezekiel · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT
Immediate context (±2 verses)
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ASV (ASV)
"19. Yet say ye, Wherefore doth not the son bear the iniquity of the father? when the son hath done that which is lawful and right, and hath kept all my statutes, and hath done them, he shall surely live. 20. The soul that sinneth, it shall die: the son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son; the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him."
"21. But if the wicked turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die."
"22. None of his transgressions that he hath committed shall be remembered against him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live. 23. Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked? saith the Lord Jehovah; and not rather that he should return from his way, and live?" (Ezekiel 18:19-23, ASV)
WEB (WEB)
"19. “Yet you say, ‘Why doesn’t the son bear the iniquity of the father?’ When the son has done that which is lawful and right, and has kept all my statutes, and has done them, he shall surely live. 20. The soul who sins, he shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be on him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be on him."
"21. “But if the wicked turns from all his sins that he has committed, and keeps all my statutes, and does that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live. He shall not die."
"22. None of his transgressions that he has committed shall be remembered against him. In his righteousness that he has done, he shall live. 23. Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked?” says the Lord Yahweh; “and not rather that he should return from his way, and live?" (Ezekiel 18:19-23, WEB)
KJV (KJV)
"19. Yet say ye, Why? doth not the son bear the iniquity of the father? When the son hath done that which is lawful and right, and hath kept all my statutes, and hath done them, he shall surely live. 20. The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him."
"21. But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die."
"22. All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live. 23. Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?" (Ezekiel 18:19-23, KJV)
YLT (YLT)
"19. And ye have said, Wherefore hath not the son, Borne of the iniquity of the father? And, the son judgment and righteousness hath done, All My statutes he hath kept, And he doeth them, he surely liveth. 20. The soul that doth sin, it doth die. A son doth not bear of the iniquity of the father, And a father doth not bear of the iniquity of the son, The righteousness of the righteous is on him, And the wickedness of the wicked is on him."
"21. And the wicked, when he turneth back From all his sins that he hath done, And he hath kept all My statutes, And hath done judgment and righteousness, He doth surely live, he doth not die."
"22. All his transgressions that he hath done Are not remembered to him, In his righteousness that he hath done he liveth. 23. Do I at all desire the death of the wicked? An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah, Is it not in his turning back from his way, And he hath lived?" (Ezekiel 18:19-23, YLT)
Setting
- Speaker: Ezekiel the priest + LORD direct discourse
- Audience: exiles in Babylon
- Location: Babylonian exile (Tel Abib)
- Time period: ministry c. 593-571 BC
Theological reading
Key words
- H2403 - chattath, chattath (Strong's H2403). Also appears in: Exodus 34.6-7, 1 Samuel 15, 2 Kings 24.
- H4191 - mut, mut (Strong's H4191). Also appears in: Genesis 2.16-17, Genesis 3, Genesis 7.17-23.
- H4941 - mishpat, mishpat (Strong's H4941). Also appears in: Leviticus 25, Numbers 15.15-17, Deuteronomy 7.
- H6213 - asah, asah (Strong's H6213). Also appears in: Genesis 1.14-19, Genesis 1.24-28, Genesis 1.26.
- H7725 - shuv, shuv (Strong's H7725). Also appears in: Genesis 3, Genesis 15.16, Genesis 16.7-13.
Why these four translations
ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.
The four:
- ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
- WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
- KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
- YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.
See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.