Ezekiel 8

1 And it came to pass, in the sixth year in the sixth month, on the fifth of the month, I being seated in my house, and the elders of Judah being seated before me, then fell upon me there the hand of My Lord Yahweh.

On the fifth day of the sixth month [of that year], almost six years after we Israeli people had been (exiled/forced to go to Babylon), I was sitting in my house. The elders of Judah were sitting in front of me. Suddenly the power [MTY] of Yahweh the Lord came on me.

2 So I looked, and lo! a likeness as the appearance of a man, from the appearance of his loins and downward fire, and from his loins and upwards as an appearance of shining, as the look of amber,

[in a vision] I saw someone who resembled a man. Below his waist, [his body] was like fire, and above his waist [his body] was glowing like very hot metal.

3 Then put he forth the similitude of a hand, and took me by the forelock of my head, —and the Spirit lifted me up between the earth and the heavens and brought me to Jerusalem in the visions of God into the opening of the inner gate that looketh toward the north, where was the seat of the Statue of Jealousy. that provoketh to jealousy;

He reached out what seemed to be a hand and grabbed me by the hair of my head. The Spirit lifted me up high above the earth, and in visions God took me [from Babylon] to Jerusalem. He took me [to the temple], to the north gate, to the place where there was an idol that caused Yahweh to be very disgusted and furious.

4 and lo! there, the glory of the God of Israel, like the appearance which I had seen in the valley.

And there in front of me was the brilliant light that indicated the presence of the God whom the Israeli [people previously worshiped. It was] like the vision that I had seen alongside the Kebar River/Canal.

5 Then said he unto me, Son of man Lift up. I pray thee thine eyes, the way toward the north. So I lifted up mine eyes the way toward the north, and lo! on the north by the gate of the altar, this Statue of Jealousy, in the entrance.

Yahweh said to me, “You human, look toward the north!” So I looked, and I saw in the entrance of the gate near the altar that idol that caused Yahweh to be disgusted and furious.

6 Then said he unto me, Son of man Canst thou see what they are doing, —the great abominations which the house of Israel are committing here, that I should go faraway from my sanctuary? Howbeit yet again, shalt thou see great abominations.

He said to me, “You human, do you see what those Israeli people [MTY] are doing? They are doing detestable things here, things that will cause me to abandon my temple. But you will see things that are even more detestable.”

7 So he brought me into the opening of the court, —and I looked, and lo! a single hole in the wall.

Then he brought me to the entrance of the courtyard. I looked and saw a hole in the wall.

8 Then said he unto me Son of man Break I pray thee through the wall. So I broke through the wall, and lo! a single opening.

He said to me, “You human, dig through the wall here.” So I dug through the wall, and I saw a doorway inside.

9 Then said he unto me, — Go in, and see the wicked abominations. which they are committing here.

He said to me, “Go in and see the wicked and detestable things that they are doing there!”

10 So I went in. and looked, and lo! every similitude of creeping thing, and detestable beast, and all the manufactured gods of the house of Israel, - portrayed upon the wall round about on every side;

So I went in through the doorway and looked, and I saw, all over the [of a big room, drawings of] all kinds of creatures that scurry across the ground and [other] detestable animals, and drawings of all the idols that the people of [were worshiping].

11 and seventy men of the elders of the house of Israel with Jaazaniah son of Shaphan, who stood in their midst were standing before them, even every man with his censer in his hand, —and the fragrance of the cloud of incense ascending.

In front of them stood 70 elders of Israel. Jaazaniah, the son of Shaphan, was standing among them. Each of them was holding a pan in which incense was burning, and fragrant smoke of the burning incense was rising up.

12 Then said he unto me, Hast thou seen Son of man what the elders of the house of Israel, are doing in the dark, every man in his image-chambers? for they are saying— Yahweh doth not see us! Yahweh hath forsaken the land!

Yahweh said to me, “You human, look at [RHQ] what the Israeli elders are doing here in the darkness, each of them standing in front of the shrine of his own idol! They are saying, ‘Yahweh does not see us; Yahweh has deserted this country.’”

13 Then said he unto me, — Yet again, shalt thou see great abominations, which they are committing.

He also said, “But you will see things that are even more detestable!”

14 So he brought me into the opening of the gate of the house of Yahweh, which was toward the north, —and Lo! there, women sitting, weeping for Tammuz.

Then he took me to the entrance at the north gate of the temple. I saw women sitting there, mourning for [the death of the god of the people of Babylonia], Tammuz.

15 Then said he unto me Hast thou seen O son of man? Yet again, shalt thou see greater abominations than these.

He said to me, “You human, you see this [RHQ], but you will see things that are more detestable than this!”

16 So he brought me into the inner court of the house of Yahweh, and lo! at the opening of the temple of Yahweh, between the porch and the altar, about twenty-five men, —their backs towards the temple of Yahweh and their faces eastward, and they were bowing down eastward unto the Sun.

Then he took me into the courtyard outside the temple. There at the entrance of the temple, between the porch and the altar, were about 25 men. Their backs were toward the temple and their faces were toward the east, and they were bowing down to [worship] the sun [as it rose] in the east.

17 Then said he unto me Hast thou seen O son of man? Is it too small a thing for the house of Judah, to be committing the abominations which they have committed here, —that they have filled the land with violence and have again provoked me to anger and there they are! putting the branch to my nose.

He said to me, “You human, you see [RHQ] what they are doing. [Do you think that] it is not important that these men of Judah are doing these detestable things here? [But they are doing other terrible things]. They are acting violently throughout their country, and continually causing me to be angry. Look at them! They are insulting me by their actions [IDM]!

18 Therefore even I, will act with indignation, Mine eye shall not shield. Neither will I pity, — Though they have cried in mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them.

So I will show them that I am very angry. I will not pity them or act mercifully toward them. And even if they shout to me [to help them], I will not pay attention to them.”