9 Then in my hearing he called out loudly: Draw near, you guardians of the city, and bring your weapons of destruction! ² Suddenly, six men came from the Upper Gate that faces north. All of them were holding weapons of destruction. Among them was another man who was dressed in linen and had a writing case at his side. When they came in and stood beside the bronze altar, ³ the glory of Israel’s God rose from above the winged creatures^[a] where he had been and moved toward the temple’s threshold. The Lord called to the man who was dressed in linen with the writing case at his side: ⁴ Go through the city, through Jerusalem, and mark the foreheads of those who sigh and groan because of all the detestable practices that have been conducted in it. ⁵ To the others he said in my hearing: Go through the city after him, and attack. Spare no one! Be merciless! ⁶ Kill them all, old men, young men and women, babies and mothers. Only don’t touch anyone who has the mark. Begin at my sanctuary. So they began with the men, the elders in front of the temple. ⁷ He said to them: Make the temple unclean! Fill the courts with the slain! Go! And they went out and attacked the city.

⁸ While they were attacking, I was left alone. I fell on my face, and I cried out, “Oh, Lord God! When you pour out your wrath on Jerusalem, will you destroy all that is left of Israel?”

⁹ He said to me: “Judah and the house of Israel are very, very guilty. The land is filled with blood, and the city is full of injustice. They have said, ‘The Lord has forsaken the land; the Lord sees nothing.’ ¹⁰ I most definitely won’t spare or pity anyone! I will hold them accountable for their ways.”

¹¹ Just then the man who was dressed in linen with the writing case at his side returned and said, “I’ve done just as you commanded.”