“Then the Lord thundered, ‘Bring on the men appointed to punish the city! Tell them to bring their weapons with them!’ Six men soon appeared from the upper gate that faces north, each carrying a deadly weapon in his hand. with them was a man dressed in linen, who carried a writer’s case at his side. They all went into the Temple courtyard and stood beside the bronze altar.
The glory of the Lord of Israel rose up from between the cherubim, where it had rested, and moved to the entrance of the Temple. And the Lord called to the man dressed in linen who was carrying the writer’s case. He said to him,’Walk through the streets of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of all who weep and sigh because the detestable sins being committed in their city.’
Then I heard the Lord say to the other men, ‘Follow him through the city and kill everyone whose forehead is not marked. Show no mercy; have no pity! Kill them all- old and young, girls and women and little children. But do not touch anyone with the mark. Begin right here at the Temple.’ So they began by killing the seventy leaders.” (vv 1-6, NLT)