Jezekiel 8

1 And it came to pass in the sixth year, in the fifth month, on the fifth [day] of the month, I was sitting in the house, and the elders of Juda were sitting before me: and the hand of the Lord came upon me.

2 And I looked, and, behold, the likeness of a man: from his loins and downwards [there was] fire, and from his loins upwards [there was] as the appearance of amber.

3 And he stretched forth the likeness of a hand, and took me by the crown of my head; and the Spirit lifted me up between the earth and sky, and brought me to Jerusalem in a vision of God, to the porch of the gate that looks to the north, where was the pillar of the Purchaser.

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

5 And he said to me, Son of man, lift up your eyes towards the north. So I lifted up mine eyes towards the north, and, behold, [I looked] from the north towards the eastern gate.

6 And he said to me, Son of man, have you seen what these do? They commit great abominations here so that I should keep away from my sanctuary: and you shall see yet greater iniquities.

7 And he brought me to the porch of the court.

8 And he said to me, Son of man, dig: so I dug, and behold a door.

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

10 So I went in and looked; and saw vain abominations, and all the idols of the house of Israel, portrayed upon them round about.

11 And seventy men of the elders of the house of Israel, and Jechonias the son of Saphan stood in their presence in the midst of them, and each one held his censer in his hand; and the smoke of the incense went up.

12 And he said to me, You have seen, son of man, what the elders of the house of Israel do, each one of them in their secret chamber: because they have said, The Lord see not; The Lord has forsaken the earth.

13 And he said to me, You shall see yet greater iniquities which these do.

14 And he brought me in to the porch of the house of the Lord that looks to the north; and, behold [there were] women sitting there lamenting for Thammuz.

15 And he said to me, Son of man, you have seen; but you shall yet see [evil] practices greater then these.

16 And he brought me into the inner court of the house of the Lord, and at the entrance of the temple of the Lord, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty men, with their back parts towards the temple of the Lord, and their faces [turned] the opposite way; and these were worshipping the sun.

17 And he said to me, Son of man, you have seen this. [Is it] a little thing to the house of Juda to practise the iniquities which they have practised here? for they have filled the land with iniquity: and, behold, these are as scorners.

18 Therefore will I deal with them in wrath: mine eye shall not spare, nor will I have any mercy.