The Daily Audio Bible

18 The Word of the Lord came to me saying, ² “What do you mean by using this saying about the land of Israel: ‘The fathers eat the sour grapes, but the children get the sour taste’? ³ As I live,” says the Lord God, “you will never use this saying in Israel again. ⁴ For all souls belong to Me. Both the soul of the father and the soul of the son are Mine. The soul who sins will die. ⁵ But if a man is right and good and does what is right and good, ⁶ he does not eat at the altars on the mountains or look up to the false gods of Israel. He does not sin with his neighbor’s wife or go near a woman during the time she is unclean. ⁷ He does not make it hard for anyone. He keeps his promise to pay back what he owes. He does not steal, but gives his bread to the hungry, and gives clothing to those who have none. ⁸ He does not make others pay back more than they owe him. He keeps away from sin, and is an honest judge when men argue. ⁹ He walks in My Laws and is careful to obey them. This man is right and good, and will live for sure,” says the Lord God.

¹⁰ “But he may have a son who acts in anger and kills another man, or does any of these other things ¹¹ that the father never did. He eats at the altars on the mountains, and sins with his neighbor’s wife. ¹² He makes it hard for the poor and those in need, and he steals. He does not keep his promise to pay back what he owes. He looks up to false gods, and does sinful acts. ¹³ And he makes people pay back more than they owe him. Will this man live? He will not live! He has done all these sinful acts, and for sure he will die. He will be guilty for his own death.

¹⁴ “Now this man may have a son who has seen all the sins his father has done, but does not do the same. ¹⁵ He does not eat at the altars on the mountains or look to the false gods of Israel. He does not sin with his neighbor’s wife, ¹⁶ or make it hard for anyone. He does not keep what another man has given him in trust for a promise. He does not steal, but he gives his bread to the hungry and clothing to those who have none. ¹⁷ He keeps away from sin. He does not make a person pay back more than he owes him. But he walks in My Laws and obeys them. This man will not die for his father’s sin. He will live for sure. ¹⁸ As for his father, because he used his power to rob his brother, and did what was wrong among his people, he will die for his sin.

¹⁹ “Yet you say, ‘Why should the son not suffer for the father’s sin?’ Since the son has done what is right and good, and has kept and obeyed all My Laws, he will live for sure. ²⁰ The person who sins will die. The son will not be punished for the father’s sin. And the father will not be punished for the son’s sin. The right and good man will receive good, and the sinful man will suffer for his sin.

²¹ “But if the sinful man turns from all the sins he has done and obeys all My Laws and does what is right and good, he will live for sure. He will not die. ²² None of the sins he has done will be remembered against him. Because of the right and good things he has done, he will live. ²³ Am I pleased with the death of a sinful man?” says the Lord God. “No, instead I would like him to turn from his sinful ways and live.

²⁴ “But when a right and good man turns away from doing what is right and good, and sins, doing all the bad things that a sinful man does, will he live? None of the right and good things he has done will be remembered. Because he has not been faithful and has sinned, he will die. ²⁵ Yet you say, ‘The Lord is not doing what is right.’ Listen, O people of Israel! Is My way not right? Is it not your ways that are not right? ²⁶ When a right and good man turns away from doing what is right and good, and sins, and dies because of it, he dies because of the sin he has done. ²⁷ But when a sinful man turns away from his sin and does what is right and good, he will save his life. ²⁸ Because he thought about it and turned away from all the sins he had done, he will live for sure. He will not die. ²⁹ But the people of Israel say, ‘The Lord is not doing what is right.’ Are My ways not right, O people of Israel? Is it not your ways that are not right?

³⁰ “So I will judge you, O people of Israel, each of you by what he has done,” says the Lord God. “Be sorry for all your sins and turn away from them, so sin will not destroy you. ³¹ Turn away from all the sins you have done, and get a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O people of Israel? ³² For I am not pleased with the death of anyone who dies,” says the Lord God. “So be sorry for your sins and turn away from them, and live.”

A Song of Sorrow for Israel’s Leaders

19 “As for you, sing a song of sorrow for the leaders of Israel, ² and say: ‘What was your mother? A female lion among lions! She lay down with young lions. She raised her young ones. ³ She brought up one of her little ones, and he became a lion. He learned to catch his food. He ate men. ⁴ The nations heard about him, and he was caught in their trap. And they brought him with hooks to the land of Egypt. ⁵ Your mother waited until she saw that her hope was lost. Then she took another of her little ones and made him a young lion. ⁶ He walked up and down among the lions. He became a young lion and learned to catch his food. He ate men. ⁷ He wrecked their strong towers and destroyed their cities. The land and all who were in it were filled with fear because of the loud noise he made. ⁸ Then the nations came against him from their lands all around. They spread their net over him, and he was caught in their trap. ⁹ They put him in a prison with chains and brought him to the king of Babylon. They put him in prison so that his voice would never be heard again on the mountains of Israel.

¹⁰ Your mother was like a vine in your grape-field, planted by the water. It gave much fruit and was full of branches because there was much water. ¹¹ Its branches were strong enough to be made into sticks held by rulers to show their power. It grew as high as the clouds. Everyone saw how high it was and that it had many branches. ¹² But it was pulled up by the roots in anger and thrown down to the ground. The east wind dried up its fruit. Its strong branch was torn off so that it dried up. And fire destroyed it. ¹³ Now it is planted in the desert, in a dry and thirsty land. ¹⁴ Fire has spread from its largest branch and has destroyed its young branches and its fruit. No strong branch is left on it to be made into a stick for a ruler.’ This is a song of sorrow, and is to be used as a death song.”

The New Way of Worship Is Better

9 There were special ways of worship and a special holy place made by man for the Old Way of Worship. ² A big tent was built and set up. It was called the holy place. It had a light and a table, and the holy bread was on the table. ³ Behind the second curtain there was another tent. This was called the Holiest Place of All. ⁴ In the inside tent there was an altar where special perfume was burned. There was also a large box made of wood called the box of the Way of Worship. Both of these were covered with gold inside and out. Inside the box was a pot made of gold with the bread from heaven. It also had in it Aaron’s stick that once started to grow. The stones on which the Law of Moses was written were in it. ⁵ Above the box were the cherubim of honor. Their wings were spread up and over and met in the center. On the top of the box and under the shadow of their wings was the mercy-seat. We cannot tell anymore about these things now.

⁶ When everything was finished, the Jewish religious leaders went in and out of the outside tent to do the things which had to be done to worship God. ⁷ Once each year the head religious leader would go into the inside tent alone. He would not go in without blood. He gave this blood to God as a gift in worship for his own sins and for the sins of all the people who sinned without knowing it.

⁸ And so the Holy Spirit is teaching that, with the Old Way of Worship, the people could not go into the Holiest Place of All as long as the outside tent and its Old Way of Worship were being used. ⁹ The outside tent is a picture of that day. With the Old Way of Worship, animals killed and gifts given in worship to God could not take away the guilty feeling of sin. ¹⁰ The Old Way of Worship was made up of Laws about what to eat and drink. These Laws told how to wash and other things to do with the body. These things had to be done until Christ came to bring a better way of worship.

³² They also made the Lord angry at the waters of Meribah. And trouble came to Moses because of them. ³³ He spoke from his lips without thinking because they went against the Spirit of God.

³⁴ They did not destroy the people as the Lord told them to do. ³⁵ But they mixed with the nations and learned their ways. ³⁶ They served their gods, which became a trap to them. ³⁷ They even gave their sons and daughters as gifts on an altar to the demons. ³⁸ They poured out the blood of those who were not guilty, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they gave on an altar to the gods of Canaan. And the land was poisoned with blood. ³⁹ They made themselves unclean by what they did. They were not true to God in what they did.

⁴⁰ So the Lord was angry with His people. He hated His people. ⁴¹ So He handed them over to the nations. And those who hated them ruled over them. ⁴² Those who hated them held a strong power over them. And they were made to obey them. ⁴³ God set them free many times. But they always turned against Him and went deeper into sin.

⁴⁴ But He looked upon their trouble when He heard their cry. ⁴⁵ He remembered His agreement because of them, and took pity on them by the greatness of His loving-kindness. ⁴⁶ Those who held them also saw how God took pity on them.

⁴⁷ O Lord our God, save us! Gather us from among the nations. And we will give thanks to Your holy name and find honor in Your praise. ⁴⁸ Honor and thanks be to the Lord, the God of Israel, forever and ever. Let all the people say, “Let it be so!” Praise the Lord!

¹⁰ Do not leave your own friend or your father’s friend alone, and do not go to your brother’s house in the day of your trouble. A neighbor who is near is better than a brother who is far away.