² And behold, six men came from the way of the upper gate, which lieth toward the north, every man with his ^[a]slaughter weapon in his hand; and one man in the midst of them clothed in linen, with a writer’s inkhorn ^[b]by his side. And they went in, and stood beside the brazen altar.

³ 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 ^[c]by his side. ⁴ 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.