Ezekiel 8

1 In the sixth year, on the fifth day of the sixth month, I was sitting in my house, and the elders of Judah were sitting before me; and there the hand of the Lord GOD fell upon me.

And it came to pass in the sixth year, in the sixth month, on the fifth day of the month, that I was sitting in my house, and the elders of Judah were sitting before me; and there fell upon me there the inspiration of the Lord Eternal.

2 Then I looked and saw a figure like that of a man. From His waist down His appearance was like fire, and from His waist up He was as bright as the gleam of amber.

And I saw, and, behold, there was a likeness similar to the appearance of fire; from the appearance of his loins downward, it was fire; and from his loins upward, it was similar to the appearance of a bright light, like the glitter of amber.

3 He stretched out what looked like a hand and took me by the hair of my head. Then the Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven and carried me in visions of God to Jerusalem, to the entrance of the north gate of the inner court, where the idol that provokes jealousy was seated.

And he stretched forth the form of a hand, and took me by the locks of my head; and a spirit bore me between the earth and the heaven, and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the inner gate that looketh toward the north, where was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provoketh to wrath.

4 And there I saw the glory of the God of Israel, like the vision I had seen in the plain.

And, behold, there was the glory of the God of Israel, like the appearance which I had seen in the valley.

5 “Son of man,” He said to me, “now lift up your eyes to the north.” So I lifted up my eyes to the north, and in the entrance north of the Altar Gate I saw this idol of jealousy.

And he said unto me, Son of man, do but lift up thy eyes in the direction toward the north. So I lifted up my eyes in the direction toward the north, and behold northward at the gate of the altar [there was] this image of jealousy at the entrance.

6 “Son of man,” He said to me, “do you see what they are doing—the great abominations that the house of Israel is committing—to drive Me far from My sanctuary? Yet you will see even greater abominations.”

Then said he unto me, Son of man, seest thou what they are doing? great abominations are they that the house of Israel commit here, to make me go far away from my sanctuary; but thou shalt yet see still other great abominations.

7 Then He brought me to the entrance to the court, and I looked and saw a hole in the wall.

And he brought me to the door of the court: and I looked, and behold there was a hole in the wall.

8 “Son of man,” He told me, “dig through the wall.” So I dug through the wall and discovered a doorway.

Then said he unto me, Son of man, do break [an opening] in the wall: and I broke [an opening] in the wall, and, behold, there was a door.

9 Then He said to me, “Go in and see the wicked abominations they are committing here.”

And he said unto me, Go in, and see the wicked abominations which they are doing here.

10 So I went in and looked, and engraved all around the wall was every kind of crawling creature and detestable beast, along with all the idols of the house of Israel.

So I went in and saw; and behold there was every form of creeping things, and cattle, abominations, and all the idols of the house of Israel, engraven upon the wall all round about.

11 Before them stood seventy elders of the house of Israel, with Jaazaniah son of Shaphan standing among them. Each had a censer in his hand, and a fragrant cloud of incense was rising.

And seventy men of the elders of the house of Israel, and Yaazanyahu the son of Shaphan standing in the midst of them, were standing before them, and every man had his censer in his hand; and a thick curling cloud of incense was ascending upward.

12 “Son of man,” He said to me, “do you see what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the darkness, each at the shrine of his own idol? For they are saying, ‘The LORD does not see us; the LORD has forsaken the land.’”

Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the dark, every man in his image-chambers? for they say, The Lord seeth us not: the Lord hath forsaken the earth.

13 Again, He told me, “You will see them committing even greater abominations.”

And he said unto me, Thou shalt yet again see still other great abominations that they are doing.

14 Then He brought me to the entrance of the north gate of the house of the LORD, and I saw women sitting there, weeping for Tammuz.

And he brought me to the entrance of the gate of the Lord's house which was on the north side: and, behold, there sat the women weeping for Thammuz.

15 “Son of man,” He said to me, “do you see this? Yet you will see even greater abominations than these.”

Then said he unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? Thou shalt yet again see still other greater abominations than these.

16 So He brought me to the inner court of the house of the LORD, and there at the entrance to the temple of the LORD, between the portico and the altar, were about twenty-five men with their backs to the temple of the LORD and their faces toward the east; and they were bowing to the east in worship of the sun.

And he brought me into the inner court of the Lord's house, and, behold, at the door of the temple of the Lord, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of the Lord, and their faces toward the east; and they were prostrating themselves eastward to the sun.

17 “Son of man,” He said to me, “do you see this? Is it not enough for the house of Judah to commit the abominations they are practicing here, that they must also fill the land with violence and continually provoke Me to anger? Look, they are even putting the branch to their nose!

Then said he unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? Is it too light a thing for the house of Judah to commit the abominations which they commit here? for they have filled the land with violence, and they constantly repeat to provoke me to anger; and, lo, they stretch forth the branch to their nose.

18 Therefore I will respond with wrath. I will not look on them with pity, nor will I spare them. Although they shout loudly in My ears, I will not listen to them.”

Therefore I also will deal in fury; my eye shall not look with pity, and I will not spare: and though they call before my ears with a loud voice, will I still not hear them.