Old Testament · Prophets

Ezekiel chapter 9

Then he called out in my hearing with a voice that shook the air: “Bring forward those the city— each one gripping a .”And there they came—six figures approaching from the direction of the , the one facing north, each carrying a crushing weapon in hand. Among them stood one , with a strapped at his side. They entered and took their place beside the .Now the of the God of Israel had risen from above the where it rested and moved to the threshold of the temple. He called out to the one dressed in linen, the one with the scribe’s writing kit at his side.And said to him: “Walk through the city—through the heart of Jerusalem— and the foreheads of those who over all the happening within it.”And to the others he said, within my hearing: “Follow him through the city and strike. . Do not hold back.”“Slaughter them all, old men, young men, young women, children, and mothers alike, until there is nothing left. But anyone with the mark on their forehead: do not touch them. Begin at .” So they began with the elders who stood before the temple.Then he said to them: “. Fill its courtyards with the dead. Go.” And they went out and began striking throughout the city.And while they were striking them down, I was left alone. I and cried out: “Please, ! Are you going to destroy every last person left in Israel as you on Jerusalem?”He said to me: “The of the house of Israel and Judah is immense— beyond anything you can measure. The land is , and the city is . They keep saying, ‘. Yahweh doesn’t see.’”“So as for me—, and I will not hold back. I will bring what they have done right back down on their own heads.”Then the one dressed in linen, with the writing kit at his side, : “I have done .”