^23 (A)Do I have any pleasure at all that the wicked should die?” says the Lord God, “and not that he should turn from his ways and live?

²⁴ “But ^(B)when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and does according to all the abominations that the wicked man does, shall he live? ^(C)All the righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered; because of the unfaithfulness of which he is guilty and the sin which he has committed, because of them he shall die.

²⁵ “Yet you say, ^(D)‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ Hear now, O house of Israel, is it not My way which is fair, and your ways which are not fair? ^26 (E)When a righteous man turns away from his righteousness, commits iniquity, and dies in it, it is because of the iniquity which he has done that he dies. ²⁷ Again, ^(F)when a wicked man turns away from the wickedness which he committed, and does what is lawful and right, he preserves himself alive. ²⁸ Because he ^(G)considers and turns away from all the transgressions which he committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die. ^29 (H)Yet the house of Israel says, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ O house of Israel, is it not My ways which are fair, and your ways which are not fair?

^30 (I)“Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways,” says the Lord God. ^(J)“Repent, and turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity will not be your ruin. ^31 (K)Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed, and get yourselves a ^(L)new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O house of Israel? ³² For ^(M)I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies,” says the Lord God. “Therefore turn and ^(N)live!”