Ezekiel 8

1This took place in the sixth year, in the sixth month, on the fifth of the month, as I sat in my house and the elders of Judah sat before me, when the hand of the Lord Yahweh fell upon me there.

2I saw, and behold, a likeness like the appearance of fire—from the appearance of his loins downward, fire; and from his loins upward, like the appearance of brightness, like amber.

3He extended a handlike form and took hold of me by a lock of my hair, and the Spirit lifted me between earth and heaven and brought me in visions of God to Jerusalem, to the entrance of the inner gate facing north, where stood the seat of the image of jealousy that provokes jealousy.

4Look, there was the glory of the God of Israel, like the appearance that I saw in the plain.

5He said to me, “Son of man, now lift your eyes toward the north.” So I lifted my eyes toward the north, and there, north of the gate of the altar, was this image of jealousy in the entrance.

6He said to me, "Son of man, do you see what they are doing, the great abominations that the house of Israel does here, distancing me from my sanctuary? Yet you will return and see still greater abominations."

7He brought me to the entrance of the court, and when I looked, behold, one hole in the wall.

8He said to me, "Son of man, dig now into the wall," and I dug into the wall—behold, one door.

9He said to me, "Go in and see the evil abominations that they do here."

10I went in and saw, and look, every likeness of creeping things and detestable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, carved all around on the wall.

11Seventy men of the elders of the house of Israel stood before them, with Jaazaniah son of Shaphan standing in their midst; each held his censer in his hand, and a thick cloud of incense rose.

12He said to me, "Son of man, have you seen what the elders of Israel's house are doing in the darkness, each man in his inner chambers of pictures? For they say, 'Yahweh does not see us; Yahweh has forsaken the land.'"

13He said to me, “Turn back again and see greater abominations that they do.”

14He brought me to the doorway of the gate of Yahweh's house facing north, and look, there sat the women weeping for Tammuz.

15He said to me, “Have you seen, son of man? You will yet return and see greater abominations than these.”

16He brought me to the inner court of Yahweh's house, and look, at the entrance to Yahweh's temple between the porch and the altar stood about twenty-five men with their backs to Yahweh's temple and faces facing east as they bowed down eastward to the sun.

17He said to me, "Have you seen, son of man? Is it too little for the house of Judah to commit these abominations here? For they have filled the land with violence, returned to provoke me to anger, and look, they put the branch to their nose."

18I will also act in anger; my eye will not spare, nor will I show pity, even though they cry out with a loud voice in my ears—I will not hear them.