Ezekiel 9

CHAPTER 9

The Vision of Yahweh’s Wrath

¹Then He cried out in my hearing with a loud ^avoice saying, “Draw near, ¹O executioners of the city, each with his destroying weapon in his hand.”

²And behold, six men were coming from the direction of the upper gate which faces north, each with his shattering weapon in his hand; and among them was ^aa certain man clothed in linen with a ¹scribe’s case at his loins. And they went in and stood beside the bronze altar.

³Then the ^aglory of the God of Israel went up from the cherub on which it had been, to the threshold of the house of Yahweh. And He called to the man clothed in linen at whose loins was the ¹scribe’s case.

⁴Yahweh said to him, “Go through the midst of the city, even through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a ^amark on the foreheads of the men who ^bsigh and groan over all the abominations which are being done in its midst.”

⁵But to the others He said in my hearing, “Go through the city after him and strike; do not let your eye have pity and do not spare.

⁶“^aKill to utter destruction old men, chosen men, virgins, little ones, and women, but do not ^btouch any man on whom is the mark; and you shall ^cstart from My sanctuary.” So they started with the ¹elders who were before the house.

⁷And He said to them, “^aDefile the house and fill the courts with the slain. Go out!” Thus they went out and struck down the people in the city.

⁸Now it happened as they were striking the people and I alone remained, that I ^afell on my face and cried out and said, “^bAlas, Lord Yahweh! Are You destroying the whole remnant of Israel ¹by pouring out Your wrath on Jerusalem?”

⁹Then He said to me, “The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is very, very great, and the land is ^afilled with bloodshed, and the city is ^bfull of perversion; for ^cthey say, ‘Yahweh has forsaken the land, and Yahweh does not see!’

¹⁰“But as for Me, ^aMy eye will have no pity, nor will I spare, but ^bI will put their way upon their heads.”

¹¹Then behold, the man clothed in linen at whose loins was the scribe’s ¹case responded with a word, saying, “I have done just as You have commanded me.”