Ezekiel 9:1-11
9 And he proceeded to call out in my ears with a loud voice, saying: “HAVE those giving their attention to the city come near, each one with his weapon in his hand for bringing ruin!”
2 And, look! there were six men* coming from the direction of the upper+ gate that faces to the north, each one with his weapon for smashing in his hand; and there was one man* in among them clothed with linen,+ with a secretary’s inkhorn* at his hips, and they proceeded to come in and stand beside the copper altar.+
3 And as regards the glory of the God* of Israel,+ it was taken up from over the cherubs*+ over which it happened to be to the threshold of the house,+ and he began calling out to the man* that was clothed with the linen,+ at whose hips there was the secretary’s inkhorn.
4 And Jehovah went on to say to him: “Pass through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and you must put a mark* on the foreheads of the men that are sighing and groaning+ over all the detestable things that are being done in the midst of it.”+
5 And to these [others] he said in my ears: “Pass through the city after him and strike. Let not your eye feel sorry, and do not feel any compassion.+
6 Old man, young man and virgin and little child and women+ YOU should kill off—to a ruination. But to any man upon whom there is the mark do not go near,+ and from my sanctuary YOU should start.”+ So they started with the old men* that were before the house.+
7 And he said further to them: “Defile the house and fill the courtyards with the slain ones.+ Go forth!” And they went forth and struck in the city.
8 And it came about that, while they were striking and I was left remaining, I proceeded to fall upon my face+ and cry out and say: “Alas,+ O Sovereign Lord Jehovah! Are you bringing to ruin all the remaining ones of Israel while you are pouring out your rage upon Jerusalem?”+
9 So he said to me: “The error of the house of Israel and Judah+ is very, very great,+ and the land is filled with bloodshed*+ and the city is full of crookedness;+ for they have said, ‘Jehovah has left the land,*+ and Jehovah is not seeing.’*+
10 And as for me also, my eye will not feel sorry,+ neither shall I show compassion.+ Their way I shall certainly bring upon their own head.”+
11 And, look! the man* clothed with the linen, at whose hips there was the inkhorn,* was bringing back word, saying: “I have done just as you have commanded me.”+
Footnotes
^ Or, “writing case.”
^ “And there was one man.” Heb., weʼish-ʼe·chadhʹ.
^ “Men.” Heb., ʼana·shimʹ, pl. of ʼish.
^ “God of.” Heb., ʼElo·hehʹ.
^ Lit., “the cherub.” Heb., hak·keruvʹ, sing. but likely in a collective sense. This is the first occurrence of the word in Eze. See 1:22-28.
^ “The man.” Heb., ha·ʼishʹ.
^ Lit., “you must mark a mark.” The Heb. word for the noun “mark” is taw, the last letter of the Heb. alphabet, which was anciently a cross mark (×). See Job 31:35 where taw is translated “signature.”
^ “With the old men.” Heb., ba·ʼana·shimʹ haz·zeqe·nimʹ.
^ Or, “the earth.” Heb., ha·ʼaʹrets.
^ Or, “deeds of blood.” Lit., “bloods.” Heb., da·mimʹ.
^ “The man.” Heb., ha·ʼishʹ.
^ Or, “writing case.”
