Ezekiel 22

Misinterpretations of Ezekiel 22:1 often treat it as a standalone, innocuous preface devoid of its condemnatory context, leading readers to overlook the severe accusations of violence and corruption that immediately follow and thus minimize God's call for accountability. Some erroneously view it as Ezekiel's subjective thoughts rather than divine utterance, diluting prophetic authority, while others allegorize it exclusively to contemporary personal failings, ignoring its primary historical application to Judah's covenant unfaithfulness and the exile's consequences.

Ezekiel 22:1 conveys the core truth that God sovereignly communicates His word directly to the prophet Ezekiel, establishing the divine authority and origin of the impending oracle against Jerusalem. This prophetic formula, 'the word of the LORD came unto me,' emphasizes that the message is not human invention but a revelation from God, setting the stage for a detailed exposure of Israel's rampant sins including bloodshed, idolatry, and injustice, urging repentance and highlighting God's righteous judgment.

A misinterpretation views this passage merely as divine vindictiveness against Israel without acknowledging the context of their covenant unfaithfulness and God's patient warnings through prophets; another error applies it legalistically to condemn modern urban centers or political foes as inherently evil, ignoring the specific prophetic role and the balance of mercy offered in repentance; additionally, some overlook the systemic societal sins like bloodshed and injustice, reducing it to personal moral failings alone.

God commissions the prophet Ezekiel to boldly confront and judge Jerusalem, vividly described as the 'bloody city,' by exposing all its abominations, underscoring divine righteousness that demands accountability for rampant violence, idolatry, and moral corruption among His covenant people, calling them to recognize their guilt and repent before inevitable judgment.

Misinterpretations of Ezekiel 22:3 often treat it as merely a historical curiosity about ancient Jerusalem, overlooking its enduring relevance as a warning against modern societal violence and spiritual compromise disguised as idolatry through materialism or power. Some erroneously limit 'shedding blood' to literal murder, ignoring broader injustices like oppression or exploitation, while others misapply the passage to vilify specific contemporary groups or cities without contextual prophetic judgment, reducing its call for universal repentance to partisan rhetoric.

Ezekiel 22:3 conveys God's indictment against Jerusalem for its pervasive sins of bloodshed and idolatry, portraying the city as actively pouring out innocent blood through violence and injustice while crafting idols that defile its inhabitants spiritually. This prophetic declaration highlights the inevitable consequences of such abominations, as they hasten the city's judgment, emphasizing God's holiness that demands justice and exclusive worship, urging repentance to escape divine retribution.

Misinterpretations of Ezekiel 22:4 often portray God as vindictively punishing without mercy, overlooking the extensive warnings given through prophets and Israel's covenant violations; others wrongly universalize it to justify contemporary geopolitical events or personal vendettas, ignoring its specific historical context of Judah's corruption leading to Babylonian exile, while some dismiss it as outdated mythology, missing its enduring warning against societal violence and false worship.

Ezekiel 22:4 pronounces God's judgment on Jerusalem for its bloodshed and idolatry, stating that these sins have brought their end near and made them a reproach among the nations, emphasizing the core truth that unrepentant wickedness accelerates divine retribution and invites public humiliation as a consequence of defiling God's covenant standards.

A common misinterpretation of Ezekiel 22:5 is to apply it individualistically as personal shame from God for private sins, overlooking its national context of Jerusalem's collective idolatry and bloodshed provoking divine judgment through foreign derision; another error is treating it as a timeless curse on modern cities or groups without recognizing its specific prophetic role in Israel's history, or assuming the mockery comes directly from God rather than through pagan nations as instruments of His justice.

Ezekiel 22:5 conveys the core truth that Jerusalem's rampant sins have rendered it a spectacle of infamy and turmoil, drawing mockery from both neighboring nations and distant peoples, illustrating the inevitable consequences of covenant unfaithfulness and moral corruption under God's sovereign judgment, which exposes sin's devastating impact on a people's reputation and stability.

Ezekiel 22:6 is often misinterpreted as a narrow accusation of only physical homicide by rulers, ignoring its broader condemnation of systemic injustice, oppression, and exploitation that 'shed blood' metaphorically through social evils like poverty and idolatry. Another error is to dismiss it as irrelevant ancient history, failing to see its timeless warning against corrupt leadership, or to weaponize it selectively against modern political opponents without applying its call for personal and communal repentance.

Ezekiel 22:6 exposes the profound corruption among Jerusalem's leaders, who wielded their power not for justice but to perpetrate violence and bloodshed, exemplifying how elite abuse of authority defiles a society and provokes God's righteous judgment. This verse initiates a catalog of sins in the chapter, emphasizing that those entrusted with leadership bear greater responsibility to uphold righteousness, and their betrayal of the vulnerable accelerates national downfall.

Misinterpretations often reduce this passage to mere historical judgment on ancient Israel, overlooking its enduring relevance as a prophetic blueprint against any society that neglects the vulnerable; others weaponize it for partisan political agendas, ignoring the context of holistic covenant unfaithfulness including idolatry and injustice, or apply it superficially to score moral points without personal or communal repentance called for throughout Ezekiel.

Ezekiel 22:7 indicts Jerusalem's profound moral corruption, where residents dishonored parents, oppressed foreigners, and mistreated orphans and widows, revealing a society that flagrantly violated God's covenant laws mandating respect for family, hospitality to strangers, and protection of the vulnerable, underscoring divine expectations for justice, mercy, and communal righteousness as foundational to true worship.

Misinterpretations of Ezekiel 22:8 often reduce it to a legalistic mandate for rigid Sabbath-keeping in contemporary Christianity, overlooking its Old Testament context of temple rituals and Israel's covenant obligations fulfilled in Christ under the New Covenant; others isolate it from the chapter's broader condemnation of injustice and immorality, treating it as mere ritualism rather than a symptom of holistic unfaithfulness to God's holiness.

In Ezekiel 22:8, God accuses Jerusalem of despising His holy things and profaning His Sabbaths, revealing the core truth that covenant faithfulness demands reverence for what God has consecrated, including His worship practices and rest ordinances, as contempt for these reflects a deeper rebellion against His authority and invites divine judgment amid a catalog of societal sins like bloodshed and idolatry.

Misinterpretations of Ezekiel 22:9 often reduce it to a simple ban on gossip, ignoring the slanderers' intent to provoke violence and murder within a broader prophetic denunciation of Jerusalem's sins leading to exile. Others misconstrue 'eating upon the mountains' as gluttony or casual dining rather than ritual idolatry at high places, or apply it selectively to judge personal failings without grasping the communal, covenantal context of God's righteous wrath against systemic corruption and injustice.

Ezekiel 22:9 reveals God's indictment of Jerusalem's deep moral decay, where slanderers spread malicious tales inciting bloodshed, residents partake in idolatrous feasts on sacred mountains symbolizing pagan worship, and lewdness openly corrupts society, illustrating how unchecked sin permeates a nation and invites divine judgment while calling for repentance and restoration of covenant holiness.

Misinterpretations of this passage often include viewing the listed sins as culturally relative or permissible in modern contexts, ignoring their explicit prohibition in Mosaic Law as detestable practices borrowed from pagan nations; others mistakenly read it as mere historical anecdote detached from its prophetic role in indicting Israel's covenant betrayal, leading to downplaying personal accountability for sexual purity; some confuse the relationships described, such as equating 'sister, her husband's daughter' with unrelated figures, thus diluting the severity of familial betrayal, or use it selectively to attack others without self-examination, missing the call to national repentance.

Ezekiel 22:10 condemns the pervasive sexual immorality in Jerusalem, specifically incestuous relations between fathers-in-law and daughters-in-law as well as half-brothers and sisters, as egregious violations of God's covenant law outlined in Leviticus 18 and 20, illustrating the city's profound spiritual unfaithfulness and moral decay that provoked divine judgment, emphasizing that such abominations defiled the people and their land, calling them to repentance amid God's righteous wrath.

Misinterpretations of Ezekiel 22:11 often arise from isolating it from its prophetic context of divine judgment on Jerusalem's sins, leading some to wrongly view it as mere historical trivia rather than a timeless warning against sexual perversion; others might distort it to justify modern moral relativism by claiming these were culturally acceptable then, ignoring God's unchanging standards of purity, or misapply it legalistically to condemn unrelated contemporary issues while excusing personal failings.

Ezekiel 22:11 exposes the pervasive sexual immorality in Jerusalem, listing acts like adultery with a neighbor's wife, incest with a daughter-in-law, and relations with a half-sister as abominations that defile the people and provoke God's righteous judgment, underscoring the breakdown of familial and communal holiness in Israel and calling for repentance amid the prophet's broader indictment of societal corruption.

Misinterpretations of Ezekiel 22:12 often reduce it to a blanket condemnation of all lending or capitalism, ignoring the biblical distinction between fair practices and exploitative usury targeted at the vulnerable; others apply it selectively to modern finance without acknowledging the spiritual root of 'forgetting God' that undergirds these sins, or historicize it as irrelevant today, missing its enduring demand for justice, integrity in business, and covenant faithfulness.

Ezekiel 22:12 delivers God's stern rebuke against Jerusalem's leaders for pervasive corruption, including accepting bribes that enabled bloodshed, practicing usury and exorbitant interest, and extorting neighbors, all culminating in their forgetfulness of the Lord; this passage reveals the destructive cycle where economic greed and injustice stem from spiritual neglect, provoking divine judgment and calling for righteousness in societal dealings.

Misinterpretations of Ezekiel 22:13 often reduce it to a generic proverb against personal greed, ignoring its specific prophetic context of Israel's comprehensive moral decay, idolatry, and corrupt leadership warranting national exile. Some twist it to support prosperity theology by claiming financial success without justice invites only mild rebuke, or apply it legalistically to modern economies without acknowledging God's unique covenant with Israel; others misconstrue the hand-striking as divine endorsement of human violence, missing the symbolic expression of heavenly judgment fulfilled historically in Jerusalem's fall.

Ezekiel 22:13 conveys God's fierce indignation against Jerusalem's leaders and people for their 'unjust gain' through extortion and dishonest practices, alongside the bloodshed staining their society, symbolized by Him striking His hand in righteous anger. This core truth emphasizes divine judgment on systemic injustice and violence that violate God's covenant standards of holiness, fairness, and sanctity of life, serving as a warning that exploiting others for profit provokes the Holy One's wrath and calls His people to repentance and ethical integrity.

Misinterpretations of Ezekiel 22:14 often strip it from its prophetic context of Israel's covenant unfaithfulness, treating it as generic motivational advice for personal resilience in trials or as a promise of human endurance through faith alone, ignoring the passage's focus on inevitable divine judgment for sin; others may wrongly apply it to universal human frailty without recognizing its specific warning to a rebellious nation, or twist it to suggest God withholds judgment indefinitely, contrary to the emphatic assurance that He will act decisively.

In Ezekiel 22:14, God rhetorically challenges the corrupt leaders and people of Jerusalem, emphasizing their utter inability to withstand the divine judgment He is about to unleash due to their rampant idolatry, bloodshed, and injustice; their hearts will fail and hands weaken in that day because God's declarations are infallible and His actions certain, underscoring the sovereignty of God and the futility of human strength against His righteous wrath.

Common misinterpretations of Ezekiel 22:15 include seeing it as God's irrevocable abandonment or eternal curse on Israel, overlooking restoration prophecies like those in Ezekiel 36-37; applying it literally to modern geopolitical events or personal misfortunes without the specific context of Judah's covenant unfaithfulness; or misconstruing the scattering as mere punishment without recognizing its purifying intent to remove idolatry and corruption from the nation.

In Ezekiel 22:15, God declares judgment on Jerusalem's rampant idolatry and moral corruption by scattering its people among the nations and dispersing them, a prophecy fulfilled in the Babylonian exile, with the purpose of consuming their 'filthiness'—symbolizing the purging of sin through disciplinary suffering that refines and restores His covenant people rather than utterly destroying them.

Misinterpretations of Ezekiel 22:16 often twist 'thine inheritance in thyself' into a promise of self-empowerment or prosperity through independence, ignoring its context as divine judgment where Jerusalem's dispersion among nations exposes her self-inflicted shame; others apply it selectively to modern geopolitical events or as endorsement of permanent divine abandonment, overlooking the prophetic pattern of judgment leading to restoration and the broader biblical theme of God's faithful discipline toward covenant people.

Ezekiel 22:16 conveys God's righteous judgment on Jerusalem for her rampant idolatry, bloodshed, and moral corruption, declaring that she will profane herself 'in the sight of the heathen' by bearing the full consequences of her sins—scattered and shamed among the nations—which serves as a humbling revelation, causing her to truly know that Yahweh is the sovereign LORD who upholds holiness and executes justice against unrepentant rebellion.

Common misinterpretations of this passage include viewing the smelting imagery literally as God physically incinerating people rather than metaphorically depicting purifying judgment through historical events like exile; applying it selectively to modern nations or groups to endorse political retribution without regard for covenant context; or dismissing it as mere ancient rhetoric, ignoring its timeless warning against moral corruption and the call for personal repentance amid collective sin.

In Ezekiel 22:17-22, God reveals through the prophet that Israel has degenerated into worthless dross like impurities mixed with silver, prompting divine judgment likened to a smelting furnace that will melt and purge them amid the fire of His wrath, symbolizing the impending Babylonian invasion and exile as a means of refining a remnant while destroying the corrupt majority, underscoring themes of holiness, accountability for systemic idolatry, violence, and injustice.

Common misinterpretations treat the passage as an eternal damnation of Israel or Jews as inherently valueless, overlooking prophetic promises of restoration and repentance; others apply it literally to physical traits or modern geopolitics, ignoring its symbolic focus on sin's corrupting effects; some use it antisemitically to justify prejudice, detached from the historical context of Judah's specific abominations; alternatively, prosperity-focused readings sideline the refining judgment, missing the universal call to self-examination and God's disciplinary love.

In Ezekiel 22:18, God portrays Israel as dross, the worthless impurities like brass, tin, iron, and lead separated from silver during refining in a furnace, symbolizing their profound moral and spiritual corruption through idolatry, bloodshed, and injustice. This metaphor underscores that the people, once chosen and precious, have become slag due to unfaithfulness, warranting divine judgment as a purifying fire to remove impurities and reveal true value, highlighting God's commitment to holiness amid covenant betrayal.

A frequent misinterpretation treats this passage as a comforting assurance of inevitable personal purification through any hardship, overlooking its context as a prophecy of severe national judgment on Israel's idolatry and injustice without guaranteed restoration for all; others erroneously apply it literally to eternal hellfire torment or dismiss it as mere ancient history irrelevant to modern spiritual refinement, ignoring the metaphorical use of smelting to illustrate God's sovereign response to moral corruption.

God compares the corrupt people of Jerusalem to worthless dross, the impure residue separated from molten metal during smelting, declaring that their pervasive sins have rendered them valueless. He announces that He will gather and melt them in the furnace of His judgment, symbolizing a purifying process through trials and consequences that will expose and consume their wickedness, ultimately aiming to refine a remnant or demonstrate His justice against unrepentant evil.

Misinterpretations of Ezekiel 22:20 often detach it from its context in Ezekiel 22, which indicts Jerusalem's leaders and people for specific sins like extortion and profaning the sabbath, leading some to wrongly universalize it as a blanket condemnation of all humanity or a literal description of hellfire torment rather than symbolic temporal judgment. Others allegorize it excessively to endorse modern political purges or end-times events without biblical warrant, or portray God as vindictively destructive ignoring His merciful calls to repentance throughout Scripture, thus missing the passage's emphasis on purifying justice aimed at covenant unfaithfulness.

Ezekiel 22:20 uses the metaphor of a smelting furnace to convey God's impending judgment on Jerusalem's corrupt inhabitants, portraying them as impure metals—silver, brass, iron, lead, and tin—gathered together and subjected to intense fire in His anger and fury until melted. This imagery underscores the thoroughness of divine purification, where unrepentant sin is consumed like dross, highlighting God's holiness demanding justice against the city's rampant idolatry, injustice, and bloodshed, while foreshadowing the Babylonian exile as the purifying fire that refines a faithful remnant.

Misinterpretations of Ezekiel 22:21 often detach it from its historical context of God's judgment on ancient Judah's specific sins like bloodshed and idolatry, wrongly applying it as a literal prediction of physical melting in end-times tribulation or hellfire for all unbelievers; others twist it into a promise of spiritual refinement for modern believers without repentance, ignoring the passage's focus on irreversible destruction for the unrepentant wicked, or misuse it to justify harsh human punishments as divine will.

In Ezekiel 22:21, God declares His judgment on corrupt Jerusalem, likening the gathering of its sinful inhabitants to metal thrown into a furnace where His wrath blazes like intense heat, melting them down to expose and consume their impurities; this imagery underscores the purifying yet devastating nature of divine discipline against a people steeped in idolatry, injustice, and moral decay, emphasizing God's holiness and the consequences of covenant unfaithfulness.

A common misinterpretation views this passage as a promise of personal spiritual purification through trials, akin to silver refined for usefulness, overlooking its context as prophetic judgment of destruction and exile for Israel's collective wickedness; others erroneously apply it to modern geopolitical events or personal hardships without recognizing the specific historical condemnation of Jerusalem's leaders and people for bloodshed, oppression, and profaning God's name.

In Ezekiel 22:22, God describes His impending judgment on corrupt Jerusalem using the metaphor of silver melted in a furnace, illustrating how the city's pervasive sins will be consumed like impurities in refining fire, leading the survivors to acknowledge the reality of divine fury poured out as righteous punishment for their covenant unfaithfulness and idolatry.

Misinterpretations of Ezekiel 22:23 often treat it as a mere literary formula devoid of significance, overlooking its role in authenticating the prophecy's divine origin and thus diminishing the urgency of the judgments on Jerusalem's leaders, priests, and people for covenant violations; others misapply it to endorse subjective personal 'words from God' in contemporary settings without prophetic testing or context, or dismiss the passage entirely as irrelevant to modern ethics, ignoring its timeless warning against systemic injustice and spiritual infidelity.

Ezekiel 22:23 introduces a direct divine oracle to the prophet, affirming God's sovereign initiative in communicating judgment against Jerusalem's rampant sins of bloodshed, idolatry, oppression, and moral decay detailed in the surrounding verses, emphasizing the prophet's role as faithful mouthpiece and the unassailable authority of God's word to call a corrupt nation to accountability.

Misinterpretations often treat the verse literally as a meteorological prophecy or ecological disaster rather than symbolic imagery for Jerusalem's moral and spiritual barrenness; some apply it indiscriminately to contemporary societies or personal failings, overlooking its targeted context as an oracle against Israel's covenant violations; others misuse it to justify despair or inevitability of doom, neglecting the broader prophetic theme of eventual restoration after judgment.

Ezekiel 22:24 conveys God's indictment against Jerusalem, portraying it as a land utterly defiled by sin, neither purified nor refreshed by rain amid His day of indignation, emphasizing its spiritual corruption through bloodshed, idolatry, and injustice that renders it ripe for divine judgment without hope of reprieve until God's purifying wrath is unleashed.

Common misinterpretations of Ezekiel 22:25 include applying it selectively to modern political or religious figures as a divine endorsement for vigilantism or conspiracy hunting without the original context of Israel's covenant violations, or twisting the prophetic imagery to justify personal attacks rather than self-examination and repentance; others overlook the passage's focus on collective leadership failure under God's sovereignty, treating it as isolated proof of inevitable human evil detached from the hope of restoration in later chapters.

Ezekiel 22:25 condemns the corrupt prophets of Jerusalem as a conspiring pack like ravening lions that devour souls, plunder treasures, and multiply widows, illustrating how spiritual leaders who prioritize personal gain over faithful shepherding exploit and destroy their flock, hastening societal collapse and provoking God's righteous judgment on unfaithful Israel.

Misinterpretations of Ezekiel 22:26 frequently involve isolating it from its context in Ezekiel's broader oracle against Jerusalem's sins, leading some to weaponize it against modern pastors or churches as blanket condemnation without recognizing the specific historical corruption of Judah's priesthood amid idolatry and injustice. Others erroneously view it as endorsing ritualistic legalism over relational faith, ignoring that true holiness integrates external observance with internal obedience, or dismiss its relevance today by confining it to ancient Levites, missing its timeless warning against compromising God's standards in leadership.

The core truth of Ezekiel 22:26 reveals God's righteous anger against Israel's priests for corrupting their sacred role by failing to distinguish between the holy and the profane, the clean and the unclean, and by disregarding His Sabbaths, which profaned Him among the people. This passage emphasizes the priests' accountability to maintain divine purity and separation in worship and daily life, highlighting how their negligence contributed to Jerusalem's moral decay and foreshadowed God's impending judgment, calling all spiritual leaders to unwavering fidelity to God's holiness.

A common misinterpretation of Ezekiel 22:27 is to apply it selectively as a blanket condemnation of all modern political leaders or governments without recognizing its specific prophetic context as God's oracle against ancient Israel's unfaithful princes amid covenant betrayal and idolatry, leading to anachronistic partisanship; another error is viewing the 'wolves' imagery as endorsing vigilantism or revolution against authority, whereas the passage emphasizes divine accountability and repentance rather than human retaliation.

Ezekiel 22:27 condemns the corrupt leaders of Jerusalem, likening them to ravenous wolves who exploit and oppress the people for personal profit, shedding blood and destroying lives through injustice; the core truth underscores God's righteous judgment against predatory authority that prioritizes dishonest gain over the welfare of the vulnerable, calling for leaders to embody justice, mercy, and integrity instead.

A frequent misinterpretation of Ezekiel 22:28 treats the imagery of "untempered morter" as a literal condemnation of shoddy construction practices rather than a metaphor for false prophets whitewashing the sins of corrupt leaders in ancient Judah with baseless assurances of divine favor, akin to slapping unstable plaster on a crumbling wall that will soon collapse under God's judgment. Some modern readers apply it selectively to contemporary preachers they dislike, ignoring the broader context of Ezekiel's oracle against Jerusalem's systemic idolatry, injustice, and moral decay in the 6th century BC, while overlooking the command elsewhere in Scripture to test all prophecies against God's revealed word. Others dismiss prophetic ministry altogether, missing that the verse distinguishes true divine speech from fabricated lies, emphasizing accountability rather than banning prophecy.

In Ezekiel 22:28, God condemns Jerusalem's false prophets for whitewashing the people's sins with superficial assurances of peace, using the imagery of "untempered morter" to depict their unstable, deceptive coverings over moral cracks that masked impending divine judgment. Instead of proclaiming God's truth and calling for repentance, these prophets peddled vain visions and lies, lulling the nation into false security with cries of "Peace; and there was no peace," highlighting the core truth that spiritual leaders who prioritize comfort over conviction enable destruction and betray their divine calling.

Misinterpretations of Ezekiel 22:29 often include treating it as mere ancient history irrelevant to today, ignoring its enduring principle against exploiting the marginalized; others wrongly apply it to vilify specific modern groups like the wealthy or immigrants without self-examination, or detach it from the broader context of Judah's covenant rebellion, reducing it to generic social commentary rather than a prophetic warning of divine accountability.

Ezekiel 22:29 reveals the depth of corruption in Judah, where even ordinary people oppressed the poor, needy, and foreigners through robbery and extortion, demonstrating how sin infiltrates all social strata and invites God's judgment on a society that fails to uphold justice and mercy toward the vulnerable.

This verse is often misinterpreted as a universal call-to-action for contemporary Christians to engage in aggressive 'spiritual warfare' by 'standing in the gap' against demonic forces or societal evils through prayer, ignoring its specific context as God's lament over the absence of prophetic or leadership intercession amid Israel's covenant violations; such views promote a self-appointed heroism that bypasses Christ's role as the ultimate High Priest and Mediator, potentially fostering prideful individualism rather than humble reliance on God's sovereign purposes and grace.

In Ezekiel 22:30, God reveals His longing for a single righteous individual among the corrupt people of Jerusalem who would intercede like one repairing a broken wall, standing in the gap to plead for mercy and avert the city's destruction due to its pervasive idolatry, injustice, and bloodshed; this underscores the power of faithful mediation in covenant relationships and the profound tragedy of humanity's failure to respond to divine appeals for repentance, leading inexorably to judgment when no such advocate is found.

Misinterpretations of Ezekiel 22:31 often include applying its imagery of 'fire of wrath' as a description of eternal hell for all unbelievers today, ignoring its specific historical context of temporal judgment on ancient Israel's covenant violations; portraying God solely as vengeful without balancing His mercy and repeated calls to repentance throughout Scripture; or using it to endorse human vengeance or political retribution, misconstruing divine sovereignty over judgment as permission for personal or national aggression.

Ezekiel 22:31 declares God's righteous judgment on Jerusalem's corrupt leaders and people for their idolatry, injustice, and bloodshed, culminating in His pouring out indignation like consuming fire upon them, ensuring they receive the exact consequences of their own sinful ways as divine retribution, underscoring the principle that God holds societies accountable for systemic wickedness and enforces justice when repentance fails.