“If I say
To the wicked,
O wicked ones!
You shall surely die!’
If you do not speak
To warn
The wicked ones
To turn
From their ways,
The wicked ones
Shall die
In their iniquity.
But I will require
Their blood
At your hand.
However,
If you warn
The wicked ones
To turn
From their ways,
But they do not turn
From their ways,
The wicked ones
Shall die
In their iniquity.
But you will have saved
Your life.”
Yahweh explained to Ezekiel that if he said the wicked ones would die, and Ezekiel did not warn them, it was his fault. If Ezekiel did not warn these wicked ones to turn from their wicked ways of iniquity, their blood would be on his hands. On the other hand, if he warned them to turn from their wicked ways, and they did not, it was not his fault. The wicked ones would die, but Ezekiel’s life would be spared. He would not have any of their blood on his hands, since he had warned them.