Ezekiel 33 · Verse 12

Ezekiel 33:12

Therefore, thou son of man, say unto the children of thy people, The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression: as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall thereby in the day that he turneth from his wickedness; neither shall the righteous be able to live for his righteousness in the day that he sinneth.
Ezekiel 33:12, King James Version

Ezekiel 33:12 in other translations

BSBTherefore, son of man, say to your people: ‘The righteousness of the righteous man will not deliver him in the day of his transgression; neither will the wickedness of the wicked man cause him to stumble on the day he turns from his wickedness. Nor will the righteous man be able to survive by his righteousness on the day he sins.’
WEB“You, son of man, tell the children of your people, ‘The righteousness of the righteous will not deliver him in the day of his disobedience. And as for the wickedness of the wicked, he will not fall by it in the day that he turns from his wickedness; neither will he who is righteous be able to live by it in the day that he sins.
ASVAnd thou, son of man, say unto the children of thy people, The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression; and as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall thereby in the day that he turneth from his wickedness; neither shall he that is righteous be able to live thereby in the day that he sinneth.
YLTAnd thou, son of man, say unto the sons of thy people: The righteousness of the righteous doth not deliver him in the day of his transgression, And the wickedness of the wicked, He doth not stumble for it in the day of his turning from his wickedness, And the righteous is not able to live in it in the day of his sinning.
DARBYAnd thou, son of man, say unto the children of thy people, The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression; and as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall thereby in the day that he turneth from his wickedness; neither shall the righteous be able to live thereby in the day that he sinneth.
BBEAnd you, son of man, say to the children of your people, The righteousness of the upright man will not make him safe in the day when he does wrong; and the evil-doing of the evil man will not be the cause of his fall in the day when he is turned from his evil-doing; and the upright man will not have life because of his righteousness in the day when he does evil.
WebsterTherefore, thou son of man, say to the children of thy people, The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression: as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall by it in the day that he turneth from his wickedness; neither shall the righteous be able to live for his righteousness in the day that he sinneth.

What does Ezekiel 33:12 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
12. not fall ... in the day that he turneth--(2Ch 7:14; see Eze 3:20; 18:24).

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Ezekiel 33:10-20

Those who despaired of finding mercy with God, are answered with a solemn declaration of God's readiness to show mercy. The ruin of the city and state was determined, but that did not relate to the final state of persons. God says to the righteous, that he shall surely live. But many who have made profession, have been ruined by proud confidence in themselves. Man trusts to his own righteousness, and presuming on…

Read the full comment on Ezekiel 33:10-20 →

Ezekiel 33:12 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וְאַתָּ֣הve.'a.Tahand youH859
בֶן\־ven-O son ofH1121
אָדָ֗ם'a.DamhumankindH120
אֱמֹ֤ר'e.MorsayH559
אֶל\־'el-toH413
בְּנֵֽי\־be.nei-[the] children ofH1121
עַמְּךָ֙'a.me.Khapeople yourH5971
צִדְקַ֣תtzid.Kat[the] righteousness ofH6666
הַצַּדִּ֗יקha.tza.Dikthe righteous [person]H6662
לֹ֤אlo'notH3808
תַצִּילֶ֙נּוּ֙ta.tzi.Le.nuit will deliver himH5337
בְּי֣וֹםbe.Yomon [the] day ofH3117
פִּשְׁע֔וֹpish.'Otransgression hisH6588
וְרִשְׁעַ֤תve.rish.'Atand [the] wickedness ofH7564
הָֽרָשָׁע֙ha.ra.Sha'the wicked [person]H7563
לֹֽא\־lo'-notH3808
יִכָּ֣שֶׁלyi.Ka.shelhe will stumbleH3782
בָּ֔הּBahin it
בְּי֖וֹםbe.Yomon [the] dayH3117
שׁוּב֣וֹshu.Voturns back heH7725
מֵֽרִשְׁע֑וֹme.rish.'Ofrom wickedness hisH7562
וְצַדִּ֗יקve.tza.Dikand a righteous [person]H6662
לֹ֥אlo'notH3808
יוּכַ֛לyu.Khalhe will be ableH3201
לִֽחְי֥וֹתlich.Yotto liveH2421
בָּ֖הּbahin it
בְּי֥וֹםbe.Yomon [the] dayH3117
חֲטֹאתֽוֹ\׃cha.to.Tosins heH2398

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Ezekiel 33:12

  • Ezekiel 33:18-19

    When the righteous turneth from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, he shall even die thereby. But if the wicked turn from his wickedness, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall live thereby.

  • 2 Chronicles 7:14

    If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

  • Romans 3:25

    Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;

  • Ezekiel 33:2

    Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman:

  • 1 Kings 8:48-50

    And so return unto thee with all their heart, and with all their soul, in the land of their enemies, which led them away captive, and pray unto thee toward their land, which thou gavest unto their fathers, the city which thou hast chosen, and the house which I have built for thy name: Then hear thou their prayer and their supplication in heaven thy dwelling place, and maintain their cause, And forgive thy people that have sinned against thee, and all their transgressions wherein they have transgressed against thee, and give them compassion before them who carried them captive, that they may have compassion on them:

  • Matthew 21:28-31

    But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard. He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not. Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.

  • 1 John 2:1

    My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:

  • Ezekiel 3:20-21

    Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul.

  • Ezekiel 18:24-32

    But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die. Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. Hear now, O house of Israel; Is not my way equal? are not your ways unequal? When a righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and dieth in them; for his iniquity that he hath done shall he die. Again, when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive. …

  • Ezekiel 18:21

    But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
say.
2
The righteousness.
18; 3:20,21; 18:24-26
as for.
19; 18:21,27-32; 1Ki 8:48-50; 2Ch 7:14; Mt 21:28-31; Ro 3:25
neither.
1Jo 2:1

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • 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?

  • Ezekiel 33:12

    Therefore, thou son of man, say unto the children of thy people, The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression: as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall thereby in the day that he turneth from his wickedness; neither shall the righteous be able to live for his righteousness in the day that he sinneth.

  • Ezekiel 33:13

    When I shall say to the righteous, that he shall surely live; if he trust to his own righteousness, and commit iniquity, all his righteousnesses shall not be remembered; but for his iniquity that he hath committed, he shall die for it.

Read all of Ezekiel 33

Ezekiel 33:12 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
Y tú, hijo del hombre, di á los hijos de tu pueblo: La justicia del justo no lo librará el día que se rebelare; y la impiedad del impío no le será estorbo el día que se volviere de su impiedad; y el justo no podrá vivir por su justicia el día que pecare.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
Et toi, fils d’homme, dis aux fils de ton peuple: La justice du juste ne le délivrera pas, au jour de sa transgression; et la méchanceté du méchant ne le fera pas tomber, au jour où il se détournera de sa méchanceté; et le juste ne pourra pas vivre par sa justice, au jour où il péchera.
German
Elberfelder 1871
Und du, Menschensohn, sprich zu den Kindern deines Volkes: Die Gerechtigkeit des Gerechten wird ihn nicht erretten am Tage seiner Übertretung; und die Gesetzlosigkeit des Gesetzlosen-er wird nicht durch dieselbe fallen an dem Tage, da er von seiner Gesetzlosigkeit umkehrt; und der Gerechte wird nicht durch seine Gerechtigkeit leben können an dem Tage, da er sündigt.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
Tu itaque, fili hominis, dic ad filios populi tui: Justitia justi non liberabit eum, in quacumque die peccaverit, et impietas impii non nocebit ei, in quacumque die conversus fuerit ab impietate sua: et justus non poterit vivere in justitia sua, in quacumque die peccaverit.