1It was the sixth year since King Jehoiachin had been brought to Babylon as a prisoner. On the fifth day of the sixth month, I was sitting in my house. The elders of Judah were sitting there with me. The power of the LORD and King came on me there.2I looked up and saw a figure that appeared to be human. From his waist down he looked like fire. From his waist up he looked as bright as glowing metal.3He reached out what appeared to be a hand. He took hold of me by the hair of my head. The Spirit of the LORD lifted me up between earth and heaven. In visions God gave me, the Spirit took me to Jerusalem. He brought me to the entrance of the north gate of the inner courtyard. The statue of a god was standing there. It made God very angry.4There in front of me was the glory of the God of Israel. It looked just as it did in the vision I had seen on the plain.5Then the LORD said to me, ‘Son of man, look towards the north.’ So I did. I saw a statue that made God angry. It was in the entrance of the gate north of the altar.6He said to me, ‘Son of man, do you see what the Israelites are doing here? They are doing things I hate very much. Those things will cause me to go far away from my temple. But you will see things I hate even more.’7Then he brought me to the entrance to the courtyard. I looked up and saw a hole in the wall.8He said to me, ‘Son of man, dig into the wall.’ So I did. And I saw a door there.9He continued, ‘Go through it. Look at the evil things they are doing here. I hate those things.’10So I went in and looked. All over the walls were pictures of all kinds of crawling things and ‘unclean’ animals. The LORD hates it when people worship those things. There were also carvings of the gods of the people of Israel.11In front of them stood 70 elders of Israel. Jaazaniah was standing there among them. He is the son of Shaphan. Each elder was holding a shallow cup. A sweet-smelling cloud of incense was rising from the cups.12The LORD spoke to me. He said, ‘Son of man, do you see what the elders of Israel are doing in the dark? Each of them is in his own room worshipping his own god. They say, “The LORD doesn’t see us. He has deserted the land.” ’13He continued, ‘You will see them doing things I hate even more.’14Then he brought me to the entrance of the north gate of the LORD’s house. I saw women sitting there. They were mourning for the god named Tammuz.15The LORD said to me, ‘Son of man, do you see what they are doing? You will see things I hate even more.’16Then he brought me into the inner courtyard of the LORD’s house. About 25 men were there. They were at the entrance to the LORD’s temple between the porch and the altar. Their backs were turned towards the temple. Their faces were turned towards the east. And they were bowing down to the sun.17He said to me, ‘Son of man, have you seen all of this? The people of Judah are doing things here that I hate. This is a very serious matter. They are harming one another all through the land. They continue to make me very angry. Just look at them making fun of me!18So I am angry with them. I will punish them. I will not spare them or feel sorry for them. They might even shout in my ears. But I will not listen to them.’
Ezekiel 8
English Standard Version
Abominations in the Temple
1In the sixth year, in the sixth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I sat in my house, with the elders of Judah sitting before me, the hand of the Lord God fell upon me there. (2Ki 6:32; Eze 1:2; Eze 1:3; Eze 8:11; Eze 14:1; Eze 20:1; Eze 20:3)2Then I looked, and behold, a form that had the appearance of a man.[1] Below what appeared to be his waist was fire, and above his waist was something like the appearance of brightness, like gleaming metal.[2] (Eze 1:4; Eze 1:27)3He put out the form of a hand and took me by a lock of my head, and the Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven and brought me in visions of God to Jerusalem, to the entrance of the gateway of the inner court that faces north, where was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provokes to jealousy. (De 4:16; De 32:16; De 32:21; Eze 1:1; Eze 2:9; Eze 5:11; Eze 8:14; Eze 11:1; Eze 11:24; Eze 40:2; Da 5:5; 2Co 12:2; 2Co 12:4)4And behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, like the vision that I saw in the valley. (Eze 1:28; Eze 3:22)5Then he said to me, “Son of man, lift up your eyes now toward the north.” So I lifted up my eyes toward the north, and behold, north of the altar gate, in the entrance, was this image of jealousy. (Eze 2:1; Eze 8:3; Eze 8:16)6And he said to me, “Son of man, do you see what they are doing, the great abominations that the house of Israel are committing here, to drive me far from my sanctuary? But you will see still greater abominations.” (Eze 5:11; Eze 10:18; Eze 47:6)7And he brought me to the entrance of the court, and when I looked, behold, there was a hole in the wall.8Then he said to me, “Son of man, dig in the wall.” So I dug in the wall, and behold, there was an entrance. (Eze 12:5)9And he said to me, “Go in, and see the vile abominations that they are committing here.” (Eze 5:11)10So I went in and saw. And there, engraved on the wall all around, was every form of creeping things and loathsome beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel. (Ex 20:4; Le 11:20; Eze 23:14; Ro 1:23)11And before them stood seventy men of the elders of the house of Israel, with Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan standing among them. Each had his censer in his hand, and the smoke of the cloud of incense went up. (Ex 24:1; Nu 11:16; 2Ch 34:8; Eze 6:13; Eze 8:1)12Then he said to me, “Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the dark, each in his room of pictures? For they say, ‘The Lord does not see us, the Lord has forsaken the land.’” (Ps 10:11; Isa 29:15; Eze 8:7; Eze 8:10; Eze 9:9)13He said also to me, “You will see still greater abominations that they commit.” (Eze 8:6)14Then he brought me to the entrance of the north gate of the house of the Lord, and behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz. (Eze 8:3)15Then he said to me, “Have you seen this, O son of man? You will see still greater abominations than these.” (Eze 8:5; Eze 8:13)16And he brought me into the inner court of the house of the Lord. And behold, at the entrance of the temple of the Lord, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men, with their backs to the temple of the Lord, and their faces toward the east, worshiping the sun toward the east. (Ex 40:6; Ex 40:29; 1Ki 6:3; 1Ki 6:36; Jer 2:27; Jer 8:2; Jer 32:33; Eze 8:5; Eze 9:2; Eze 10:3; Eze 40:28; Eze 40:47; Eze 43:5; Eze 45:19; Eze 46:1; Joe 2:17)17Then he said to me, “Have you seen this, O son of man? Is it too light a thing for the house of Judah to commit the abominations that they commit here, that they should fill the land with violence and provoke me still further to anger? Behold, they put the branch to their[3] nose. (Jer 7:18; Eze 2:1; Eze 5:11; Eze 7:11; Eze 7:23; Eze 20:28)18Therefore I will act in wrath. My eye will not spare, nor will I have pity. And though they cry in my ears with a loud voice, I will not hear them.” (Pr 1:28; Isa 1:15; Eze 5:11; Eze 5:13; Mic 3:4)