Vision of Slaughter in Jerusalem

9 Then he called loudly in my hearing, “Come near, executioners of the city, each of you with a destructive weapon in his hand.” ² And I saw six men coming from the direction of the Upper Gate,^(A) which faces north, each with a war club in his hand. There was another man among them, clothed in linen,^(B) carrying writing equipment. They came and stood beside the bronze altar.

³ Then the glory of the God of Israel^(C) rose from above the cherub where it had been, to the threshold of the temple. He called to the man clothed in linen and carrying writing equipment. ⁴ “Pass throughout the city of Jerusalem,” the Lord said to him, “and put a mark on the foreheads^(D) of the men who sigh and groan^(E) over all the detestable practices committed in it.”

⁵ He spoke to the others in my hearing: “Pass through the city after him and start killing; do not show pity or spare them!^{(F) 6} Slaughter the old men, the young men and women, as well as the children and older women,^(G) but do not come near anyone who has the mark.^(H) Begin at my sanctuary.”^(I) So they began with the elders who were in front of the temple. ⁷ Then he said to them, “Defile the temple and fill the courts with the slain.^(J) Go!” So they went out killing people in the city.

⁸ While they were killing, I was left alone. And I fell facedown and cried out, “Oh, Lord God!^(K) Are you going to destroy the entire remnant of Israel when you pour out your wrath on Jerusalem?”

⁹ He answered me, “The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is extremely great; the land is full of bloodshed,^(L) and the city full of perversity. For they say, ‘The Lord has abandoned the land;^(M) he does not see.’^{(N) 10} But as for me, I will not show pity or spare them.^(O) I will bring their conduct down on their own heads.”^(P)

¹¹ Then the man clothed in linen and carrying writing equipment reported back, “I have done all that you commanded me.”

God’s Glory Leaves the Temple

10 Then I looked, and there above the expanse over the heads^(Q) of the cherubim was something like a throne with the appearance of lapis lazuli. ² The Lord spoke to the man clothed in linen and said, “Go inside the wheelwork beneath the cherubim. Fill your hands with blazing coals from among the cherubim and scatter them over the city.”^(R) So he went in as I watched.

³ Now the cherubim were standing to the south of the temple when the man went in, and the cloud^(S) filled the inner court.^{(T) 4} Then the glory of the Lord rose from above the cherub to the threshold of the temple.^(U) The temple was filled with the cloud,^(V) and the court was filled with the brightness of the Lord’s glory.^{(W) 5} The sound of the cherubim’s wings could be heard as far as the outer court; it was like the voice of God Almighty when he speaks.

⁶ After the Lord commanded the man clothed in linen, saying, “Take fire from inside the wheelwork, from among the cherubim,” the man went in and stood beside a wheel. ⁷ Then the cherub reached out his hand to the fire that was among them. He took some and put it into the hands of the man clothed in linen, who took it and went out. ⁸ The cherubim appeared to have the form of human hands under their wings.^(X)

⁹ I looked, and there were four wheels beside the cherubim,^(Y) one wheel beside each cherub. The luster of the wheels was like the gleam of beryl.^{(Z) 10} In appearance, all four looked alike, like a wheel within a wheel. ¹¹ When they moved, they would go in any of the four directions,^(AA) without pivoting as they moved. But wherever the head faced, they would go in that direction, without pivoting as they went. ¹² Their entire bodies,^(AB) including their backs, hands, wings, and the wheels that the four of them had, were full of eyes all around.^{(AC) 13} As I listened the wheels were called “the wheelwork.” ¹⁴ Each one had four faces:^(AD) one was the face of a cherub, the second the face of a human, the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle.

¹⁵ The cherubim ascended; these were the living creatures I had seen by the Chebar Canal.^{(AE) 16} When the cherubim moved, the wheels moved beside them, and when they lifted their wings to rise from the earth, even then the wheels did not veer away from them. ¹⁷ When the cherubim stopped,^(AF) the wheels stood still, and when they ascended, the wheels ascended with them, for the spirit of the living creatures was in them.

¹⁸ Then the glory of the Lord moved away from the threshold of the temple^(AG) and stopped above the cherubim.^{(AH) 19} The cherubim lifted their wings and ascended from the earth right before my eyes;^(AI) the wheels were beside them as they went. The glory of the God of Israel was above them, and it stopped at the entrance to the eastern gate of the Lord’s house.

²⁰ These were the living creatures I had seen^(AJ) beneath the God of Israel by the Chebar Canal,^(AK) and I recognized that they were cherubim. ²¹ Each had four faces and each had four wings,^(AL) with what looked something like human hands under their wings. ²² Their faces looked like the same faces I had seen^(AM) by the Chebar Canal. Each creature went straight ahead.

5 Don’t rebuke an older man, but exhort him as a father, younger men as brothers, ² older women as mothers, and the younger women as sisters with all purity.

The Support of Widows

³ Support^[a] widows^(A) who are genuinely in need. ⁴ But if any widow has children or grandchildren, let them learn to practice godliness toward their own family first and to repay their parents, for this pleases God. ⁵ The widow who is truly in need and left all alone has put her hope in God^(B) and continues night and day in her petitions and prayers; ⁶ however, she who is self-indulgent is dead even while she lives.^{(C) 7} Command this also, so that they will be above reproach. ⁸ But if anyone does not provide^(D) for his own family, especially for his own household, he has denied the faith^(E) and is worse than an unbeliever.

⁹ No widow is to be enrolled on the list for support unless she is at least sixty years old, has been the wife of one husband, ¹⁰ and is well known for good works^(F)—that is, if she has brought up children, shown hospitality,^(G) washed the saints’ feet,^(H) helped the afflicted,^(I) and devoted herself to every good work.^{(J) 11} But refuse to enroll younger widows, for when they are drawn away from Christ by desire, they want to marry^{(K) 12} and will therefore receive condemnation^(L) because they have renounced their original pledge. ¹³ At the same time, they also learn to be idle, going from house to house; they are not only idle, but are also gossips^(M) and busybodies, saying things they shouldn’t say. ¹⁴ Therefore, I want younger women to marry,^(N) have children, manage their households, and give the adversary no opportunity to accuse us.^{(O) 15} For some have already turned away^(P) to follow Satan. ¹⁶ If any^[b] believing woman has widows in her family, let her help them. Let the church not be burdened, so that it can help widows in genuine need.

Honoring the Elders

¹⁷ The elders who are good leaders are to be considered worthy of double honor,^[c] especially those who work hard^(Q) at preaching and teaching. ¹⁸ For the Scripture says: Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain,^[d](R) and, “The worker is worthy of his wages.”^(S)

¹⁹ Don’t accept an accusation against an elder unless it is supported by two or three witnesses.^{(T) 20} Publicly rebuke those who sin, so that the rest will be afraid. ²¹ I solemnly charge you before God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels to observe^(U) these things without prejudice, doing nothing out of favoritism. ²² Don’t be too quick to appoint^[e](V) anyone as an elder, and don’t share in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure.^{(W) 23} Don’t continue drinking only water, but use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses. ²⁴ Some people’s sins are obvious, preceding them to judgment,^(X) but the sins of others surface^[f] later. ²⁵ Likewise, good works are obvious, and those that are not obvious cannot remain hidden.

Honoring Masters

6 All who are under the yoke as slaves should regard their own masters^[g] as worthy of all respect, so that God’s name^(Y) and his teaching will not be blasphemed. ² Let those who have believing masters not be disrespectful to them because they are brothers, but serve them even better, since those who benefit from their service are believers and dearly loved.^[h](Z)

False Doctrine and Human Greed

Teach and encourage these things.

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