Ezekiel 9

1 Then I heard Yahweh call out loudly, “[You men who are going to punish this city, ] bring here the guards of the city, each carrying a weapon.”

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.”

2 Then I saw six men coming from the north gate of the temple area. Each one was carrying a weapon. With them was a man wearing a white linen robe. [carried] at his side a case containing things to write with. They [all] came into the temple and stood beside the bronze altar.

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.

3 [Then] the (glory/dazzling light) [that symbolized the presence] of the God of Israel rose up from above the four winged creatures and moved to the entrance of the temple. Then Yahweh called to the man wearing the linen robe,

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.

4 and said to him, “Go throughout Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of those who are very sad [DOU] because of the detestable things that are being done inside the city.”

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.”

5 While I was listening, he said to the other six men, “Follow the man wearing the white robe, and kill people. Do not pity them or act mercifully toward them.

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;

6 Slaughter old men, young men and women, older women and children, but do not harm any of those who have that mark on their forehead. Start at my temple.” So they began by killing the elders who were [worshiping idols] in front of the temple.

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.”

7 Then Yahweh said to those men, “Pollute the temple by filling the [with the corpses of those whom] you kill! Start now!” So they went out and starting killing people throughout the city.

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.

8 While they were doing that, I was left alone. I prostrated myself on the ground and cried out, “Yahweh my Lord, are you going to get rid of all the people of Israel and Judah who are still alive, while you are severely punishing [MTY] [the people of] Jerusalem?”

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?”

9 He replied, “The sins of the people [MTY] of Israel and Judah are extremely great. People are murdered [MTY] everywhere [in this country], and this city is full of [people who act] unjustly. They say, ‘Yahweh has abandoned this country, and he does not [what we are doing].’

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.

10 [So] I will not pity them or act mercifully toward them. I will do to them the evil things that they have done to other people.”

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

11 Then the man wearing the linen robe returned, saying, “I have done what you commanded me to do.”

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.”