Ezekiel 8

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. 2I looked, and behold, a form that appeared as fire. From what seemed the appearance of his waist downward was fire, and from his waist upward, the appearance of a bright glow, like glowing metal.

3He stretched out the form of a hand and took me by the 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 inner gate that faces north, where was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provokes to jealousy. 4And behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, like the vision that I saw in the valley. 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 was this image of jealousy at the entrance. 6And he said to me, “Son of man, do you see what they are doing? The great abominations that the house of Israel is committing here, to drive me far from my sanctuary? But you will see still greater abominations.”

7Then he brought me to the door of the court, and I looked, and behold, a hole in the wall. 8He said to me, “Son of man, dig through the wall.” So I dug through the wall, and behold, an entrance. 9And he said to me, “Go in and see the wicked abominations they are doing here.” 10So I went in and saw, and behold, all kinds of forms of creeping things, abominable animals, and all the idols of the house of Israel, carved on the wall around. 11Seventy men of the elders of the house of Israel were standing before them, with Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan standing among them. Each had his censer in his hand, and the smoke of the incense went up. 12Then he said to me, “Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel do in the dark, each in his room of pictures? For they say, ‘The Lord does not see us; the LORD has forsaken the land.’” 13He also said to me, “You will see still greater abominations that they commit.”

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. 15Then he said to me, “Have you seen this, son of man? You will see still greater abominations than these.”

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. 17Then he said to me, “Have you seen this, 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 also fill the land with violence and provoke me further to anger? And behold, they are sending the branch to their nose. 18Therefore I will also act in fury. My eye will not spare, nor will I have pity. Though they cry in my ears with a loud voice, I will not hear them.”