Ezekiel 8

1 In the sixth year, in the sixth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I sat in my house, and the elders of Judah sat before me, the Lord Yahweh’s hand fell on me there.

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 Then I saw, and behold, a likeness as the appearance of fire—from the appearance of his waist and downward, fire, and from his waist and upward, as the appearance of brightness, as it were glowing metal.

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 He stretched out the form of a hand, and took me by a lock of my head; and the Spirit lifted me up between earth and the sky, and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the gate of the inner court that looks toward the north, where there was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provokes to jealousy.

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 Behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, according to the appearance that I saw in the plain.

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

5 Then he said to me, “Son of man, lift up your eyes now the way toward the north.” So I lifted up my eyes the way toward the north, and saw, northward of the gate of the altar this image of jealousy in the entry.

“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 He said to me, “Son of man, do you see what they do? Even the great abominations that the house of Israel commit here, that I should go far off from my sanctuary? But you will again see yet 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 He brought me to the door of the court; and when I looked, behold, 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 he said to me, “Son of man, dig now in the wall.” When I had dug in the wall, I saw a door.

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

9 He said to me, “Go in, and see the wicked abominations that they do 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 looked, and saw every form of creeping things, abominable animals, and all the idols of the house of Israel, portrayed around on the wall.

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 Seventy men of the elders of the house of Israel stood before them. In the middle of them Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan stood, every man with his censer in his hand; and the smell of the cloud of incense went up.

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 he said to me, “Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in his rooms of imagery? For they say, ‘Yahweh doesn’t see us. Yahweh has forsaken the land.’”

“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 He said also to me, “You will again see more of the great abominations which they do.”

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

14 Then he brought me to the door of the gate of Yahweh’s house which was toward the north; and I saw the women sit there weeping for Tammuz.

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 he said to me, “Have you seen this, son of man? You will again see yet 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 He brought me into the inner court of Yahweh’s house; and I saw at the door of Yahweh’s temple, between the porch and the altar, there were about twenty-five men with their backs toward Yahweh’s temple and their faces toward the east. They were worshiping the sun toward the east.

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 he said to me, “Have you seen this, son of man? Is it a light thing to the house of Judah that they commit the abominations which they commit here? For they have filled the land with violence, and have turned again to provoke me to anger. Behold, they put 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 will also deal in wrath. My eye won’t spare, neither will I have pity. Though they cry in my ears with a loud voice, yet I will 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.”