Ezekiel 9

1 And He cries [with] a loud voice in my ears, saying, “Inspectors of the city have drawn near, and each [with] his destroying weapon in his hand.”

Then I heard him shout out with a loud voice, “Start the attack, you who are in charge of punishing Jerusalem! Pick up your weapons!”

2 And behold, six men are coming from the way of the upper gate, that is facing the north, and each [with] his slaughter-weapon in his hand, and one man in their midst is clothed with linen, and a scribe’s inkhorn at his loins, and they come in, and stand near the bronze altar.

I watched as six men approached from the upper gate that faces north. All of them were carrying battle axes. There was another man with them. He was dressed in linen and had a scribe's writing kit at his side. They entered and stood next to the bronze altar.

3 And the glory of the God of Israel has gone up from off the cherub, on which it has been, to the threshold of the house.

The glory of the God of Israel rose from its usual place on the cherubim and went over to the Temple entrance. The Lord called out to the man dressed in linen with the writing kit,

4 And He calls to the man who is clothed with linen, who has the scribe’s inkhorn at his loins, and YHWH says to him, “Pass on into the midst of the city, into the midst of Jerusalem, and you have made a mark on the foreheads of the men who are sighing and who are groaning for all the abominations that are done in its midst.”

“Go through the whole the city of Jerusalem and place a mark on the foreheads of those who sighing and mourning at all the disgusting sins that are done there.”

5 And to the others he said in my ears, “Pass on into the city after him, and strike; your eye does not pity, nor do you spare;

Then I heard him tell the others, “Follow him all through the city and start killing people. Don't be kind or merciful to anyone!

6 aged, young man, and virgin, and infant, and women, you slay—to destruction; and against any man on whom [is] the mark you do not go near, and you begin from My sanctuary.”

Kill the old men, the young men and girls, the women and children, but do not go anywhere near those who have the mark. Start at my sanctuary.” So they started by killing the elders who were in front of the Temple.

7 And they begin among the aged men who [are] before the house, and He says to them, “Defile the house, and fill the courts with the wounded, go forth.” And they have gone forth and have struck in the city.

Then he told them, “Make the Temple unclean and fill the courtyards with dead bodies. Go ahead and do it!” So they went and started killing all through the city.

8 And it comes to pass, as they are striking, and I am left—that I fall on my face, and cry, and say, “Aah! Lord YHWH, are You destroying all the remnant of Israel, in Your pouring out Your wrath on Jerusalem?”

While they were busy killing people, I was left by myself. I fell facedown to the ground and cried out, “Lord God, when you pour out your anger on Jerusalem, are you going to destroy everyone who's left in Israel?”

9 And He says to me, “The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah [is] very, very great, and the land is full of blood, and the city has been full of perverseness, for they have said: YHWH has forsaken the land, and YHWH is not seeing.

“The sins of the people of Israel and Judah are really terrible,” he replied. “The whole country is full of murderers, and those living in the city are criminals. They're saying, ‘The Lord has given up on our country. He can't see what we're doing.’

10 And I also, My eye does not pity, nor do I spare; I have put their way on their own head.”

But I certainly won't be kind to them or have mercy on them. I will make sure they suffer the consequences of what they've done.”

11 And behold, the man clothed with linen, at whose loins [is] the inkhorn, is bringing back word, saying, “I have done as You have commanded me.”

Then the man in linen with the writing kit returned and reported, “I've done what you told me to do.”