Ezekiel 33

Ezekiel Is Israel's Watchman

1 Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2 "Son of man, speak to a the children of your people, and say to them: b 'When I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man from their territory and make him their c watchman, 3 'when he sees the sword coming upon the land, if he blows the trumpet and warns the people, 4 'then whoever hears the sound of the trumpet and does d not take warning, if the sword comes and takes him away, e his blood shall be on his own head. 5 'He heard the sound of the trumpet, but did not take warning; his blood shall be upon himself. But he who takes warning will 1 save his life. 6 'But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, and the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any person from among them, f he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at the watchman's hand.'

7 g "So you, son of man: I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore you shall hear a word from My mouth and warn them for Me. 8 "When I say to the wicked, 'O wicked man, you shall surely die!' and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. 9 "Nevertheless if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have 2 delivered your soul.

Why Will You Die, Israel?

10 "Therefore you, O son of man, say to the house of Israel: 'Thus you say, "If our transgressions and our sins lie upon us, and we h pine 3 away in them, i how can we then live?" ' 11 "Say to them: 'As I live,' says the Lord GOD, j 'I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked k turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For l why should you die, O house of Israel?'

12 "Therefore you, O son of man, say to the children of your people: 'The m righteousness of the righteous man shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression; as for the wickedness of the wicked, n he shall not fall because of it in the day that he turns from his wickedness; nor shall the righteous be able to live because of his righteousness in the day that he sins.' 13 "When I say to the righteous that he shall surely live, o but he trusts in his own righteousness and commits iniquity, none of his righteous works shall be remembered; but because of the iniquity that he has committed, he shall die. 14 "Again, p when I say to the wicked, 'You shall surely die,' if he turns from his sin and does 4 what is lawful and 5 right, 15 "if the wicked q restores the pledge, r gives back what he has stolen, and walks in s the statutes of life without committing iniquity, he shall surely live; he shall not die. 16 t "None of his sins which he has committed shall be remembered against him; he has done what is lawful and right; he shall surely live.

17 u "Yet the children of your people say, 'The way of the LORD is not 6 fair.' But it is their way which is not fair! 18 v "When the righteous turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, he shall die because of it. 19 "But when the wicked turns from his wickedness and does what is lawful and right, he shall live because of it. 20 "Yet you say, w 'The way of the LORD is not 7 fair.' O house of Israel, I will judge every one of you according to his own ways."

Jerusalem Struck Down

21 And it came to pass in the twelfth year x of our captivity, in the tenth month, on the fifth day of the month, y that one who had escaped from Jerusalem came to me and said, z "The city has been 8 captured!" 22 Now a the hand of the LORD had been upon me the evening before the man came who had escaped. And He had b opened my mouth; so when he came to me in the morning, my mouth was opened, and I was no longer mute.

23 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying: 24 "Son of man, c they who inhabit those d ruins in the land of Israel are saying, e 'Abraham was only one, and he inherited the land. f But we are many; the land has been given to us as a g possession.' 25 "Therefore say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: h "You eat meat with blood, you i lift up your eyes toward your idols, and j shed blood. Should you then possess the k land? 26 "You rely on your sword, you commit abominations, and you l defile one another's wives. Should you then possess the land?" ' 27 "Say thus to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "As I live, surely m those who are in the ruins shall fall by the sword, and the one who is in the open field n I will give to the beasts to be devoured, and those who are in the strongholds and o caves shall die of the pestilence. 28 p "For I will make the land most desolate, 9 her q arrogant strength shall cease, and r the mountains of Israel shall be so desolate that no one will pass through. 29 "Then they shall know that I am the LORD, when I have made the land most desolate because of all their abominations which they have committed." '

30 "As for you, son of man, the children of your people are talking about you beside the walls and in the doors of the houses; and they s speak to one another, everyone saying to his brother, 'Please come and hear what the word is that comes from the LORD.' 31 "So t they come to you as people do, they u sit before you as My people, and they v hear your words, but they do not do them; w for with their mouth they show much love, but x their hearts pursue their own gain. 32 "Indeed you are to them as a very lovely song of one who has a pleasant voice and can play well on an instrument; for they hear your words, but they do y not do them. 33 z "And when this comes to pass - surely it will come - then a they will know that a prophet has been among them."

  1. Cross References
    Ezekiel 3:11
    "And go, get to the captives, to the children of your people, and speak to them and tell them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD,' whether they hear, or whether they refuse."
  2. Cross References
    Ezekiel 14:17
    Or if I bring a sword on that land, and say, 'Sword, go through the land,' and I cut off man and beast from it.
  3. Cross References
    2 Samuel 18:24
    Now David was sitting between the two gates. And the watchman went up to the roof over the gate, to the wall, lifted his eyes and looked, and there was a man, running alone.
    2 Samuel 18:25
    Then the watchman cried out and told the king. And the king said, "If he is alone, there is news in his mouth." And he came rapidly and drew near.
    2 Kings 9:17
    Now a watchman stood on the tower in Jezreel, and he saw the company of Jehu as he came, and said, "I see a company of men." And Joram said, "Get a horseman and send him to meet them, and let him say, ' Is it peace?'
    Hosea 9:8
    The watchman of Ephraim is with my God; But the prophet is a fowler's snare in all his ways - Enmity in the house of his God.
  4. Cross References
    2 Chronicles 25:16
    So it was, as he talked with him, that the king said to him, "Have we made you the king's counselor? Cease! Why should you be killed?" Then the prophet ceased, and said, "I know that God has determined to destroy you, because you have done this and have not heeded my advice.
    Jeremiah 6:17
    Also, I set watchmen over you, saying, 'Listen to the sound of the trumpet!' But they said, 'We will not listen.
    Zechariah 1:4
    Do not be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets preached, saying, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts: "Turn now from your evil ways and your evil deeds." ' But they did not hear nor heed Me," says the LORD.
  5. Cross References
    Ezekiel 18:13
    If he has exacted usury Or taken increase - Shall he then live? He shall not live! If he has done any of these abominations, He shall surely die; His blood shall be upon him.
    Ezekiel 35:9
    I will make you perpetually desolate, and your cities shall be uninhabited; then you shall know that I am the LORD.
    Acts 18:6
    But when they opposed him and blasphemed, he shook his garments and said to them, "Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.
  6. Cross References
    Ezekiel 33:8
    When I say to the wicked, 'O wicked man, you shall surely die!' and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand.
  7. Cross References
    Isaiah 62:6
    I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; They shall never hold their peace day or night. You who make mention of the LORD, do not keep silent.
    Ezekiel 3:17 - 21
    Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore hear a word from My mouth, and give them warning from Me:
  8. Cross References
    Leviticus 26:39
    And those of you who are left shall waste away in their iniquity in your enemies' lands; also in their fathers' iniquities, which are with them, they shall waste away.
    Ezekiel 24:23
    Your turbans shall be on your heads and your sandals on your feet; you shall neither mourn nor weep, but you shall pine away in your iniquities and mourn with one another.
  9. Cross References
    Isaiah 49:14
    But Zion said, "The LORD has forsaken me, And my Lord has forgotten me.
    Ezekiel 37:11
    Then He said to me, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, 'Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!
  10. Cross References
    2 Samuel 14:14
    For we will surely die and become like water sp...
    Lamentations 3:33
    For He does not afflict willingly, Nor grieve t...
    Ezekiel 18:23
    Do I have any pleasure at all that the wicked s...
    Ezekiel 18:32
    "For I have no pleasure in the death of one who...
    Hosea 11:8
    How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand ...
    2 Peter 3:9
    The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, a...
  11. Cross References
    Ezekiel 18:21
    But if a wicked man turns from all his sins which he has committed, keeps all My statutes, and does what is lawful and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die.
    Ezekiel 18:30
    Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways," says the Lord GOD. "Repent, and turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity will not be your ruin.
    Hosea 14:1
    O Israel, return to the LORD your God, For you have stumbled because of your iniquity.
    Hosea 14:4
    I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely, For My anger has turned away from him.
    Acts 3:19
    Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.
  12. Cross References
    Isaiah 55:6
    Seek the LORD while He may be found, Call upon ...
    Isaiah 55:7
    Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unright...
    Jeremiah 3:22
    Return, you backsliding children, And I will he...
    Ezekiel 18:30
    Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, ...
    Ezekiel 18:31
    Cast away from you all the transgressions which...
    Hosea 14:1
    O Israel, return to the LORD your God, For you ...
    Acts 3:19
    Repent therefore and be converted, that your si...
  13. Cross References
    Ezekiel 3:20
    Again, when a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die; because you did not give him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered; but his blood I will require at your hand.
    Ezekiel 18:24
    But 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? 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.
    Ezekiel 18:26
    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.
  14. Cross References
    2 Chronicles 7:14
    If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
    Ezekiel 33:19
    But when the wicked turns from his wickedness and does what is lawful and right, he shall live because of it.
  15. Cross References
    Ezekiel 3:20
    Again, when a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die; because you did not give him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered; but his blood I will require at your hand.
    Ezekiel 18:24
    But 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? 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.
  16. Cross References
    Isaiah 55:7
    Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unright...
    Jeremiah 18:7
    The instant I speak concerning a nation and con...
    Jeremiah 18:8
    If that nation against whom I have spoken turns...
    Ezekiel 3:18
    When I say to the wicked, 'You shall surely die...
    Ezekiel 3:19
    Yet, if you warn the wicked, and he does not tu...
    Ezekiel 18:27
    Again, when a wicked man turns away from the wi...
    Hosea 14:1
    O Israel, return to the LORD your God, For you ...
    Hosea 14:4
    I will heal their backsliding, I will love them...
  17. Cross References
    Ezekiel 18:7
    If he has not oppressed anyone, But has restored to the debtor his pledge; Has robbed no one by violence, But has given his bread to the hungry And covered the naked with clothing.
  18. Cross References
    Exodus 22:1 - 4
    If a man steals an ox or a sheep, and slaughter...
    Leviticus 6:2
    If a person sins and commits a trespass against...
    Leviticus 6:4
    Then it shall be, because he has sinned and is ...
    Leviticus 6:5
    Or all that about which he has sworn falsely. H...
    Numbers 5:6
    Speak to the children of Israel: 'When a man or...
    Numbers 5:7
    Then he shall confess the sin which he has comm...
    Luke 19:8
    Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, "Loo...
  19. Cross References
    Leviticus 18:5
    You shall therefore keep My statutes and My jud...
    Psalms 119:59
    I thought about my ways, And turned my feet to ...
    Psalms 143:8
    Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the mor...
    Ezekiel 20:11
    "And I gave them My statutes and showed them My...
    Ezekiel 20:13
    Yet the house of Israel rebelled against Me in ...
    Ezekiel 20:21
    Notwithstanding, the children rebelled against ...
  20. Cross References
    Isaiah 1:18
    Come now, and let us reason together," Says the LORD, "Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool.
    Isaiah 43:25
    I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; And I will not remember your sins.
    Ezekiel 18:22
    None of the transgressions which he has committed shall be remembered against him; because of the righteousness which he has done, he shall live.
  21. Cross References
    Ezekiel 18:25
    Yet you say, '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?
    Ezekiel 18:29
    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?
  22. Cross References
    Ezekiel 18:26
    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.
  23. Cross References
    Ezekiel 18:25
    Yet you say, '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?
    Ezekiel 18:29
    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?
  24. Cross References
    Ezekiel 1:2
    On the fifth day of the month, which was in the fifth year of King Jehoiachin's captivity.
  25. Cross References
    Ezekiel 24:26
    On that day one who escapes will come to you to let you hear it with your ears.
  26. Cross References
    2 Kings 25:4
    Then the city wall was broken through, and all the men of war fled at night by way of the gate between two walls, which was by the king's garden, even though the Chaldeans were still encamped all around against the city. And the king went by way of the plain.
  27. Cross References
    Ezekiel 1:3
    The word of the LORD came expressly to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the River Chebar; and the hand of the LORD was upon him there.
    Ezekiel 8:1
    And it came to pass in the sixth year, in the sixth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I sat in my house with the elders of Judah sitting before me, that the hand of the Lord GOD fell upon me there.
    Ezekiel 37:1
    The hand of the LORD came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones.
  28. Cross References
    Ezekiel 24:27
    'on that day your mouth will be opened to him who has escaped; you shall speak and no longer be mute. Thus you will be a sign to them, and they shall know that I am the LORD.'"
  29. Cross References
    Ezekiel 34:2
    Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD to the shepherds: "Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks?
  30. Cross References
    Ezekiel 36:4
    Therefore, O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord GOD! Thus says the Lord GOD to the mountains, the hills, the rivers, the valleys, the desolate wastes, and the cities that have been forsaken, which became plunder and mockery to the rest of the nations all around -
  31. Cross References
    Isaiah 51:2
    Look to Abraham your father, And to Sarah who bore you; For I called him alone, And blessed him and increased him.
    Acts 7:5
    And God gave him no inheritance in it, not even enough to set his foot on. But even when Abraham had no child, He promised to give it to him for a possession, and to his descendants after him.
    Romans 4:12
    And the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also walk in the steps of the faith which our father Abraham had while still uncircumcised.
  32. Cross References
    Micah 3:11
    Her heads judge for a bribe, Her priests teach for pay, And her prophets divine for money. Yet they lean on the LORD, and say, "Is not the LORD among us? No harm can come upon us.
    Matthew 3:9
    And do not think to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.
    John 8:39
    They answered and said to Him, "Abraham is our father." Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham.
  33. Cross References
    Ezekiel 11:15
    "Son of man, your brethren, your relatives, your countrymen, and all the house of Israel in its entirety, are those about whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, 'Get far away from the LORD; this land has been given to us as a possession.'
  34. Cross References
    Genesis 9:4
    But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that...
    Leviticus 3:17
    ' This shall be a perpetual statute throughout ...
    Leviticus 7:26
    Moreover you shall not eat any blood in any of ...
    Leviticus 17:10 - 14
    And whatever man of the house of Israel, or of ...
    Leviticus 19:26
    You shall not eat anything with the blood, nor ...
    Deuteronomy 12:16
    Only you shall not eat the blood; you shall pou...
    Deuteronomy 12:23
    Only be sure that you do not eat the blood, for...
    Deuteronomy 15:23
    Only you shall not eat its blood; you shall pou...
  35. Cross References
    Ezekiel 18:6
    If he has not eaten on the mountains, Nor lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, Nor defiled his neighbor's wife, Nor approached a woman during her impurity.
  36. Cross References
    Ezekiel 22:6
    Look, the princes of Israel: each one has used his power to shed blood in you.
    Ezekiel 22:9
    In you are men who slander to cause bloodshed; in you are those who eat on the mountains; in your midst they commit lewdness.
  37. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 29:28
    'And the LORD uprooted them from their land in anger, in wrath, and in great indignation, and cast them into another land, as it is this day.'
  38. Cross References
    Ezekiel 18:6
    If he has not eaten on the mountains, Nor lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, Nor defiled his neighbor's wife, Nor approached a woman during her impurity.
    Ezekiel 22:11
    One commits abomination with his neighbor's wife; another lewdly defiles his daughter-in-law; and another in you violates his sister, his father's daughter.
  39. Cross References
    Ezekiel 33:24
    "Son of man, they who inhabit those ruins in the land of Israel are saying, 'Abraham was only one, and he inherited the land. But we are many; the land has been given to us as a possession.'
  40. Cross References
    Ezekiel 39:4
    You shall fall upon the mountains of Israel, you and all your troops and the peoples who are with you; I will give you to birds of prey of every sort and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.
  41. Cross References
    Judges 6:2
    And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel. Because of the Midianites, the children of Israel made for themselves the dens, the caves, and the strongholds which are in the mountains.
    1 Samuel 13:6
    When the men of Israel saw that they were in danger (for the people were distressed), then the people hid in caves, in thickets, in rocks, in holes, and in pits.
    Isaiah 2:19
    They shall go into the holes of the rocks, And into the caves of the earth, From the terror of the LORD And the glory of His majesty, When He arises to shake the earth mightily.
  42. Cross References
    Jeremiah 44:2
    Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: 'You have seen all the calamity that I have brought on Jerusalem and on all the cities of Judah; and behold, this day they are a desolation, and no one dwells in them.
    Jeremiah 44:6
    'So My fury and My anger were poured out and kindled in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; and they are wasted and desolate, as it is this day.'
    Jeremiah 44:22
    So the LORD could no longer bear it, because of the evil of your doings and because of the abominations which you committed. Therefore your land is a desolation, an astonishment, a curse, and without an inhabitant, as it is this day.
    Ezekiel 36:34
    The desolate land shall be tilled instead of lying desolate in the sight of all who pass by.
    Ezekiel 36:35
    "So they will say, 'This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden; and the wasted, desolate, and ruined cities are now fortified and inhabited.'
  43. Cross References
    Ezekiel 7:24
    Therefore I will bring the worst of the Gentiles, And they will possess their houses; I will cause the pomp of the strong to cease, And their holy places shall be defiled.
    Ezekiel 24:21
    Speak to the house of Israel, "Thus says the Lord GOD: 'Behold, I will profane My sanctuary, your arrogant boast, the desire of your eyes, the delight of your soul; and your sons and daughters whom you left behind shall fall by the sword.
  44. Cross References
    Ezekiel 6:2
    Son of man, set your face toward the mountains of Israel, and prophesy against them.
    Ezekiel 6:3
    And say, 'O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord GOD! Thus says the Lord GOD to the mountains, to the hills, to the ravines, and to the valleys: "Indeed I, even I, will bring a sword against you, and I will destroy your high places.
    Ezekiel 6:6
    In all your dwelling places the cities shall be laid waste, and the high places shall be desolate, so that your altars may be laid waste and made desolate, your idols may be broken and made to cease, your incense altars may be cut down, and your works may be abolished.
  45. Cross References
    Isaiah 29:13
    Therefore the Lord said: "Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths And honor Me with their lips, But have removed their hearts far from Me, And their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men.
    Ezekiel 14:3
    Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their hearts, and put before them that which causes them to stumble into iniquity. Should I let Myself be inquired of at all by them?
    Ezekiel 20:3
    "Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel, and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Have you come to inquire of Me? As I live," says the Lord GOD, "I will not be inquired of by you."'
    Ezekiel 20:31
    For when you offer your gifts and make your sons pass through the fire, you defile yourselves with all your idols, even to this day. So shall I be inquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live," says the Lord GOD, "I will not be inquired of by you.
  46. Cross References
    Ezekiel 14:1
    Now some of the elders of Israel came to me and sat before me.
  47. Cross References
    Ezekiel 8:1
    And it came to pass in the sixth year, in the sixth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I sat in my house with the elders of Judah sitting before me, that the hand of the Lord GOD fell upon me there.
  48. Cross References
    Isaiah 58:2
    Yet they seek Me daily, And delight to know My ways, As a nation that did righteousness, And did not forsake the ordinance of their God. They ask of Me the ordinances of justice; They take delight in approaching God.
  49. Cross References
    Psalms 78:36
    Nevertheless they flattered Him with their mouth, And they lied to Him with their tongue.
    Psalms 78:37
    For their heart was not steadfast with Him, Nor were they faithful in His covenant.
    Isaiah 29:13
    Therefore the Lord said: "Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths And honor Me with their lips, But have removed their hearts far from Me, And their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men.
    Jeremiah 12:2
    You have planted them, yes, they have taken root; They grow, yes, they bear fruit. You are near in their mouth But far from their mind.
    1 John 3:18
    My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.
  50. Cross References
    Matthew 13:22
    Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.
  51. Cross References
    Matthew 7:21 - 28
    Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
    James 1:22 - 25
    But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
  52. Cross References
    1 Samuel 3:20
    And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel had been established as a prophet of the LORD.
  53. Cross References
    Ezekiel 2:5
    As for them, whether they hear or whether they refuse - for they are a rebellious house - yet they will know that a prophet has been among them.
New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
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