Ezekiel 3:19 (DRB)

Passage

But if thou give warning to the wicked, and he be not converted from his wickedness, and from his evil way: he indeed shall die in his iniquity, but thou hast delivered thy soul.

Nearby Context

Ezekiel 3:17 Son of man, I have made thee a watchman to the house of Israel: and thou shalt hear the word out of my mouth, and shalt tell it them from me.

Ezekiel 3:18 If, when I say to the wicked, Thou shalt surely die: thou declare it not to him, nor speak to him, that he may be converted from his wicked way, and live: the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but I will require his blood at thy hand.

Ezekiel 3:19 But if thou give warning to the wicked, and he be not converted from his wickedness, and from his evil way: he indeed shall die in his iniquity, but thou hast delivered thy soul.

Ezekiel 3:20 Moreover if the just man shall turn away from his justice, and shall commit iniquity: I will lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die, because thou hast not given him warning: he shall die in his sin, and his justices which he hath done, shall not be remembered: but I will require his blood at thy hand.

Ezekiel 3:21 But if thou warn the just man, that the just may not sin, and he doth not sin: living he shall live, because thou hast warned him, and thou hast delivered thy soul.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "thou", "give", "warning", "wicked", "converted", "wickedness", "evil", and "indeed". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "thou" and "give", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 18's "If when I say to the wicked..." into verse 20's "Moreover if the just man shall turn...", so "thou" and "give" 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 "thou" and "give" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.