They asked wisdom:[1] “How shall the soul that sins be absolved?”
She answered: “The soul that sins, it shall die.” (Yechezkel 18:4)
They asked prophecy and she answered: “Evil will pursue the sinners.” (Mishlei 13:21)
They asked Torah and she answered “Let him bring a sacrifice and be absolved.”
[Finally,] they asked G-d who answered: “Let him repent and be absolved.”
This is the intention of the verse (Tehillim, 25:8) “The Lord is good and upright; therefore, He leads sinners on the road.”
[1] Jerusalem Talmud, Makot 2:6. There are slight variations of order dependent on the manuscripts.
