God

To the others I heard him say, "Go through the city after him and strike! Don't let your eye spare; have no pity!

Kill old men, young men, girls, little children, women - slaughter them all! But don't go near anyone with the mark. Begin at my sanctuary." They began with the leaders in front of the house.

Then he said to them, "Defile the house! Fill the courtyards with corpses! Get going!" So they went out, spreading death in the city.

While the killing was going on, I was left alone. I fell on my face, cried, and said, "Oh, Adonai ELOHIM! In pouring out your fury on Yerushalayim, are you going to destroy everyone left in Isra'el?"

Then he said to me, "The wickedness of the house of Isra'el and Y'hudah is enormous, the land is full of blood, and the city is full of justice denied; because they say, 'ADONAI has left the land, ADONAI doesn't see.'

But as far as I am concerned, my eye will not spare, and I will have no pity, but I will bring [the consequences of] their ways on their own heads."

At this point the man clothed in linen with the writing equipment at his waist returned and reported, "I have done everything you ordered me to do."

He spoke to the man clothed in linen; he said, "Go in between the wheels under the k'ruvim, fill both your hands with fiery coals from between the k'ruvim, and throw them on the city." As I watched, he went.

The glory of ADONAI rose from above the keruv to the threshold of the house, leaving the house filled with the cloud and the courtyard full of the brilliance of ADONAI's glory.

The sound of the wings of the k'ruvim could be heard even in the outer courtyard sounding like the voice of God, Shaddai, when he speaks.

When he ordered the man clothed in linen to take fire from between the wheels, from between the k'ruvim, he went in and stood next to a wheel;

Now the glory of ADONAI left the threshold of the house and halted above the k'ruvim.

The k'ruvim lifted their wings and rose off the earth - I was watching as they went off with the wheels next to them. They paused at the entrance to the east gate of ADONAI's house, with the glory of the God of Isra'el over them, from above.

This was the living creature I had seen beneath the God of Isra'el by the K'var River, so I knew they were k'ruvim.

Then a spirit lifted me up and brought me to the east gate of ADONAI's house, the gate that faces eastward. At the entrance of the gate I saw twenty-five men; among them were Ya'azanyah the son of 'Azur and P'latyahu the son of B'nayahu, leaders of the people.

He said to me, "Human being, these are the men who make evil plans and give wicked advice in this city.

The Spirit of ADONAI fell on me, and he said to me, "Say, 'Here is what ADONAI says: "What you are saying is correct, house of Isra'el; because I know how your minds work.

Therefore Adonai ELOHIM says this: "Those you have killed and strewn all over it, they are the meat; and this city is indeed the cooking pot; but you will be removed from it.

You are afraid of the sword, but I will bring the sword upon you," says Adonai ELOHIM.

"I will bring you out of it, hand you over to foreigners and execute judgments among you.

You will die by the sword; I will judge you at the border of Isra'el; and you will know that I am ADONAI.

This city will not be your cooking pot, but you will be the meat in it - I will judge you at Isra'el's frontier;

and you will know that I am ADONAI. For you have not lived by my laws or obeyed my rulings but have acted according to the rules of the nations surrounding you."'"

As I was prophesying, P'latyahu the son of B'nayah died. I fell down on my face and cried out, "Oh, Adonai ELOHIM! Are you going to destroy completely those of Isra'el who are left?"

Then the word of ADONAI came to me: