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 for[e] shattering in his hand; and one man was in the midst of them, dressed in linen, and the[f] 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 on[g] 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 house[q] 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.”
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 9:1 Literally “to say”
- Ezekiel 9:1 Or “Come near” (imperative)
- Ezekiel 9:2 Literally “the gate of the upper”
- Ezekiel 9:2 Literally “faced north + directive”
- Ezekiel 9:2 Or “of”
- Ezekiel 9:2 Or “his”
- Ezekiel 9:3 Hebrew “which he was on it”
- Ezekiel 9:3 That is, the temple
- Ezekiel 9:3 Literally “whom a writing case of a scribe was at his side”
- Ezekiel 9:4 Literally “the men the groaning and the lamenting”
- Ezekiel 9:4 Literally “the being done”
- Ezekiel 9:6 Literally “to destruction”
- Ezekiel 9:6 Literally “upon”
- Ezekiel 9:6 Literally “which is on him the mark”
- Ezekiel 9:6 Literally “were to the face of”
- Ezekiel 9:6 That is, the temple
- Ezekiel 9:7 Or “temple”
- Ezekiel 9:8 Literally “and it was”
- Ezekiel 9:8 Literally “in their striking”
- Ezekiel 9:8 Literally “when pouring out your rage”
- Ezekiel 9:9 Literally “with very very”
- Ezekiel 9:9 Literally “not Yahweh is seeing
- Ezekiel 9:11 Literally “which/whom the writing-case was at his side”
- Ezekiel 9:11 Literally “to say”