Ezekiel 8

1 And it came to pass in the sixth year, in the sixth [month], on the fifth of the month, [that] I was sitting in my house, and the elders of Judah were sitting before me, and fell upon me there the hand of the Lord YHWH.

2 And I looked, and behold, a likeness as the appearance of fire; from the appearance of His loins and downward [was] fire, and from His loins and above [was] like the appearance of brightness, like the color of amber.

3 And He sent out the form of a hand, and He took me by a lock of my hair; and the Spirit lifted up me between the earth and between the heavens, and brought me to Jerusalem in visions of God, to the door of the inner gate facing north, where [was] the seat of the image of jealousy which provokes to jealousy.

4 And behold, there [was] the glory of the God of Israel, according to the vision that I had seen in the plain.

5 And He said to me: “Son of man, lift up now your eyes [to] the way northward.” And I lifted my eyes [to] the way northward, and behold! From the north of the Gate of the Altar [was] this image of jealousy in the entrance.

6 And He said to me: “Son of man, are you seeing what [they] are doing? The great abominations that the house of Israel is doing here to keep Me far off from My sanctuary? And still you will turn [and] you will see greater abominations!”

7 And He brought me to the door of the court; and I looked, and behold, one hole in the wall.

8 And He said to me: “Son of man, dig now into the wall.” And I dug into the wall, and behold, one opening.

9 And He said to me: “Go in and see the evil abominations that they are doing here!”

10 And I went in and saw. And behold, every manner of creeping thing and detestable beast, and all the idols of the house of Israel were engraved on the walls all around,

11 and seventy men from the elders of the house of Israel—and Jaazaniah son of Shaphan standing in their midst—standing before them; and each man his censer in his hand, and the fragrance of a cloud of incense was rising up.

12 And He said to me: “Have you seen, Son of man, that which the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the dark, each man in the inner chambers of his imagery? For they say, ‘YHWH [is] not seeing us, [for] YHWH has forsaken the land.’”

13 And He said to me: “Again you will turn [and] will see greater abominations that they are doing!”

14 And He brought me to the entrance of the gate of the house of YHWH that [was] toward the north, and behold, there the women were sitting [and] weeping [for] Tammuz.

15 And He said to me: “Have you seen, son of man? Again you will turn [and] will see greater abominations than these!”

16 And He brought me into the inner court of the house of YHWH, and behold, at the opening of the temple of YHWH, between the porch and between the altar, [were] about twenty-five men with their backs toward the temple of YHWH and [with] their faces toward the east; and they were worshiping eastward to the sun.

17 And He said to me: “Have you seen, son of man? Is it a light thing for the house of Judah to do the abominations that they do here, that they should fill the land [with] violence and turn back to provoke Me to anger? For behold, they are sending the branch to their nose!

18 I also will act in fury. My eye will not show pity, and I will not have pity, and though they cry into My ears [in] a great voice, not at all will I hear them!”