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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.