The Wicked Are Slain

9 Then He called out in my hearing with a loud voice, saying, “Let those who have charge over the city draw near, each with a ^[a]deadly weapon in his hand.” ² And suddenly six men came from the direction of the upper gate, which faces north, each with his ^[b]battle-ax in his hand. ^(A)One man among them was clothed with linen and had a writer’s inkhorn ^[c]at his side. They went in and stood beside the bronze altar.

³ Now ^(B)the glory of the God of Israel had gone up from the cherub, where it had been, to the threshold of the ^[d]temple. And He called to the man clothed with linen, who had the writer’s inkhorn at his side; ⁴ and the Lord said to him, “Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and put ^(C)a mark on the foreheads of the men ^(D)who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within it.”

⁵ To the others He said in my ^[e]hearing, “Go after him through the city and ^(E)kill;^{[f] (F)}do not let your eye spare, nor have any pity. ^6 (G)Utterly^[g] slay old and young men, maidens and little children and women; but ^(H)do not come near anyone on whom is the mark; and ^(I)begin at My sanctuary.” ^(J)So they began with the elders who were before the ^[h]temple. ⁷ Then He said to them, “Defile the ^[i]temple, and fill the courts with the slain. Go out!” And they went out and killed in the city.

⁸ So it was, that while they were killing them, I was left alone; and I ^(K)fell on my face and cried out, and said, ^(L)“Ah, Lord God! Will You destroy all the remnant of Israel in pouring out Your fury on Jerusalem?”

⁹ Then He said to me, “The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great, and ^(M)the land is full of bloodshed, and the city full of perversity; for they say, ^(N)‘The Lord has forsaken the land, and ^(O)the Lord does not see!’ ¹⁰ And as for Me also, My ^(P)eye will neither spare, nor will I have pity, but ^(Q)I will recompense their deeds on their own head.”

¹¹ Just then, the man clothed with linen, who had the inkhorn at his side, reported back and said, “I have done as You commanded me.”