Ezekiel 33:11
Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?
Study Note
Study Note
The solemn oath 'As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways' is the Old Testament's most explicit statement that divine judgment is never God's first or preferred option. The divine oath-formula ('As I live') invokes God's own existence as the guarantee of the pronouncement — the strongest possible form of divine self-commitment, applied here not to a threat but to an invitation. The repeated imperative 'turn ye' (shuvu, shuvu) creates an urgency that reinforces the personal address — each individual is called to a change of direction rather than to a generic communal repentance. 1 Timothy 2:4 ('who will have all men to be saved') and 2 Peter 3:9 ('not willing that any should perish') are the New Testament statements of the same divine preference, developing the Ezekielian theological tradition.
Other Translations
Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord Jehovah, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?
Say unto them, I live--an affirmation of the Lord Jehovah, I delight not in the death of the wicked, But--in the turning of the wicked from his way, And he hath lived, Turn back, turn back, from your evil ways, Yea, why do ye die, O house of Israel?
Say to them, By my life, says the Lord, I have no pleasure in the death of the evil-doer; it is more pleasing to me if he is turned from his way and has life: be turned, be turned from your evil ways; why are you looking for death, O children of Israel?
Cross References
Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and …
Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:
Lift up thine eyes round about, and behold: all these gather themselves together, and come to thee. As I live, …
As I live, saith the King, whose name is the Lord of hosts, Surely as Tabor is among the mountains, …
Is Ephraim my dear son? is he a pleasant child? for since I spake against him, I do earnestly remember …
I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus; Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised, as a bullock unaccustomed …
As I live, saith the Lord, though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were the signet upon my …
Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings. Behold, we come unto thee; for thou art the Lord …
For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men.
It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive …