1 L a palabra del Señor vino a mí, y me dijo:

Yahweh’s word came to me again, saying,

2 « Ustedes en la tierra de Israel acostumbran repetir aquel refrán que dice: “Los padres se comieron las uvas agrias, y a los hijos les dio la dentera.” ¿En verdad lo creen?

What do you mean, that you use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge?

3 V ivo yo, que ese refrán nunca más volverá a repetirse en Israel. Palabra de Dios el Señor.

As I live, says the Lord Yahweh, you shall not use this proverb any more in Israel.

4 » Todos ustedes son míos. Lo mismo el padre que el hijo. Sólo morirá quien peque. Nadie más.

Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul who sins, he shall die.

5 E l hombre justo es aquel que actúa con apego al derecho y la justicia,

But if a man is just, and does that which is lawful and right,

6 q ue no come sobre los montes ni dirige la mirada a los ídolos del pueblo de Israel; que no viola a la mujer de su prójimo, ni tiene relaciones sexuales durante la menstruación de la mujer;

and has not eaten on the mountains, neither has lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, neither has defiled his neighbor’s wife, neither has come near to a woman in her impurity,

7 q ue no oprime a nadie, ni retiene la prenda del deudor, ni comete robo alguno; que comparte su pan con el hambriento, y cubre y viste al desnudo;

and has not wronged any, but has restored to the debtor his pledge, has taken nothing by robbery, has given his bread to the hungry, and has covered the naked with a garment;

8 q ue no presta dinero por interés o por usura, y que se aleja de la maldad y es imparcial al juzgar entre hombre y hombre;

he who has not lent on interest, neither has taken any increase, who has withdrawn his hand from iniquity, has executed true justice between man and man,

9 q ue sigue mis ordenanzas, cumple mis decretos y actúa con rectitud. Ése es un hombre justo, y ese hombre vivirá. Palabra de Dios el Señor.

has walked in my statutes, and has kept my ordinances, to deal truly; he is just, he shall surely live, says the Lord Yahweh.

10 » Pero si ese hombre engendra un hijo ladrón, o asesino, o que incurre en alguna de estas cosas

If he fathers a son who is a robber who sheds blood, and who does any one of these things,

11 p ero no en otras, sino que come sobre los montes, o viola a la mujer de su prójimo,

or who does not do any of those things, but even has eaten on the mountains, and defiled his neighbor’s wife,

12 u oprime al pobre y menesteroso, o comete robos, o no devuelve la prenda, o dirige la mirada hacia los ídolos e incurre en actos repugnantes,

has wronged the poor and needy, has taken by robbery, has not restored the pledge, and has lifted up his eyes to the idols, has committed abomination,

13 o presta dinero por interés y usura, ese hijo no merece vivir, y no vivirá. Por incurrir en todos estos actos repugnantes, tendrá que morir, y su muerte será culpa suya.

has lent on interest, and has taken increase; shall he then live? he shall not live: he has done all these abominations; he shall surely die; his blood shall be on him.

14 » Pero si este malvado engendra un hijo que, al ver todos los pecados que su padre cometió, no los imita

Now, behold, if he fathers a son, who sees all his father’s sins, which he has done, and fears, and does not such like;

15 s ino, por el contrario, no come sobre los montes, ni dirige la mirada a los ídolos del pueblo de Israel, ni viola a la mujer de su prójimo,

who has not eaten on the mountains, neither has lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, has not defiled his neighbor’s wife,

16 n i oprime a nadie, ni retiene la prenda, ni comete ningún robo, sino que comparte su pan con el hambriento, y cubre y viste al desnudo,

neither has wronged any, has not taken anything to pledge, neither has taken by robbery, but has given his bread to the hungry, and has covered the naked with a garment;

17 y se aparta del mal, y no cobra interés por sus préstamos, y cumple mis decretos y sigue mis ordenanzas, ese hijo no morirá por la maldad de su padre, sino que merece vivir.

who has withdrawn his hand from the poor, who has not received interest nor increase, has executed my ordinances, has walked in my statutes; he shall not die for the iniquity of his father, he shall surely live.

18 S u padre, en cambio, morirá por causa de su maldad, por los agravios cometidos, por despojar con violencia a su prójimo y por hacer lo malo entre la gente de su propio pueblo.

As for his father, because he cruelly oppressed, robbed his brother, and did that which is not good among his people, behold, he shall die in his iniquity.

19 » Tal vez dirán ustedes: “¿Por qué no paga el hijo por el pecado de su padre?” Pues porque el hijo actuó en apego al derecho y la justicia, cumplió y practicó todos mis estatutos. Por eso merece vivir.

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 S ólo el que peque merece la muerte. Ningún hijo pagará por el pecado de su padre, ni tampoco ningún padre pagará por el pecado de su hijo. El hombre justo será juzgado por su justicia, y el malvado será juzgado por su maldad. Dios es justo

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 » Pero si el malvado da la espalda a todos los pecados que cometió, y cumple todos mis estatutos y actúa con apego al derecho y la justicia, no morirá, sino que vivirá.

But if the wicked turn from all his sins that he has committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die.

22 N o le será tomada en cuenta ninguna de las transgresiones que haya cometido, sino que vivirá por actuar con justicia.

None of his transgressions that he has committed shall be remembered against him: in his righteousness that he has done he shall live.

23 ¿ Acaso me es placentero que el malvado muera? Más bien, quiero que se aparte de su maldad y que viva. Palabra de Dios el Señor.

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?

24 » Pero si el justo deja de actuar con justicia y perpetra todos los hechos malvados y repugnantes que el impío suele cometer, ¿cómo podrá vivir? Ya no se le tomará en cuenta su justicia, sino su rebeldía y su maldad. Así que morirá por el pecado cometido.

But when the righteous turns away from his righteousness, and commits iniquity, and does according to all the abominations that the wicked man does, shall he live? None of his righteous deeds that he has done shall be remembered: in his trespass that he has trespassed, and in his sin that he has sinned, in them shall he die.

25 » Escúchenme ahora, pueblo de Israel. Tal vez digan: “Los caminos del Señor no son rectos.” ¿Pero en verdad no son rectos? ¿No es, más bien, que los caminos de ustedes son torcidos?

Yet you say, The way of the Lord is not equal. Hear now, house of Israel: Is my way not equal? Aren’t your ways unequal?

26 S i el justo deja de ser justo, e incurre en actos malvados, merece la muerte, ¡y morirá por la maldad que cometió!

When the righteous man turns away from his righteousness, and commits iniquity, and dies therein; in his iniquity that he has done shall he die.

27 P ero si el malvado se aparta de su maldad y se apega al derecho y a la justicia, habrá salvado su vida

Again, when the wicked man turns away from his wickedness that he has committed, and does that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive.

28 p or fijarse en todas las transgresiones que había cometido y apartarse de ellas. Así que no morirá, sino que vivirá.

Because he considers, and turns away from all his transgressions that he has committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die.

29 » Pero si aun así el pueblo de Israel sigue diciendo: “Los caminos del Señor no son rectos”, ¿en verdad no son rectos mis caminos, pueblo de Israel? ¡Lo cierto es que son los caminos de ustedes los que no son rectos!

Yet the house of Israel says, “The way of the Lord is not fair.” House of Israel, aren’t my ways fair? Aren’t your ways unfair?

30 A sí que, pueblo de Israel, voy a juzgar a cada uno de ustedes según sus caminos. Por lo tanto, vuélvanse a mí y apártense de todas sus transgresiones, para que su maldad no sea la causa de su ruina. Palabra de Dios el Señor.

Therefore I will judge you, house of Israel, everyone according to his ways, says the Lord Yahweh. Return, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin.

31 » Pueblo de Israel, ¿por qué tienen que morir? Apártense de todas las transgresiones que han cometido, y forjen en ustedes un corazón y un espíritu nuevos,

Cast away from you all your transgressions, in which you have transgressed; and make yourself a new heart and a new spirit: for why will you die, house of Israel?

32 p orque yo no quiero que ninguno de ustedes muera. Así que vuélvanse a mí, y vivirán. Palabra de Dios el Señor.

For I have no pleasure in the death of him who dies, says the Lord Yahweh: therefore turn yourselves, and live.