Ezekiel 18:26 (GNV)

Passage

For when a righteous man turneth away from his righteousnes, and committeth iniquitie, he shall euen die for the same, he shall euen die for his iniquitie, that he hath done.

Nearby Context

Ezekiel 18:24 But if the righteous turne away from his righteousnes, and commit iniquitie, and doe according to all the abominations, that the wicked man doeth, shall he liue? all his righteousnes that he hath done, shall not be mentioned: but in his transgression that he hath committed, and in his sinne that he hath sinned, in them shall he die.

Ezekiel 18:25 Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equall: heare now, O house of Israel. Is not my way equall? or are not your wayes vnequall?

Ezekiel 18:26 For when a righteous man turneth away from his righteousnes, and committeth iniquitie, he shall euen die for the same, he shall euen die for his iniquitie, that he hath done.

Ezekiel 18:27 Againe when the wicked turneth away from his wickednes that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawfull and right, he shall saue his soule aliue.

Ezekiel 18:28 Because he considereth, and turneth away from all his transgressions that hee hath committed, he shall surely liue and shall not die.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "righteous", "turneth", "away", "righteousnes", "committeth", "iniquitie", "shall", and "euen". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "righteous" and "turneth", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 25's "Yet ye say The way of the..." into verse 27's "Againe when the wicked turneth away from...", so "righteous" and "turneth" 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 "righteous" and "turneth" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.