Ezekiel 9

¹ Then he shouted loudly for me to hear, 'The scourges of the city are approaching, each carrying hisweapon of destruction!'

² Immediately six men advanced from the upper north gate, each holding a deadly weapon. Among themwas a man dressed in linen, with a scribe's ink-horn in his belt. They came in and halted in front of the bronzealtar.

³ The glory of the God of Israel rose from above the winged creature where it had been, towards thethreshold of the Temple. He cal ed to the man dressed in linen with a scribe's ink-horn in his belt

⁴ and Yahweh said to him, 'Go al through the city, al through Jerusalem, and mark a cross on theforeheads of all who grieve and lament over al the loathsome practices in it.'

⁵ I heard him say to the others, 'Fol ow him through the city and strike. Not one glance of pity; show nomercy;

⁶ old men, young men, girls, children, women, kil and exterminate them al . But do not touch anyone witha cross on his forehead. Begin at my sanctuary.' So they began with the old men who were in the Temple.

⁷ He said to them, 'Defile the Temple; fill the courts with corpses; then go out!' They went out and hackedtheir way through the city.

⁸ While they were hacking them down, I was left alone; I fel on my face, crying out, 'Ah, Lord Yahweh,are you going to annihilate al that is left of Israel by venting your fury on Jerusalem?'

⁹ He said, 'The guilt of the House of Israel and Judah is immense; the country is ful of bloodshed, the cityful of perversity, for they say, "Yahweh has abandoned the country, Yahweh cannot see."

¹⁰ Then, I too shal neither give one glance of pity nor show any mercy. I shal repay them for what theyhave done.'

¹¹ The man dressed in linen with the scribe's ink-horn in his belt then came back and made his report, 'Ihave carried out your orders.'