Ezekiel
Chapter 8
1``
And it came to pass in the sixth year,
in
the sixth month,
in
the fifth day of the month,
as
I sat in my house,
and
the elders of Judah sat before me,
that
the hand of the Lord/'Adonay God/Jehovah
fell
there upon me.
2
Then I beheld,
and
lo a likeness as the appearance of fire.
From
the appearance of his loins even downward, fire;
and
from his loins even upward,
as
the appearance of brightness,
as
the color of amber.
3
And He put forth the form of an hand,
and
took me by a lock of my head.
And
the spirit lifted me up between the earth and the heaven,
and
brought me in the visions of 'Elohiym/Godhead to Jerusalem,
to
the door of the inner gate that looks toward the north
where
was the seat of the image of jealousy,
which
provoked to jealousy.
4
And, behold, the glory of the 'Elohiym/Godhead of Israel
was
there,
according
to the vision that I saw in the plain.
5
Then said He unto me,
"Son
of man, lift up your eyes now the way toward the north."
So
I lifted up my eyes the way toward the north,
and
behold northward at the gate of the altar
this
image of jealousy in the entry.
6
He said furthermore unto me,
"Son
of man, do you see what they do?
Even
the great abominations
that
the house of Israel commits here,
that
I should go far off from My sanctuary?
But
turn you yet again,
and
you shall see greater abominations."
7 And He brought me to the door of the court.
And when I looked, behold a hole in the wall.
8
Then said He unto me,
"Son
of man,
dig
now in the wall."
And when I had dug in the wall, behold a door.
9
And He said unto me,
"Go
in, and behold the wicked abominations that they do here."
10 So I went in and saw.
And
behold every form of creeping things,
and
abominable animals/beasts,
and
all the idols of the house of Israel,
portrayed
upon the wall round about.
11a
And there stood before them
seventy
men of the ancients of the house of Israel,
and
in the midst of them stood Jaazaniah, the son of Shaphan,
with
every man his censer in his hand.
{Note: A censer is a vessel in which incense is burned, especially during religious services.}
11b And a thick cloud of incense went up.
12
Then said He unto me,
"Son
of man,
have
you seen what the ancients of the house of Israel
do
in the dark,
every
man in the chambers of his imagery?
For
they say, Jehovah/God sees us not . . .
Jehovah/God
has forsaken the earth."
13
He said also unto me,
"Turn
you yet again,
and
you shall see greater abominations that they do."
14
Then He brought me to the door
of
the gate of Jehovah/God's house
which
was toward the north;
and,
behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz.
15
Then said He unto me,
"Have
you seen this, O son of man?
Turn
you yet again,
and
you shall see greater abominations than these."
16
And He brought me into the inner court
of
Jehovah/God's house,
and,
behold, at the door of the temple of Jehovah/God,
between
the porch and the altar,
were
about five and twenty men,
with
their backs toward the temple of Jehovah/God,
and
their faces toward the east;
and
they worshipped the sun toward the east.
17
Then He said unto me,
"Have
you 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 returned to provoke Me to anger.
And, lo, they put the branch to their nose. 18
Therefore I will also deal in fury.
My
eye shall not spare,
neither
will I have pity.
And
though they cry in my ears with a loud voice,
yet
will I not hear them.
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