1. The word of the Lord came to me:
2. “What do you people mean by quoting this proverb about the land of Israel: “ ‘The parents eat sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge’?
3. “As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, you will no longer quote this proverb in Israel.
4. For everyone belongs to me, the parent as well as the child—both alike belong to me. The one who sins is the one who will die.
5. “Suppose there is a righteous man who does what is just and right.
6. He does not eat at the mountain shrines or look to the idols of Israel. He does not defile his neighbor’s wife or have sexual relations with a woman during her period.
7. He does not oppress anyone, but returns what he took in pledge for a loan. He does not commit robbery but gives his food to the hungry and provides clothing for the naked.
8. He does not lend to them at interest or take a profit from them. He withholds his hand from doing wrong and judges fairly between two parties.