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.”

And he called before my ears with a loud voice, saying, Let those come near that have charge to punish the city, and every man with his destroying weapon in his hand.

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.

And, behold, six men came from the direction of the upper gate, which is turned toward the north, and every man with his weapon of destruction in his hand; and one man in the midst of them was clothed in linen, with a writer's materials by his side: and they went in, and placed themselves beside the copper 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.

And the glory of the God of Israel ascended up from the cherub, whereupon it had been, to the threshold of the house. And he called to the man clothed in linen, who had the writer's materials by his side.

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.”

And the Lord said unto him, Pass through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and inscribe a mark upon the foreheads of the men who sigh and who complain because of all the abominations which are done in the midst of it.

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;

And to the others he said before my ears, Pass ye through the city after him, and smite: let your eye not look with pity, and do not spare;

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.”

The aged, youth, and virgin, and little children, and women shall ye slay and destroy; but come not near any man upon whom the mark is; and at my sanctuary shall ye begin. Then they began with the ancient men who were before the house.

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.

And he said unto them, Make unclean the house, and fill the courts with the slain: go forth. And they went forth, and they smote in 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?”

And it came to pass, while they were smiting them, and I alone was left, that I fell upon my face, and cried out, and said, Ah Lord Eternal! wilt thou destroy all the residue of Israel when thou pourest out thy fury over Jerusalem?

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.

Then said he unto me, The iniquity of the house of Israel and of Judah is exceedingly great, and the land is full of blood-guiltiness, and the city full of injustice; for they have said, The Lord hath forsaken the land, and the Lord seeth not.

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

And as for me also, my eye shall not look with pity, and I will not spare; but I will bring their course upon their own head.

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.”

And, behold, the man clothed in linen, who had the writing materials by his side, brought back word, saying, I have done according to all that thou hast commanded me.