Ezekiel 8

1And it came to pass in the sixth year, in the sixthmonth, in the fifthdayof the month, as I sat in my house, and the elders of Judah sat before me, that the hand of the Lord Jehovah fell there upon me.

1On the fifth day of the sixth month of the sixth year, I was sitting in my house with the leaders of Judah sitting in front of me. Suddenly, the power of the Sovereign Lord came over me.

2Then I beheld, and, lo, a likeness as the appearance of fire; from the appearance of his loins and downward, fire; and from his loins and upward, as the appearance of brightness, as it were glowing metal.

2I looked and saw a figure that looked like a man. From what appeared to be his waist down, he looked like fire; and from his waist up, he was bright like glowing metal.

3And he put forth 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 the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the gate of the inner court that looketh toward the north; where was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provoketh to jealousy.

3He reached out something that looked like a hand and took me by a lock of hair on my head. Then the Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven. In visions from God, he took me to Jerusalem, to the entrance of the north gate of the inner courtyard. There stood an idol that causes God to be jealous.

4And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, according to the appearance that I saw in the plain.

4And I saw the glory of the God of Israel there, just like the vision I had seen before in the plain.

5Then said he unto me, Son of man, lift up thine eyes now the way toward the north. So I lifted up mine eyes the way toward the north, and behold, northward of the gate of the altar this image of jealousy in the entry.

5Then he said to me, 'Son of man, look toward the north.' So I looked toward the north, and there, next to the entrance of the altar gate, I saw that idol of jealousy.

6And he said unto me, Son of man, seest thou what they do? even the great abominations that the house of Israel do commit here, that I should go far off from my sanctuary? But thou shalt again see yet other great abominations.

6He said to me, 'Son of man, do you see what they are doing? The people of Israel are doing terrible, disgusting things here that drive me far away from my own temple. But you will see things even worse than this.'

7And he brought me to the door of the court; and when I looked, behold, a hole in the wall.

7Then he brought me to the entrance of the courtyard. When I looked, I saw a hole in the wall.

8Then said he unto me, Son of man, dig now in the wall: and when I had digged in the wall, behold, a door.

8He said to me, 'Son of man, dig into the wall.' So I dug into the wall and found a doorway.

9And he said unto me, Go in, and see the wicked abominations that they do here.

9He said to me, 'Go in and see the wicked and disgusting things they are doing here.'

10So I went in and saw; and behold, every form of creeping things, and abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, portrayed upon the wall round about.

10So I went in and looked. I saw all kinds of crawling creatures, disgusting animals, and all the idols of the people of Israel carved all over the walls.

11And there stood before them seventy men of the elders of the house of Israel; and in the midst of them stood Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan, every man with his censer in his hand; and the odor of the cloud of incense went up.

11Seventy leaders of the people of Israel were standing there. Among them was Jaazaniah son of Shaphan. Each man held an incense burner in his hand, and a thick cloud of incense was rising.

12Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the elders of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in his chambers of imagery? for they say, Jehovah seeth us not; Jehovah hath forsaken the land.

12Then he said to me, 'Son of man, do you see what the leaders of Israel are doing in the dark? Each one is in a room filled with his own carved images. They say, "The Lord doesn't see us; the Lord has abandoned the land."'

13He said also unto me, Thou shalt again see yet other great abominations which they do.

13He also said, 'You will see them doing even more disgusting things.'

14Then he brought me to the door of the gate of Jehovah’s house which was toward the north; and behold, there sat the women weeping for Tammuz.

14Then he brought me to the entrance of the north gate of the Lord’s temple, and I saw women sitting there, weeping for the god Tammuz.

15Then said he unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? thou shalt again see yet greater abominations than these.

15He asked me, 'Son of man, do you see this? You will see things even more disgusting than these.'

16And he brought me into the inner court of Jehovah’s house; and behold, at the door of the temple of Jehovah, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of Jehovah, and their faces toward the east; and they were worshipping the sun toward the east.

16Then he brought me into the inner courtyard of the Lord’s temple. There, at the entrance to the temple, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men. Their backs were toward the Lord’s temple and their faces were toward the east. They were bowing down to worship the sun in the east.

17Then he said unto me, Hast thou seen this, O 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: and, lo, they put the branch to their nose.

17He said to me, 'Son of man, do you see this? Is it not enough for the people of Judah to do these disgusting things? They have filled the land with violence and keep making me angry. Look, they are even putting branches to their noses!

18Therefore will I also deal in wrath; mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity; and though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them.

18Therefore, I will act in my anger. I will not look on them with pity, and I will not spare them. Even if they shout in my ears, I will not listen to them.'