¹守望者的責任（結3:16~21）耶和華的話臨到我說：

¹The word of Yahweh came to me, saying,

²“人子啊！你要告訴你本國的人，說：‘我使刀劍臨到一地，那地的人民從他們中間選出一個人，作他們的守望者；

²Son of man, speak to the children of your people, and tell them, When I bring the sword on a land, and the people of the land take a man from among them, and set him for their watchman;

³這人見刀劍臨到那地，就吹響號角，警告眾人；

³if, when he sees the sword come on the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people;

⁴凡聽見號角聲而不接受警告的，刀劍若來把他除滅，他的罪（“罪”原文作“血”）就要歸到自己的頭上；

⁴then whoever hears the sound of the trumpet, and doesn’t take warning, if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be on his own head.

⁵他既然聽見號角聲而不接受警告，所以他的罪（“罪”原文作“血”）要歸到自己的身上；他若接受警告，就可以救回自己的性命了。

⁵He heard the sound of the trumpet, and didn’t take warning; his blood shall be on him; whereas if he had taken warning, he would have delivered his soul.

⁶但是，那守望的人若見刀劍臨到，卻不吹響號角，以致人民沒有受到警告，刀劍來把他們中間的一個人除滅；那人雖然因自己的罪孽被除滅，我卻要因他的死追究守望的人。’

⁶But if the watchman sees the sword come, and doesn’t blow the trumpet, and the people aren’t warned, and the sword comes, and take any person from among them; he is taken away in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at the watchman’s hand.

⁷“人子啊！我立了你作以色列家守望的人，所以你要聆聽我口中的話，替我警告他們。

⁷So you, son of man, I have set you a watchman to the house of Israel; therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.

⁸如果我對惡人說：‘惡人啊，你必定死亡！’你以西結卻不出聲警告惡人離開他所行的，這惡人就必因自己的罪孽死亡，我卻要因他的死追究你。

⁸When I tell the wicked, O wicked man, you shall surely die, and you don’t speak to warn the wicked from his way; that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at your hand.

⁹如果你警告惡人，叫他離開他所行的，他仍不轉離，他就必因自己的罪孽死亡，你卻救了自己的性命。

⁹Nevertheless, if you warn the wicked of his way to turn from it, and he doesn’t turn from his way; he shall die in his iniquity, but you have delivered your soul.

¹⁰人的善惡各自負責“人子啊！你要對以色列家說：‘你們這樣說：我們的過犯和罪惡常在我們身上；我們必因此衰弱而死，怎能存活呢？’

¹⁰You, son of man, tell the house of Israel: Thus you speak, saying, Our transgressions and our sins are on us, and we pine away in them; how then can we live?

¹¹你要對他們說：‘主耶和華這樣宣告：我指著我的永生起誓，我絕不喜悅惡人死亡，卻喜悅惡人離開他所行的，得以存活。以色列家啊，回轉吧！離開你們所行的，何必死亡呢？’

¹¹Tell them, As I live, says the Lord Yahweh, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn, turn from your evil ways; for why will you die, house of Israel?

¹²人子啊！你要對你本國的人說：‘義人的義在他犯罪的日子，不能救他；惡人的惡在他離開惡行的日子，也不會絆倒他；義人在他犯罪的日子，也不能因他的義存活。’

¹²You, son of man, tell the children of your people, The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him in the day of his disobedience; and as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall thereby in the day that he turns from his wickedness; neither shall he who is righteous be able to live thereby in the day that he sins.

¹³我雖然對義人說他必定生存，但是他若恃著自己的義而行惡，他的一切義都必不被記念；他必因所行的惡死亡。

¹³When I tell the righteous, that he shall surely live; if he trust to his righteousness, and commit iniquity, none of his righteous deeds shall be remembered; but in his iniquity that he has committed, therein shall he die.

¹⁴我雖然對惡人說：‘你必定死亡’，但是他若離開他的罪，行公平和正直的事，

¹⁴Again, when I say to the wicked, You shall surely die; if he turn from his sin, and do that which is lawful and right;

¹⁵把抵押歸還，把搶奪人的物件償還，遵行賜生命的律例，不作惡事，他就必存活，不致死亡；

¹⁵if the wicked restore the pledge, give again that which he had taken by robbery, walk in the statutes of life, committing no iniquity; he shall surely live, he shall not die.

¹⁶他所犯的一切罪，必不被記念；他行了公平和正直的事，就必存活。

¹⁶None of his sins that he has committed shall be remembered against him: he has done that which is lawful and right; he shall surely live.

¹⁷“你本國的人還說：‘主所行的不公平。’其實他們所行的才是不公平。

¹⁷Yet the children of your people say, The way of the Lord is not equal: but as for them, their way is not equal.

¹⁸義人若離開他的義，去行惡事，他就必因此死亡；

¹⁸When the righteous turns from his righteousness, and commits iniquity, he shall even die therein.

¹⁹惡人若離開他的惡，去行公平和正直的事，他就必因此存活。

¹⁹When the wicked turns from his wickedness, and does that which is lawful and right, he shall live thereby.

²⁰你們還說：‘主所行的不公平。’以色列家啊！我必照著你們各人所行的審判你們。”

²⁰Yet you say, The way of the Lord is not equal. House of Israel, I will judge every one of you after his ways.

²¹耶路撒冷失陷的消息在我們被擄以後的第十二年十月初五日，有人從耶路撒冷逃到我這裡來，說：“城已經被攻陷了。”

²¹It happened in the twelfth year of our captivity, in the tenth month, in the fifth day of the month, that one who had escaped out of Jerusalem came to me, saying, The city has been struck.

²²那人來到的前一天晚上，耶和華的手按在我身上，開了我的口。到了早晨，那人來到我這裡，我的口已經開了，不再作啞巴。

²²Now the hand of Yahweh had been on me in the evening, before he who was escaped came; and he had opened my mouth, until he came to me in the morning; and my mouth was opened, and I was no more mute.

²³耶和華的話臨到我說：

²³The word of Yahweh came to me, saying,

²⁴“人子啊！那些住在以色列地廢墟裡的人常說：‘亞伯拉罕一個人就得了這地為業；我們人數眾多，這地更應該給我們為業。’

²⁴Son of man, they who inhabit those waste places in the land of Israel speak, saying, Abraham was one, and he inherited the land: but we are many; the land is given us for inheritance.

²⁵因此，你要對他們說：‘主耶和華這樣說：你們吃帶血的祭肉，舉目仰望你們的偶像，並且流人的血，你們還可以得這地為業嗎？

²⁵Therefore tell them, Thus says the Lord Yahweh: You eat with the blood, and lift up your eyes to your idols, and shed blood: and shall you possess the land?

²⁶你們倚仗自己的刀劍，行可憎惡的事，人人玷污鄰舍的妻子，你們還可以得這地為業嗎？’

²⁶You stand on your sword, you work abomination, and every one of you defiles his neighbor’s wife: and shall you possess the land?

²⁷你要對他們這樣說：‘主耶和華這樣說：我指著我的永生起誓，那些在廢墟裡的，必倒在刀下；在田間的，我必交給野獸吞吃；在堡壘和山洞裡的，必因瘟疫而死。

²⁷You shall tell them, Thus says the Lord Yahweh: As I live, surely those who are in the waste places shall fall by the sword; and him who is in the open field will I give to the animals to be devoured; and those who are in the strongholds and in the caves shall die of the pestilence.

²⁸我必使這地非常荒涼，它因勢力而有的驕傲必止息；以色列的山都必荒涼，無人經過。

²⁸I will make the land a desolation and an astonishment; and the pride of her power shall cease; and the mountains of Israel shall be desolate, so that none shall pass through.

²⁹我必因他們所行一切可憎惡的事，使這地非常荒涼，那時他們就知道我是耶和華。’

²⁹Then shall they know that I am Yahweh, when I have made the land a desolation and an astonishment, because of all their abominations which they have committed.

³⁰先知傳講信息的結果“人子啊！你本國的人在城牆旁邊和各家的門口正在談論你；他們彼此說：‘來吧！聽聽有甚麼話從耶和華那裡出來。’

³⁰As for you, son of man, the children of your people talk of you by the walls and in the doors of the houses, and speak one to another, everyone to his brother, saying, Please come and hear what is the word that comes forth from Yahweh.

³¹他們成群來到你那裡，坐在你面前，像是我的子民一樣。其實他們聽了你的話，卻不去行；他們只是用口表示愛慕，他們的心卻是追隨不義之財。

³¹They come to you as the people come, and they sit before you as my people, and they hear your words, but don’t do them; for with their mouth they show much love, but their heart goes after their gain.

³²在他們眼中，你不過是首情歌，唱得美妙，彈得悅耳，他們聽了你的話，卻不去行。

³²Behold, you are to them as a very lovely song of one who has a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument; for they hear your words, but they don’t do them.

³³看哪！這事必定應驗，到那時候，他們就知道在他們中間有先知了。”

³³When this comes to pass, (behold, it comes), then shall they know that a prophet has been among them.