Ezekiel 18:29 (DRB)

Passage

And the children of Israel say: The way of the Lord is not right. Are not my ways right, O house of Israel, and are not rather your ways perverse?

Nearby Context

Ezekiel 18:27 And when the wicked turneth himself away from his wickedness, which he hath wrought, and doeth judgment, and justice: he shall save his soul alive.

Ezekiel 18:28 Because he considereth and turneth away himself from all his iniquities which he hath wrought, he shall surely live, and not die.

Ezekiel 18:29 And the children of Israel say: The way of the Lord is not right. Are not my ways right, O house of Israel, and are not rather your ways perverse?

Ezekiel 18:30 Therefore will I judge every man according to his ways, O house of Israel, saith the Lord God. Be converted, and do penance for all your iniquities: and iniquity shall not be your ruin.

Ezekiel 18:31 Cast away from you all your transgressions, by which you have transgressed, and make to yourselves a new heart, and a new spirit: and why will you die, O house of Israel?

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "children", "israel", "lord", "right", "ways", and "house". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "children" and "israel", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 28's "Because he considereth and turneth away himself..." into verse 30's "Therefore will I judge every man according...", so "children" and "israel" belong inside that flow. In Ezekiel context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "children" and "israel" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.