As for me, my eye will not spare, nor will I have pity: As for me renders a Hebrew construction that gives emphasis to the first person pronoun me. It draws a stark contrast between what the people were saying and doing and what God will do. Some translations try to reflect this construction; for example, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh has “I, in turn,” but most do not retain it explicitly. They leave it to the reader to know where to place additional emphasis; for example, Good News Translation renders the first half of this verse as “But I will not have pity on them.” The reader of this clause in Good News Translation must know to stress the pronoun “I” to make the contrast with the people. Each language has its own way of marking such contrast and emphasis. One common way is “For my part, I will not have pity on anyone or spare them from punishment.” For my eye will not spare, nor will I have pity, see 5.11 and 7.4.

But I will requite their deeds upon their heads is a vivid figurative expression of God imposing an appropriate punishment on the wicked people of Judah. Requite means to repay or pay back. Their deeds (literally “their way” [King James Version]) may be rendered “their way of life,” “their conduct” (New American Standard Bible, Revised English Bible, New American Bible), or “what they have done” (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible). International Children’s Bible says “their evil acts,” which makes the wickedness of their actions explicit. God decrees that he will bring their wicked actions back upon their heads, thus punishing them in the way they deserve. Each language will need to find a natural expression for the sort of punishment that is particularly appropriate to the crime committed. The tense of the Hebrew verb rendered will requite is not future, although almost all the translations render it so. In Hebrew the verb is a simple past, which gives the impression of a judgment already given (for example, “I have brought their evil deeds upon their heads”), or the actual declaration of the judgment (for example, “I hereby bring their evil deeds on their heads”). A possible model for this clause is “They hereby suffer the consequences for their behavior [or, conduct].”

Quoted with permission from Gross, Carl & Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on Ezekiel. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .