Ezekiel 8

1 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.

On the fifth day of the sixth month of the sixth year, I was sitting in my house with the elders of Judah and the power of the Lord God came over me there.

2 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.

I looked around and saw a being that looked like a man. From what seemed to be his waist downwards, he looked like fire. From what seemed to his waist upwards, he looked like brightly glowing metal.

3 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.

He reached out what seemed to be a hand and picked me up by my hair. The Spirit took me up into the sky, and in the vision God was giving me he carried me to Jerusalem, to the entrance of the north gate of the Temple's inner courtyard, where the offensive idol that made God angry had been placed.

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

I saw the glory of the God of Israel there, just like I had in the vision I'd seen in the valley.

5 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.

“Son of man,” he told me, “now look to the north.” So I looked to the north, and in the entrance to the north of the Altar Gate I saw this idol that angered God.

6 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.

“Son of man,” he said to me, “can you see what they are doing? Look at the disgusting sins the people of Israel are committing that are driving me far away from my sanctuary? But you're going to see even more disgusting sins than these!”

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

He took me to the entrance to the Temple courtyard. As I looked around, I saw a hole in the wall.

8 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.

“Son of man,” he told me, “pull the wall apart.” So I pulled the wall apart and found a doorway.

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

He told me, “Go through the wall and see the evil and disgusting things they are doing in here.”

10 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.

So I went through the wall and saw carved images covering the walls, representing all kinds of reptiles and disgusting animals, as well as all the idols worshiped by the people of Israel.

11 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.

Seventy elders of the house of Israel were standing in front of them, including Jaazaniah son of Shaphan. They all were holding censers, producing a sweet-smelling cloud of incense that rose above them.

12 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.

“Son of man,” he said to me, “can you see what the elders of the people of Israel are doing here in the dark, with each one worshiping in the shrine room of his own idol? This is what they're saying: ‘The Lord can't see what we're doing; besides the Lord has abandoned our country!’”

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

The Lord went on to tell me, “You're going to see them doing even more disgusting things than these!”

14 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.

Then he took me to the north entrance of the Lord's Temple. I saw women sitting there, weeping for the god Tammuz.

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

“Son of man,” he said to me, “have you seen this? But you're going to see even more disgusting things than these!”

16 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.

He took me to the inner courtyard of the Lord's Temple and right there at the entrance to the Temple, between the porch and the altar, were around twenty-five men. They had their backs to the Temple, and were facing towards the east. They were bowing in worship of the sun rising in the east.

17 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.

“Son of man,” he said to me, “have you seen this? The people of Judah aren't content just to do these disgusting things. They also commit violent crimes across the country and keep on making me angry. Look at how they're deliberately insulting me!

18 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.

As a result I will respond in anger. I won't treat them kindly; I won't be merciful to them. Even though they shout loudly for my help, I won't listen to them.”