Then he cried in my ears with a loud voice, saying, Cause those who are in charge of the city to draw near, every man with his destroying weapon in his hand.
Behold, six men came from the way of the upper gate, which lies toward the north, every man with his slaughter weapon in his hand; and one man in the midst of them clothed in linen, with a writer's inkhorn by his side. They went in, and stood beside the bronze altar.
The glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon it was, to the threshold of the house: and he called to the man clothed in linen, who had the writer's inkhorn by his side.
Yahweh said to him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark on the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry over all the abominations that are done in its midst.
To the others he said in my hearing, Go through the city after him, and strike: don't let your eye spare, neither have pity;
kill utterly the old man, the young man and the virgin, and little children and women; but don't come near any man on whom is the mark: and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the old men that were before the house.
He said to them, Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain. Go forth! They went forth, and struck in the city.
It happened, while they were smiting, and I was left, that I fell on my face, and cried, and said, Ah Lord Yahweh! will you destroy all the residue of Israel in your pouring out of your wrath on Jerusalem?
Then he said to me, The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great, and the land is full of blood, and the city full of perversion: for they say, Yahweh has forsaken the land, and Yahweh doesn't see.
As for me also, my eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity, but I will bring their way on their head.
Behold, the man clothed in linen, who had the inkhorn by his side, reported the matter, saying, I have done as you have commanded me.
Canonical academic citations for Ezekiel 9 (WEB) — copy in your preferred format.
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God summons six executioners with weapons and a man in linen with an inkhorn to mark foreheads of those sighing over abominations for sparing; the executioners are to slay all others without pity, starting from the sanctuary (elders first). Ezekiel protests the slaughter; God affirms it's due to iniquity and violence, with no mercy; the linen man reports the marking done, as God's glory begins departing from the temple threshold.
Symbolic actions and visions offering judgment and future hope.
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