Then He cried out in my ¹presence with a loud ^avoice, saying, “Come forward, you ²executioners of the city, each with his weapon of destruction in his hand.” 2 And behold, six men came from the direction of the upper gate which faces north, each with his smashing weapon in his hand; and among them was ^aone man clothed in linen with a scribe’s kit at his waist. And they came in and stood beside the bronze altar.

3 Then the ^aglory of the God of Israel ascended from the cherub on which it had been, to the threshold of the ¹temple. And He called to the man clothed in linen at whose waist was the scribe’s kit. 4 And the LORD said to him, “Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and make a ^amark on the foreheads of the people who ^bgroan and sigh over all the abominations which are being committed in its midst.” 5 But to the others He said in my ¹presence, “Go through the city after him and strike; do not let your eye have pity and do not spare. 6 ¹Utterly ^akill old men, young men, female virgins, little children, and women, but do not ^btouch any person on whom is the mark; and you shall ^cstart from My sanctuary.” So they started with the ²elders who were before the ³temple. 7 He also said to them, “^aDefile the ¹temple and fill the courtyards with the dead. Go out!” So they went out and struck and killed the people in the city. 8 And as they were striking the people and I alone was left, I ^afell on my face and cried out, ¹saying, “^bOh, Lord ²GOD! Are You going to destroy the entire remnant of Israel ³by pouring out Your wrath on Jerusalem?”

9 Then He said to me, “The guilt of the house of Israel and Judah is very, very great, and the land is ^afilled with blood, and the city is ^bfull of perversion; for ^cthey say, ‘The LORD has abandoned the land, and the LORD does not see!’ 10 But as for Me, ^aMy eye will have no pity nor will I spare, but ^bI will bring their conduct upon their heads.”

11 Then behold, the man clothed in linen, at whose waist was the scribe’s kit, ¹reported, saying, “I have done just as You have commanded me.”