But if I tell the wicked man, ‘You will surely die,’ and he turns from his sin and does what is just and right—
Parallel translations
- WEB Again, when I say to the wicked, You shall surely die; if he turn from his sin, and do that which is lawful and right;
- KJV Again, when I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; if he turn from his sin, and do that which is lawful and right;
- NKJV Again, when I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ if he turns from his sin and does what is lawful and right,
- NASB But when I say to the wicked, ‘You will certainly die,’ and he turns from his sin and practices justice and righteousness,
- NLT And suppose I tell some wicked people that they will surely die, but then they turn from their sins and do what is just and right.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
When God warns the wicked of death, yet that person turns from sin to do what is right, mercy is offered. Genuine repentance opens the door to life.
Overview
Here God shows the hopeful side: the warned sinner who 'turns from his sin' and does 'what is lawful and right' is not abandoned. Repentance that bears fruit in changed conduct is met by God's mercy. The pattern points forward to the gospel, where turning to God in faith brings life through the righteousness Christ provides.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 14
- Ezek 18:27But if a wicked man turns from the wickedness he has committed and does what is just and right, he will save his life.
- Isa 55:7Let the wicked man forsake his own way and the unrighteous man his own thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that He may have compassion, and to our God, for He will freely pardon.
- Hos 14:1Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God, for you have stumbled by your iniquity.
- Ezek 33:8If I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you will surely die,’ but you do not speak out to dissuade him from his way, then that wicked man will die in his iniquity, yet I will hold you accountable for his blood.
- Jer 18:7–8At any time I might announce that a nation or kingdom will be uprooted, torn down, and destroyed.
- Mic 6:8He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?
- Prov 28:13He who conceals his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them will find mercy.
- Isa 3:11Woe to the wicked; disaster is upon them! For they will be repaid with what their hands have done.
- Ezek 18:21But if the wicked man turns from all the sins he has committed, keeps all My statutes, and does what is just and right, he will surely live; he will not die.
- Acts 3:19Repent, then, and turn back, so that your sins may be wiped away,
- Ezek 3:18–19If 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.
- Jer 4:1“If you will return, O Israel, return to Me,” declares the LORD. “If you will remove your detestable idols from My sight and no longer waver,
- Luke 13:3–5No, I tell you. But unless you repent, you too will all perish.
- Matt 9:13But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
The promise of one Shepherd-King David, a new heart and new Spirit, and the river of life flowing from the temple all stream toward Christ, the good Shepherd who gives the Spirit.
How Ezekiel 33:14 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.