Yahweh’s Avenging Messenger Destroys the Wicked in the City

9 And he called in my ears with a loud voice, ⌊saying⌋,a “They have come near,b the punishers of the city, and each with his weapon of destruction in his hand. 2 And look! Six men coming from the way of ⌊the upper gate⌋c that faced ⌊northward⌋,d and each with his weapon fore shattering in his hand; and one man was in the midst of them, dressed in linen, and thef writing case of the scribe was at his side. And they came and stood beside the bronze altar. 3 And the glory of the God of Israel lifted itself up from upon the cherub that he was ong and went to the threshold of the house,h and he called to the man who was clothed in linen ⌊with a scribal writing case at his side⌋.i 4 And Yahweh said to him, “Go through in the midst of the city, in the midst of Jerusalem, and you must place a mark on the foreheads of the men ⌊who are groaning and lamenting⌋j about all of the detestable things ⌊that are being done⌋k in the midst of her.” 5 And to the others he said in my hearing, “Go through the city behind him and kill! Your eyes shall not take pity, and you shall not have compassion. 6 You must kill ⌊totally⌋l old man, young man and young woman, and little children and women, but ⌊concerning⌋m every man ⌊with the mark on him⌋n you must not approach; and from my sanctuary you must begin.” And they began with the old men who ⌊were before⌋o the house.p 7 And he said to them, “Defile the houseq and fill the courtyards with the dead; go out! And they went out, and they killed in the city. 8 ⌊And then⌋r ⌊as they were striking⌋,s and I was left behind, I fell on my face, and I cried out, and I said, “Ah, Lord Yahweh! “Will you be destroying all of the remnant of Israel ⌊while you pour out your rage⌋t on Jerusalem?” 9 And he said to me, “The guilt of the house of Israel and Judah is ⌊exceedingly⌋u great, and the land is filled with bloodguilt, and the city is full of injustice. For they say Yahweh abandoned the land, and ⌊Yahweh does not see⌋.v 10 And I, my eye will not take pity, and I will not have compassion; their way I will bring on their head.” 11 And look! The man clothed in linen and ⌊with a writing case at his side⌋w was bringing back a word, ⌊saying⌋,x “I have done all that you commanded me.”

God’s Presence Leaves the Temple

10 And I looked, and look! On the expanse that was above the head of the cherubim something like a stone of sapphire,a and like the appearance of the shape of a throne it appeared above them. 2 And he spokeb to the man clothed in linen and said, “Go ⌊in among the wheel area under the cherubim⌋c and fill the hollow of your hands with coals of fire from among the cherubim, and toss them on the city.” And he went right before my eyes. 3 Nowd the cherubim were standing on the south of the temple ⌊when the man went⌋,e and the cloud filled the inner courtyard. 4 And the glory of Yahweh rose up from on the cherub towardf the threshold of the house,g and the househ was filled with the cloud, and the courtyard was filled with the brightness of the glory of Yahweh. 5 And the sound of the wings of the cherubim was heard ⌊as far as⌋i the outer courtyard; it was like the voice of God Shaddaij ⌊when he speaks⌋.k

6 And then at his commandl to the man clothed in linen, ⌊saying⌋,m “Take fire from among the wheel area from among the cherubim,” he went and stood beside the wheel. 7 Then the cherub stretched out his hand from amongn the cherubim toward the fire that was amongo the cherubim, and he lifted up and gavep it into the hollow of the hand of the man clothed with linen, and he took it, and he went out.

8 And there appeared forq the cherubim the form of ⌊a human hand⌋r under their wings. 9 And I saw, and look, four wheels beside the cherubim, ⌊one wheel beside each cherub⌋,s and the appearance of the wheels was like the outward appearance of ⌊turquoise stone⌋.t 10 Their appearanceu ⌊was the same for each of the four of them⌋,v as if the wheel was in the midst of a wheel. 11 ⌊When they went⌋w to the four of their directions that they went, they did not change direction ⌊when they went⌋,x for the place to which the heady turned, they went behind him; they did not change direction at their going. 12 And ⌊their whole body⌋,z and their rims, and their spokes, and their wings, and the wheels were full of eyes all around—⌊the wheels for the four of them⌋.a 13 Concerning the wheels, he was calling them “the wheelwork” ⌊in my hearing⌋.b 14 And ⌊each one had four faces⌋;c the face of the one was the face of a cherub, and the face of the second was the face of a human, and the face of the third was the face of a lion, and the fourth was the face of an eagle.

15 And the cherubim rose; that is, the living creaturesd that I saw at the ⌊Kebar River⌋.e 16 And ⌊when the cherubim went⌋,f the wheels beside them went; and ⌊when the cherubim lifted their wings to rise up from the earth⌋,g the wheels also did not turn aside from beside them. 17 ⌊When they stood⌋,h they stood, and at their rising, they rose with them, for the spirit of the living creatures was in them. 18 And the glory of Yahweh went out fromi the threshold of the temple, and it stood above the cherubim. 19 And the cherubim lifted up their wings, and they rose from the earth before my eyes. At their going out, the wheels werej beside them. And he stood at the doorway of the eastern gate of the templek of Yahweh, and the glory of the God of Israel ⌊was over them⌋.l

20 This wasm the living creature that I saw under the God of Israel at the ⌊Kebar River⌋,n and I knew that they were cherubim. 21 ⌊Each one had four faces⌋,o and there were four wings for each, and the likeness of ⌊human hands⌋p was under their wings. 22 And the likeness of their faces, they were the faces that I saw at the ⌊Kebar River⌋;q thus was their appearance, and they each went ⌊straight ahead⌋.r