16. None of his chattot that he hath committed shall be remembered against him; he hath done that which is mishpat and tzedakah; he shall surely live.
17. Yet the Bnei Amecha say, The Derech Adonoi is not proper; but as for them, their derech is not proper.
18. When the tzaddik turneth from his tzedakah, and committeth evil, he shall even die thereby.
19. But if the rashah turn from his resha, and do that which is mishpat and tzedakah, he shall live thereby.
20. Yet ye say, The Derech Adonoi is not proper. O ye Bais Yisroel, I will judge you every one according to his drakhim.
21. And it came to pass in the twelfth shanah of our Golus, in the tenth month, on the fifth day of the month, that one that had escaped out of Yerushalayim came unto me, saying, The Ir (City, Jerusalem) has fallen [see Ezek. 24:26].
22. Now the Yad Hashem was upon me in the erev before he that was escaped arrived; and He had opened my mouth before he came to me in the boker; and my mouth was opened, and I was no more dumb.
23. Then the Devar Hashem came unto me, saying,
24. Ben Adam, they that inhabit those ruins of Admat Yisroel speak, saying, Avraham was one, and he inherited HaAretz; but we are rabbim; HaAretz is given to us for an inherited possession.
25. Therefore say unto them, Thus saith Adonoi Hashem; Ye eat al hadahm [Leviticus 19:26] and lift up your eyes toward your gillulim, and do shefach dahm--even so shall you inherit the possession of HaAretz?
26. Ye rely upon your cherev, ye work toevah, and ye defile every one his neighbor's isha; and shall ye inherit as a possession HaAretz?
27. Say thou thus unto them, Thus saith Adonoi Hashem: As I live, surely they that are in the ruins shall fall by the cherev, and him that is in the open sadeh will I give to the wild animals to be devoured, and they that be in the metzudot (strongholds) and in the me'arot (caves) shall die of dever (plague).
28. For I will make HaAretz most desolate, and the ga'on (pride, pomp) of her oz (strength) shall cease; and the harim of Yisroel shall be desolate, that none pass through.