Ezekiel 9
New American Standard Bible
The Vision of Slaughter
9 Then He cried out in my [a]presence with a loud (A)voice, saying, “Come forward, you [b]executioners 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 (B)one 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 (C)glory of the God of Israel ascended from the cherub on which it had been, to the threshold of the [c]temple. 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 (D)mark on the foreheads of the people who (E)groan and sigh over all the abominations which are being committed in its midst.” 5 But to the others He said in my [d]presence, “Go through the city after him and strike; do not let your eye have pity and do not spare. 6 [e]Utterly (F)kill old men, young men, female virgins, little children, and women, but do not (G)touch any person on whom is the mark; and you shall (H)start from My sanctuary.” So they started with the [f]elders who were before the [g]temple. 7 He also said to them, “(I)Defile the [h]temple 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 (J)fell on my face and cried out, [i]saying, “(K)Oh, Lord [j]God! Are You going to destroy the entire remnant of Israel [k]by 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 (L)filled with blood, and the city is (M)full of perversion; for (N)they say, ‘The Lord has abandoned the land, and the Lord does not see!’ 10 But as for Me, (O)My eye will have no pity nor will I spare, but (P)I will bring their conduct upon their heads.”
11 Then behold, the man clothed in linen, at whose waist was the scribe’s kit, [l]reported, saying, “I have done just as You have commanded me.”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Ezekiel 9:1 Lit ears
- Ezekiel 9:1 Lit punishers
- Ezekiel 9:3 Lit house
- Ezekiel 9:5 Lit ears
- Ezekiel 9:6 Lit To destruction
- Ezekiel 9:6 Or old men
- Ezekiel 9:6 Lit house
- Ezekiel 9:7 Lit house
- Ezekiel 9:8 Lit and said
- Ezekiel 9:8 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Ezekiel 9:8 Lit by Your pouring
- Ezekiel 9:11 Lit brought back word
Ezekiel 9
New English Translation
The Execution of Idolaters
9 Then he shouted in my ears, “Approach,[a] you who are to visit destruction on the city, each with his destructive weapon in his hand!” 2 Next I noticed[b] six men[c] coming from the direction of the upper gate[d] that faces north, each with his war club in his hand. Among them was a man dressed in linen with a writing kit[e] at his side. They came and stood beside the bronze altar.
3 Then the glory of the God of Israel went up from the cherub where it had rested to the threshold of the temple.[f] He called to the man dressed in linen who had the writing kit at his side. 4 The Lord said to him, “Go through the city of Jerusalem[g] and put a mark[h] on the foreheads of the people who moan and groan over all the abominations practiced in it.”
5 While I listened, he said to the others,[i] “Go through the city after him and strike people down; do not let your eye pity nor spare[j] anyone! 6 Old men, young men, young women, little children, and women—wipe them out! But do not touch anyone who has the mark. Begin at my sanctuary!” So they began with the elders who were at the front of the temple.
7 He said to them, “Defile the temple and fill the courtyards with corpses. Go!” So they went out and struck people down throughout the city. 8 While they were striking them down, I was left alone, and I threw myself face down and cried out, “Ah, Sovereign Lord! Will you destroy the entire remnant of Israel when you pour out your fury on Jerusalem?”
9 He said to me, “The sin of the house of Israel and Judah is extremely great; the land is full of murder, and the city is full of corruption,[k] for they say, ‘The Lord has abandoned the land, and the Lord does not see!’[l] 10 But as for me, my eye will not pity them nor will I spare[m] them; I hereby repay them for what they have done.”[n]
11 Next I noticed the man dressed in linen with the writing kit at his side bringing back word: “I have done just as you commanded me.”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Ezekiel 9:1 tc Heb “they approached.” Reading the imperative assumes the same consonantal text but different vowels.
- Ezekiel 9:2 tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a verb.
- Ezekiel 9:2 sn The six men plus the scribe would equal seven, which was believed by the Babylonians to be the number of planetary deities.
- Ezekiel 9:2 sn The upper gate was built by Jotham (2 Kgs 15:35).
- Ezekiel 9:2 tn Or “a scribe’s inkhorn.” The Hebrew term occurs in the OT only in Ezek 9 and is believed to be an Egyptian loanword.
- Ezekiel 9:3 tn Heb “house.”
- Ezekiel 9:4 tn Heb “through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem.”
- Ezekiel 9:4 tn The word translated “mark” is in Hebrew the letter ת (tav). Outside this context the only other occurrence of the word is in Job 31:35. In ancient Hebrew script this letter was written like the letter X.sn For a similar concept in the Bible, see Rev 7:2-4; 13:16; 14:9, 11; 20:4; 22:4.
- Ezekiel 9:5 tn Heb “to these he said in my ears.”
- Ezekiel 9:5 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term is primarily emotional: “to pity,” which in context implies an action, as in being moved by pity in order to spare them from the horror of their punishment.
- Ezekiel 9:9 tn Or “lawlessness” (NAB); “perversity” (NRSV). The Hebrew word occurs only here in the OT, and its meaning is uncertain. The similar phrase in 7:23 has a common word for “violence.”
- Ezekiel 9:9 sn The saying is virtually identical to that of the elders in Ezek 8:12.
- Ezekiel 9:10 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term is primarily emotional: “to pity,” which in context implies an action, as in being moved by pity in order to spare them from the horror of their punishment.
- Ezekiel 9:10 tn Heb “their way on their head I have placed.” The same expression occurs in 1 Kgs 8:32; Ezek 11:21; 16:43; 22:31.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.