¹The word of Yahweh came to me again, saying,

¹Zvino shoko raJehovha rakasvikazve kwandiri, richiti,

²What 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?

²Ndokudiniko kana muchibata netsumo iyi panyika yaIsiraeri, muchiti, Madzibaba akadya mazambiringa anovava, meno avana ndokuhwadzira?

³As I live, says the Lord Yahweh, you shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel.

³Noupenyu hwangu, ndizvo zvinotaura Ishe Jehovha, Hamungagoni kuzobata netsumo iyi pakati paIsiraeri.

⁴Behold, 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.

⁴Tarirai, mweya yose ndeyangu; mweya wababa ndowangu, saizvozvo nomweya womwanakomanawo; mweya unotadza, uchafa.

⁵But if a man is just, and does that which is lawful and right,

⁵Asi kana munhu achinge akarurama, achiita zvomurayiro nezvakarurama,

⁶and 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,

⁶asina kudya pamakomo, kana kutarira nameso ake kuzvifananidzo zveimba yavaIsiraeri, kana kuchinyira mukadzi wowokwake, kana kuswedera kumukadzi ari kumwedzi kwake,

⁷and 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;

⁷asina kuitira vamwe zvakaipa, akadzosera rubatso rwake kuno wakatora chikwereti, asina kutora chinhu achipamba, akapa vane nzara zvokudya zvake, akafukidza akashama nenguvo;

⁸he who has not given forth on interest, neither has taken any increase, who has withdrawn his hand from iniquity, has executed true justice between man and man,

⁸asina kuita mhindu, kana kutora mhindu yemichero, akadzora ruoko rwake pazvakaipa, akaruramisa kwazvo pamhaka yomunhu nehama yake,

⁹has walked in my statutes, and has kept my ordinances, to deal truly; he is just, he shall surely live, says the Lord Yahweh.

⁹akafamba nemitemo yangu, akachengeta zvandakarayira, kuti aite zvamazvokwadi; iye akarurama, zvirokwazvo achararama, ndizvo zvinotaura Ishe Jehovha.

¹⁰If he fathers a son who is a robber, a shedder of blood, and who does any one of these things,

¹⁰Kana iye akabereka mwanakomana riri gororo, kana muteuri weropa, kana anoita chimwe chezvinhu izvi,

¹¹and who does not any of those duties, but even has eaten on the mountains, and defiled his neighbor’s wife,

¹¹asingaiti chinhu chimwe chaizvozvo zvakanaka, akadya pamakomo, akachinyira mukadzi wowokwake,

¹²has 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,

¹²akaitira varombo navanoshayiwa zvakaipa, akatora achipamba, asina kudzosera rubatso, akatarira zvifananidzo nameso ake, akaita zvinonyangadza,

¹³has given forth 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.

¹³akaita mhindu, kana kutora mhindu yemichero; ko iye achararama here? Haangararami. Akaita izvi zvose zvinonyangadza, zvirokwazvo achafa; ropa rake richava pamusoro pake.

¹⁴Now, behold, if he fathers a son, who sees all his father’s sins, which he has done, and fears, and does not such like;

¹⁴Zvino, tarira, kana akabereka mwanakomana, anoona zvivi zvose zvababa vake, zvavakaita, akazviona hake, akasaita zvakadai;

¹⁵who 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,

¹⁵asina kudya pamakomo, kana kutarira nameso ake zvifananidzo zveimba yavalsiraeri, kana kuchinyira mukadzi wowokwake,

¹⁶neither 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;

¹⁶asina kuitira vamwe zvakaipa, asina kutora chinhu achireva rubatso, asingapambi noupambi, asi akapa vane nzara zvokudya zvake, nokufukidza akashama nechokufuka;

¹⁷who 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.

¹⁷akadzora ruoko rwake pakuitira varombo zvakaipa, asina kutora mhindu kana mhindu yemichero, akaita zvandakarayira, nokufamba nemitemo yangu; iye haangafi nokuda kwezvakaipa zvababa vake, zvirokwazvo achararama.

¹⁸As 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.

¹⁸Kana vari baba vake, zvavakamanikidza zvikuru, nokupamba zvinhu zvomunin'ina wake, akaita zvisina kunaka pakati pavanhu vake, tarirai, iye achafa nokuda kwezvakaipa zvake.

¹⁹Yet 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.

¹⁹Asi imwi munoti, Mwanakomana anoregereiko kuva nemhosva yezvakaipa zvababa vake? Kana mwanakomana achinge aita zvinorehwa nomurayiro nezvakarurama, akachengeta mitemo yangu yose, akaiita, zvirokwazvo achararama.

²⁰The 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.

²⁰Munhu anotadza, ndiye achafa; mwanakomana haangavi nemhosva yezvakaipa zvababa vake, nababa havangavi nemhosva yezvakaipa zvomwanakomana wavo; kururama kowakarurama kuchava pamusoro pake, nokuipa kowakaipa kuchava pamusoro pake.

²¹But 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.

²¹Asi kana akaipa akatendeuka pazvivi zvake zvose zvaakaita, akachengeta mitemo yangu yose, akaita zvinorehwa nomurayiro nezvakarurama, zvirokwazvo achararama, haangafi.

²²None of his transgressions that he has committed shall be remembered against him: in his righteousness that he has done he shall live.

²²Kudarika kwake kose kwaakaita hakungarangarirwi pamusoro pake; achararama nokuda kwezvakarurama zvaakaita.

²³Have 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?

²³Ko ini ndingatongofarira rufu rwowakaipa here? Ndizvo zvinotaura Ishe Jehovha; Handizinofarira kudzoka kwake panzira yake, ararame here?

²⁴But 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.

²⁴Asi kana akarurama akatsauka pakururama kwake, akaita zvakaipa, akaita zvinonyangadza zvose zvinoitwa nomunhu akaipa, ko angararama here? Mabasa ake akarurama aakaita haangatongorangarirwi; nokuda kokudarika kwake, kwaakadarika nako, nezvivi zvake zvaakaita, achafa nokuda kwazvo.

²⁵Yet 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?

²⁵Asi imwi munoti, Nzira yaIshe haina kuti tsurumete. Zvino chinzwai, imwi mhuri yavaIsiraeri, nzira yangu haina kuti tsurumete here? Ko nzira dzenyu hadzizi idzo dzisina kuti tsurumete here?

²⁶When the righteous man turns away from his righteousness, and commits iniquity, and dies therein; in his iniquity that he has done shall he die.

²⁶Kana munhu akarurama akatsauka pakururama kwake, akaita zvakaipa, akafa nokuda kwazvo; achafa nokuda kwezvakaipa zvaakaita.

²⁷Again, 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.

²⁷Uyezve, kana munhu akaipa akatsauka pazvakaipa zvake zvaakaita, akazoita zvinorehwa nomurayiro nezvakarurama, achaponesa upenyu hwake.

²⁸Because he considers, and turns away from all his transgressions that he has committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die.

²⁸Zvaakarangarira, akatsauka pakudarika kwake kose kwaakaita, zvirokwazvo achararama, haangafi.

²⁹Yet 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?

²⁹Kunyange zvakadaro, vaIsiraeri vanoti, Nzira yaIshe haina kururama. Nhai, mhuri yavaIsiraeri, nzira dzangu hadzina kururama here? Hadzizi nzira dzenyu dzisakarurama here?

³⁰Therefore 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.

³⁰Naizvozvo ndichakutongai, imwi mhuri yavaIsiraeri, mumwe nomumwe zvakafanira nzira dzake, ndizvo zvinotaura Ishe Jehovha. Dzokai, mutendeuke pakudarika kwenyu kose; kuti chirege kuva chigumbuso chezvakaipa kwamuri.

³¹Cast 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?

³¹Rashai kure nemwi kudarika kwenyu kose, kwamakadarika nako, muzviitire moyo mitsva nemweya mitsva; nekuti muchafireiko, imwi mhuri yavaIsiraeri?

³²For I have no pleasure in the death of him who dies, says the Lord Yahweh: therefore turn yourselves, and live.

³²nekuti handifariri rufu rwounofa, ndizvo zvinotaura Ishe Jehovha; naizvozvo tendeukai, murarame.