Ezekiel 33:11

Say to them, ‘Yahweh the Lord says, “As surely as I am alive, I am not happy when wicked people die; I would prefer that they turn away from their wicked behavior and continue to live. So repent! Turn away from your evil behavior! You Israeli people, do you really want to die [RHQ]?”’

Translation for Translators

In The King James Version

Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?

In Context

10You human, say to the Israeli people, ‘This is what you all are saying: “ The guilt that we have for disobeying God’s laws and sinning is like a heavy weight on us, and it is hurting us, and we are slowly dying. So what can we do to continue to remain alive?”’

12Therefore, you human, say to your fellow Israelis, ‘If righteous people start to disobey me, their being righteous previously will not save them from being punished. And if wicked people turn away from their wicked behavior, they will not die because of the sins that they committed previously. And if righteous people start to sin, they will not be allowed to remain alive because of their formerly being righteous.’

Read all of Ezekiel 33

Cross References

Numbers 14:28So now tell them this: ‘Just as certainly as I, Yahweh, live, I will do exactly what you said would happen.

Psalms 51:15O Yahweh, help me to speak in order that I may praise you.

Proverbs 8:36But those who stray away from me just harm themselves. All those who hate me, it is as though [IRO] they are loving death.”

Isaiah 49:18You will look around and see all of your children coming back to you. As surely as I live, they will be around you for you to show to people like [SIM] a bride shows her wedding ornaments!

Jeremiah 3:22Yahweh will say to them, “You Israeli people, come back to me! If you do that, I will cause you to never turn away from me again.” The people will reply, “We are returning to you, because you are Yahweh, our God.

Jeremiah 31:18I have heard the people of Israel grieving very much and saying to me, ‘You punished us severely, like [SIM] calves are beaten by their owners to train them for pulling a plow. So bring us back to obey/worship you again, because we are ready to return to you, because you alone are Yahweh, our God.

Matthew Henry on Ezekiel 33:11-21

The Cavils of the People Answered. ( b. c. 587.) 10 Therefore, O thou son of man, speak unto the house of Israel; Thus ye speak, saying, If our transgressions and our sins be upon us, and we pine away in them, how should we then live? 11 Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord God , I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel? 12 Therefore, thou son of man, say unto the children of thy… Read the whole commentary →

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