Then he cried in mine ears with a loud voice, saying, {Or, Draw ye near that &c.}Cause ye them that have charge over the city to draw near, every man with his destroying weapon in his hand.
And behold, six men came from the way of the upper gate, which lieth toward the north, every man with his {Or, battle-axes}slaughter weapon in his hand; and one man in the midst of them clothed in linen, with a writer's inkhorn {Hebrew: upon his loins.}by his side. And they went in, and stood beside the brazen altar.
And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon it was, to the threshold of the house: and he called to the man clothed in linen, who had the writer's inkhorn {Hebrew: upon his loins.}by his side.
And Jehovah said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry over all the abominations that are done in the midst thereof.
And to the others he said in my hearing, Go ye through the city after him, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity;
slay {Hebrew: to destruction.}utterly the old man, the young man and the virgin, and little children and women; but come not near any man upon whom is the mark: and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the {Or, elders}old men that were before the house.
And he said unto them, Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain: go ye forth. And they went forth, and smote in the city.
And it came to pass, while they were smiting, and I was left, that I fell upon my face, and cried, and said, Ah Lord Jehovah! wilt thou destroy all the residue of Israel in thy pouring out of thy wrath upon Jerusalem?
Then said he unto me, The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceeding great, and the land is full of blood, and the city full of {Or, perverseness}wresting of judgment: for they say, Jehovah hath forsaken the land, and Jehovah seeth not.
And as for me also, mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity, but I will bring their way upon their head.
And behold, the man clothed in linen, who had the inkhorn by his side, reported the matter, saying, I have done as thou hast commanded me.
Querverweise zu Hesekiel 9,4 Hes 9,4
And they shall take of the blood, and put it on the two side-posts and on the lintel, upon the houses wherein they shall eat it.
Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Smite with thy hand, and stamp with thy foot, and say, Alas! because of all the evil abominations of the house of Israel; for they shall fall by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence.
And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and there shall no plague be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.
Go ye, inquire of Jehovah for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that is found; for great is the wrath of Jehovah that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not hearkened unto the words of this book, to do according unto all that which is {Or, enjoined us}written concerning us.
Then they that feared Jehovah spake one with another; and Jehovah hearkened, and heard, and a book of remembrance was written before him, for them that feared Jehovah, and that thought upon his name.
because thy heart was tender, and thou didst humble thyself before Jehovah, when thou heardest what I spake against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become {Or, an astonishment}a desolation and a curse, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before me; I also have heard thee, saith Jehovah.
{Or, seeing that he both sealed us}who also sealed us, and gave us the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.
Therefore, behold, I will gather thee to thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered to thy grave in peace, neither shall thine eyes see all the evil which I will bring upon this place. And they brought the king word again.
And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, in whom ye were sealed unto the day of redemption.
{Or, Horror}Hot indignation hath taken hold upon me,Because of the wicked that forsake thy law.
Howbeit the firm foundation of God standeth, having this seal, {Numbers 16:5?}The Lord knoweth them that are his: and, {Isaiah 26:13?}Let every one that nameth the name of the Lord depart from unrighteousness.
Streams of water run down mine eyes,Because they observe not thy law.
And I saw another angel ascend from the sunrising, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a great voice to the four angels to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea,
For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy: I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite.
saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we shall have sealed the {Or, bondservants}servants of our God on their foreheads.
But if ye will not hear it, my soul shall weep in secret for your pride; and mine eye shall weep sore, and run down with tears, because Jehovah's flock is taken captive.
And it was said unto them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree, but only such men as have not the seal of God on their foreheads.
lest again when I come my God should humble me before you, and I should mourn for many of them that have sinned heretofore, and repented not of the uncleanness and fornication and lasciviousness which they committed.
And he opened his mouth for blasphemies against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, even them that {Greek: tabernacle.}dwell in the heaven.
(for that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, {Greek: tormented.}vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their lawless deeds):
{Some ancient authorities omit And it was given…overcome them.}And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and there was given to him authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation.
the Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment unto the day of judgment;
And I saw, and behold, the Lamb standing on the mount Zion, and with him a hundred and forty and four thousand, having his name, and the name of his Father, written on their foreheads.
And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus, and for the word of God, and such as {See marginal note on chapter 3:9}worshipped not the beast, neither his image, and received not the mark upon their forehead and upon their hand; and they lived, and reigned with Christ a thousand years.