The Book of the Prophet Ezekiel

And it was in the sixth year, in the sixth [month], on the fifth of the month, I was sitting in my house. And the elders of Judah were sitting before me. And the hand of the Lord Jehovah fell on me there.

And I looked, and behold, a likeness as the look of fire, from the appearance of His loins and downward, [like] fire, and from His loins and upward, as the look of brightness, like the color of polished bronze.

And He put forth the form of a hand and took me by a lock of my head. And the Spirit lifted me up between the earth and the heavens and brought me to Jerusalem (in the visions of God), to the opening of the inner gate facing north, where there [was] a seat of the image of jealousy, which causes jealousy.

And, behold! The glory of the God of Israel [was] there, like the appearance which I saw in the plain.

And He said to me, Son of man, lift up your eyes now to the way of the north. So I lifted up my eyes the way of the north, and, behold, from the north, at the gate of the altar, [was] this image of jealousy at the entrance.

And He said to me, Son of man, do you see what they are doing, the great abominations which the house of Israel is doing here, that I should be far from My sanctuary? But you turn again [and] you shall see greater abominations.

And He brought me to the opening of the court. And I looked, and, behold, a single hole in the wall.

And He said to me, Son of man, dig now in the wall. And I dug in the wall; and, behold, an opening!

And He said to me, Go in and see the evil abominations that they are doing here.

And I went in and looked. And, behold, every form of creeping thing, and hateful beast, and all the idols of the house of Israel were carved on the wall all around.

And seventy men of the elders of the house of Israel, and Jaazaniah, the son of Shaphan, [were] standing among them. [These] were standing among them, and each man with his censer in his hand, and the odor of the cloud of incense was rising.

And He said to me, Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the dark, each man in the rooms of his image? For they are saying, Jehovah does not see us, Jehovah has forsaken the earth.

And He said to me, You turn again, you shall see greater abominations which they are doing.

And He brought me to the opening of the gate of the house of Jehovah, toward the north. And, behold, women were sitting there weeping for Tammuz.

And He said to me, Have you seen, son of man? You turn again [and] you shall see greater abominations than these.

And he brought me into the inner court of the house of Jehovah. And, behold, at the opening of the temple of Jehovah, between the porch and the altar, [were] about twenty five men with their backs to the temple of Jehovah, and their faces eastward. And they bowed themselves eastward to the sun.

And He said to me, Son of man, have you seen? Is it nothing to the house of Judah from doing the abominations which they do here? For they have filled the land [with] violence and have returned to provoke Me to anger. And, behold, they are putting the branch to their nose!