9:1 Then He cried loudly in my hearing¹ with a loud voice, saying “Draw near executioners of the city, each with his weapon of destruction in his hand.” 9:2 And six men² were coming from the way of the upper gate³ which faces north, and each had his shattering weapon in his hand. And one man among them was clothed in linen with a writing kit⁴ at his side. They came and stood beside the bronze altar. 9:3 Then the glory of the God of Israel went up from the cherub on which it rested to the threshold of house. He called to the man dressed in linen who had the writing kit at his side. 9:4 And the LORD said to him, “Go through in the midst of the city, in the midst of Jerusalem and put a mark⁵ on the foreheads of the men who moan and groan over all the abominations committed in her midst.” 9:5 To the others he said in my hearing,⁶ “Go through the city after him and smite, your eye will not pity and you will not spare. 9:6 You will slay old men, young men, virgins, little children and women in order to destroy them,⁷ but every man which has the mark, do not touch; and begin at my sanctuary.” So they began with the elders which were at the front of the house.⁸ 9:7 He said to them, “Defile the house and fill the courts with the slain. Go!” So they went out and smote the city. 9:8 And while they were killing I was left alone and I fell on my face and cried out saying, “Alas Lord GOD! will you destroy all the remnant of Israel when you pour out your wrath on Jerusalem?” 9:9 He said to me, “The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great, and the earth is filled with blood, and the city is full of perversion⁹ for they say ‘the LORD has abandoned the land and the LORD does not see.’¹⁰ 9:10 But as for me, my eye will not pity and I will not spare; I will set their way on their head.”¹¹ 9:11 Then the man clothed in linen who had the kit at his side brought back word saying: “I have done as you commanded me.”