1 Daarna het Hy hardop voor my ore geroep en gesê: Kom nader, geregsdienaars van die stad, en elkeen met sy verwoestende wapen in sy hand.

2 En kyk, ses manne kom met die pad van die Boonste Poort wat na die noorde toe lê, en elkeen met sy wapen in sy hand om mee te verbrysel; en onder hulle een man wat met linne bekleed was, met 'n skrywer se inkpot aan sy heupe; en hulle het gekom en vlak by die koperaltaar gaan staan.

3 En die heerlikheid van die God van Israel het opgestyg van die g,rub waar dit op was, na die drumpel van die huis toe; en Hy het na die man geroep wat met linne bekleed was, wat die skrywer se inkpot aan sy heupe gehad het.

4 En die HERE sê vir hom: Trek dwarsdeur die stad, dwarsdeur Jerusalem, en maak 'n teken op die voorhoofde van die manne wat sug en steun oor al die gruwels wat daarin gedoen word.

5 Maar aan die ander sê Hy voor my ore: Trek agter hom aan deur die stad, en slaan; laat julle oog nie verskoon nie, en moet nie spaar nie;

6 slaan dood grysaards, jongmanne en jongedogters en kinders en vroue tot vernietiging toe; maar raak aan niemand op wie die teken is nie, en begin by my heiligdom. En hulle het begin by die manne, die oudstes, wat voor die huis was.

7 En Hy sê vir hulle: Verontreinig die huis en maak die voorhowe vol met mense wat verslaan word. Trek uit! En hulle het uitgetrek en geslaan in die stad.

8 En toe hulle besig was om neer te slaan en ek oorgebly het, het ek op my aangesig geval en uitgeroep en gesê: Ag, Here HERE, gaan U die hele oorblyfsel van Israel vernietig deurdat U u grimmigheid oor Jerusalem uitgiet?

9 Toe sê Hy vir my: Die ongeregtigheid van die huis van Israel en van Juda is buitengewoon groot, en die land is vol bloedskuld, en die stad is vol regsverbreking; want hulle sê: Die HERE het die land verlaat, en die HERE sien nie.

10 Daarom ook, wat My aangaan, my oog sal nie verskoon nie, en Ek sal nie spaar nie; Ek sal hulle wandel op hulle hoof laat neerkom.

11 En kyk, die man wat met linne bekleed was, aan wie se heupe die inkpot was, het berig gebring en gesê: Ek het gedoen soos U my beveel het.

1 Then crying out in my hearing in a loud voice, he said, Let the overseers of the town come near, every man armed.

2 And six men came from the way of the higher doorway looking to the north, every man with his axe in his hand: and one man among them was clothed in linen, with a writer's inkpot at his side. And they went in and took their places by the brass altar.

3 And the glory of the God of Israel had gone up from the winged ones on which it was resting, to the doorstep of the house. And crying out to the man clothed in linen who had the writer's inkpot at his side,

4 The Lord said to him, Go through the town, through the middle of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the brows of the men who are sorrowing and crying for all the disgusting things which are done in it.

5 And to these he said in my hearing, Go through the town after him using your axes: do not let your eyes have mercy, and have no pity:

6 Give up to destruction old men and young men and virgins, little children and women: but do not come near any man who has the mark on him: and make a start at my holy place. So they made a start with the old men who were before the house.

7 And he said to them, Make the house unclean, make the open places full of dead: go forward and send destruction on the town.

8 Now while they were doing so, and I was untouched, I went down on my face, and crying out, I said, Ah, Lord! will you give all the rest of Israel to destruction in letting loose your wrath on Jerusalem?

9 Then he said to me, The sin of the children of Israel and Judah is very, very great, and the land is full of blood and the town full of evil ways: for they say, The Lord has gone away from the land, and the Lord does not see.

10 And as for me, my eye will not have mercy, and I will have no pity, but I will send the punishment of their ways on their heads.

11 Then the man clothed in linen, who had the inkpot at his side, came back and said, I have done what you gave me orders to do.