Judgment on the Idolaters
1Then I heard him call out in a loud voice, “Bring near those who are appointed to execute judgment on the city, each with a weapon in his hand.” 2And I saw six men coming from the direction of the upper gate, which faces north, each with a deadly weapon in his hand. With them was a man clothed in linen who had a writing kit at his side. They came in and stood beside the bronze altar.
3Now the glory of the God of Israel went up from above the cherubim, where it had been, and moved to the threshold of the temple. Then the Lord called to the man clothed in linen who had the writing kit at his side 4and said to him, “Go throughout the city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done in it.”
5As I listened, he said to the others, “Follow him through the city and kill, without showing pity or compassion. 6Slaughter the old men, the young men and women, the mothers and children, but do not touch anyone who has the mark. Begin at my sanctuary.” So they began with the old men who were in front of the temple.
7Then he said to them, “Defile the temple and fill the courts with the slain. Go!” So they went out and began killing throughout the city. 8While they were killing and I was left alone, I fell facedown, crying out, “Alas, Sovereign Lord! Are you going to destroy the entire remnant of Israel in this outpouring of your wrath on Jerusalem?”
9He answered me, “The sin of the people of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great; the land is full of bloodshed and the city is full of injustice. They say, ‘The Lord has forsaken the land; the Lord does not see.’ 10So I will not look on them with pity or spare them, but I will bring down on their own heads what they have done.”
11Then the man in linen with the writing kit at his side brought back word, saying, “I have done as you commanded.”
拜偶像者遭誅滅
1我聽見祂高聲呼喊說：「懲罰這城的人啊，拿起你們各自的兵器上前來吧！」 2只見六個人從朝北的上門走來，手中各自拿著可怕的兵器。其中有一人身穿細麻衣，腰間帶著墨盒。他們進入殿裡，站在銅祭壇旁邊。
3以色列上帝的榮耀原本在基路伯天使上，現在升到了殿門口。上帝把那身穿細麻衣、腰帶墨盒的人召來， 4對他說：「你去走遍耶路撒冷，在那些因城中可憎之事而歎息哀傷的人額上畫個記號。」 5我聽見祂對其餘的人說：「你們要跟隨他走遍全城，毫不留情地殺戮， 6將男女老幼全部殺盡，但你們不能傷害額上有記號的。你們要從我的聖所開始。」於是他們首先殺了殿前的眾長老。 7祂又對他們說：「要玷污這殿，把你們所殺的堆滿整個院子。去吧！」他們便出去，在城中殺戮。 8他們殺戮的時候，只留下我一個人，我便俯伏在地上呼求：「唉，主耶和華啊！你向耶路撒冷傾倒你的烈怒，要滅絕以色列所有的餘民嗎？」
9祂回答說：「以色列人和猶大人罪大惡極，遍地是血腥，滿城是冤屈，他們說，『耶和華丟棄了這片土地，祂看不見我們。』 10因此，我必不顧惜他們，也不憐憫他們，我必照他們的所作所為報應他們。」
11這時，那個身穿細麻衣，腰帶墨盒的人回來稟告說：「我已照你的吩咐做了。」
