Ezekiel 8

1 Now in the sixth year, in the sixth month, on the fifth day of the month, when I was in my house and the responsible men of Judah were seated before me, the hand of the Lord came on me there.

Now it came to pass in the sixth year, in the sixth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I sat in my house, and the elders of Judah sat before me, that the hand of the Lord Jehovah fell there upon me.

2 And looking, I saw a form like fire; from the middle of his body and down there was fire: and up from the middle of his body a sort of shining, like electrum.

And I looked, and lo, a form having the appearance of fire; from the appearance of his loins downward, of fire; and from his loins upward, of a bright light, like the splendor of shining brass.

3 And he put out the form of a hand and took me by the hair of my head; and the wind, lifting me up between the earth and the heaven, took me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the way into the inner door facing to the north; where was the seat of the image of envy.

And he put forth the form of a hand, and took me by a lock of my head. And the spirit lifted me up 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 stood the idol of jealousy, which provoketh to jealousy.

4 And I saw the glory of the Lord there, as in the vision which I saw in the valley.

And behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, according to the vision which I saw in the plain.

5 Then he said to me, Son of man, now let your eyes be lifted up in the direction of the north; and on looking in the direction of the north, to the north of the doorway of the altar, I saw this image of envy by the way in.

Then said he to me, Son of man, lift up thine eyes toward the north! And I lifted up my eyes toward the north, and behold, northward from the gate of the altar was this idol of jealousy, at the entrance.

6 And he said to me, Son of man, do you see what they are doing? even the very disgusting things which the children of Israel are doing here, causing me to go far away from my holy place? but you will see other most disgusting things.

And he said to me: Son of man, seest thou what they do? Great are the abominations which the house of Israel commit here, that I should go far off from my sanctuary. But thou shalt yet again see great abominations.

7 And he took me to the door of the open place; and looking, I saw a hole in the wall.

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

8 And he said to me, Son of man, make a hole in the wall: and after making a hole in the wall I saw a door.

And he said to me, Son of man, break now through the wall. And when I had broken through the wall, behold, a door.

9 And he said to me, Go in and see the evil and disgusting things which they are doing here.

And he said to me, Go in, and behold the wicked abominations which they practise here.

10 So I went in and saw; and there every sort of living thing which goes flat on the earth, and unclean beasts, and all the images of the children of Israel, were pictured round about on the wall.

So I went in and saw, and behold, every form of creeping things, and of abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, portrayed upon the wall round about.

11 And before them seventy of the responsible men of the children of Israel had taken their places, every man with a vessel for burning perfumes in his hand, and in the middle of them was Jaazaniah, the son of Shaphan; and a cloud of smoke went up from the burning perfume.

And there stood before them seventy men of the elders of the house of Israel, Jaazaniah, the son of Shaphan, standing in the midst of them, with every man his censer in his hand; and a thick cloud of incense went up.

12 And he said to me, Son of man, have you seen what the responsible men of the children of Israel do in the dark, every man in his room of pictured images? for they say, The Lord does not see us; the Lord has gone away from the land.

Then said he to me: Son of man, seest thou what the elders of the house of Israel do in the dark, each one in his image-chamber? For they say, “Jehovah seeth us not; Jehovah hath forsaken the land.”

13 Then he said to me, You will see even more disgusting things which they do.

And he said to me, Thou shalt yet again see the great abominations which they practise.

14 Then he took me to the door of the way into the Lord's house looking to the north; and there women were seated weeping for Tammuz.

Then he brought me to the entrance of the gate of the house of Jehovah, which was toward the north, and behold, there sat women, weeping for Thammuz.

15 Then he said to me, Have you seen this, O son of man? you will see even more disgusting things than these.

And he said to me, Seest thou this, O son of man? Thou shalt yet again see greater abominations than these.

16 And he took me into the inner square of the Lord's house, and at the door of the Temple of the Lord, between the covered way and the altar, there were about twenty-five men with their backs turned to the Temple of the Lord and their faces turned to the east; and they were worshipping the sun, turning to the east.

And he brought me into the inner court of the house of Jehovah, and behold, at the entrance of the temple of Jehovah, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of Jehovah, and their faces toward the east; and they bowed themselves eastward toward the sun.

17 Then he said to me, Have you seen this, O son of man? is it a small thing to the children of Judah that they do the disgusting things which they are doing here? for they have made the land full of violent behaviour, making me angry again and again: and see, they put the branch to my nose.

And he said to me: Seest thou, O son of man? Is it a light thing to the house of Judah, that they commit the abominations which they commit here, that they fill the land with violence, and continually provoke me to anger? And behold, they put the blanch to their nostrils.

18 For this reason I will let loose my wrath: my eye will not have mercy, and I will have no pity.

Therefore will I also deal with them in fury; mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity; and though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them.